My husband and I flew 15 hours in economy. Bidding on a ‘bubble’ seat made the long flight bearable.

Flying economy is never fun.

But on a 15-hour flight from Vancouver to New Zealand, my husband and I found a few ways to make our long journey in economy bearable.

Booking an extra seat (which some call a “bubble” seat) was definitely the best thing we tried.

We bid on a ‘bubble’ seat to give ourselves extra space during the flight

Seventy-two hours before departure, our airline offered us the option to bid on a “bubble” seat, which allows a traveler to block out the seat next to them.

This seemed like an affordable way to get more space without trying to bid our way into first class — so my husband and I went for it.

We had the option to block out two seats for more money, which would’ve given us a whole row on the plane.

But since we were flying together and wanted to save money, we bid on one “bubble” seat to share, essentially giving us three seats for two people.

The day before our flight we were informed that our bid was accepted.

We paid 277 Canadian dollars, about $207, for a “bubble” seat on our way to New Zealand and 321 Canadian dollars, about $240, on the return trip.

Both times, we were placed in the plane’s middle section, where we had three of the four seats in our row. We still had one person in our row but it was so nice to have the extra space to stretch out.

We also broke up our flight and bought lounge passes during our layover

In addition to bidding on a “bubble” seat, my husband and I chose a flight with a stop in Fiji to make our long-haul journey less painful.

This layover let us stretch our legs and saved us a lot of money, as the connecting flight was half the price of a direct one.

Before our flight home from Fiji to Vancouver, we also bought airport lounge passes for $40 per person.

In the lounge, we comfortably enjoyed our layover with great food and unlimited drinks before getting back on a plane.

The ‘bubble’ seat was the MVP of our trip
The best thing we did to improve our flying experience was getting a “bubble” seat.

I’d love to see more airlines let travelers bid on “bubble” seats, but booking an extra seat in advance or bidding on upgrades with extra legroom could also be decent alternatives for now.

The main downside of getting a “bubble” seat is that we couldn’t choose where we were seated. I usually book a window seat, but both bids placed us in the middle of the plane.

Still, although “bubble” seat prices vary, a few hundred bucks wasn’t bad for an extra seat and extra space.

I’d definitely do this again for a long-haul flight.