What was your best experience flying in economy class?

What was your best experience flying in economy class?

My best was actually my first.

In 2013, a close friend of mine was working as a contract animator for Marvel studios. For his small team's contribution, Marvel gave each team member 2 free tickets to the San Diego Comic-Con.

Guess who was invited? :D

Anyway, I hopped on a flight from North Carolina to Atlanta. After that connecting flight, I flew from Atlanta straight to L.A.

Although the American Airlines flight from NC to GA was horrible (crammed, stuffy, hot, no free food or drink items), the Delta flight from Atlanta to LAX was amazing…and fun.

The seats had much more room, leg space was generous, the air circulation (and temp) were perfect, and even free food and drinks were offered…in economy. This was something I wasn't prepared for, but happily pleased with.

Anyway, a young woman seated across from me started up a conversation. Her name was Anna and she was from Chicago.

She was a marketing consultant on an advertising mission to L.A. She was beautiful, dressed immaculately…like the CEO of a Fortune 500 company, yet she was very friendly and humble. And here I was, dressed in a Hurley t-shirt, jeans, and Converses.

What a way for a first impression to go.

Anna and I spoke the remaining 4 hours of the flight. And since there were no passengers in the seats next to us, the flight attendant said if we wanted, we could move closer. Obviously, we did.

We talked almost the entire flight.

Mid-way through the flight, I asked her if she wanted a “drink”. But, I didn't want to pay for alcohol on the flight, especially if they didn't serve my favorite (rum).

Delta provided the free food (cookies) and free 8oz Coke. A plan started to formulate.

Before the flight, I found on Reddit that there was a way to get your own alcohol onboard (I still don't know how to this day I got away with it) without it being discovered.

I had used the clear travel bottles (that every airline allows onboard) sold in convenience stores and filled them with Captain Morgan. From the outside, they look exactly like shampoo, soap, or mouthwash. Yet I was certain x-ray machines would pick this up.

They certainly did not.

Back to Anna…after we asked for our free Cokes, I reached for my carry on. From that point, I poured the Coke into spare empty travel containers I had, then poured the rum into those.

Voila! No bartender fees or overpriced drinks.

After that, we gave a cheers, drank, talked, shared iPods, and laughed.

By some magical form of time travel, it felt like those hours in the air were only minutes.

Sadly, once we landed, I never had the courage to ask Anna for her number. Or maybe it was due to my slight (or totally saturated) inebriation.

I guess it was for the best. I was still in college, she had an amazing career, we lived many states apart…it wouldn't have ended well, I'm sure.

But for those few hours, I had one of the most entertaining times of my life…being an undercover mixologist on a long flight, speaking to a beautiful marketing consultant 20,000+ feet up in the air wearing Converses.

This is why economy rocked for me.

Oh…and Anna, if you're out there, you owe me a drink!