Premium Price, Economy Attitude: My Travel Experience

Let’s talk about long flights.

I recently took a direct flight that lasted over 12 hours, and honestly… it was one of those trips that reminds you how important comfort is especially when you’re stuck in the sky for half a day. I went in hopeful. I mean, it was a direct flight, so I thought, “Okay, at least I won’t have to deal with connections and stress.” But from the moment I got to my seat, I already knew I was about to be tested.

My Seat Partner and the Beginning of Wahala

My seat partner was an older woman (no shade at all), but from the very first sight, I knew this flight would be uncomfortable.

And then it started.

First, the overtaking of the middle arm rest. You know when you’re trying to be polite, but you also want to enjoy the small space you paid for?. I tried not to lose the home training I have but pushed to get some arm space

Then came the constant coughing.

And at some point I was scared not to leave this flight with the cough,” because what is this (forguhsake) ?

The Smell That Made Me Question Everything

The most annoying part was the smell.

It got so bad that I found myself constantly having to cover my nose, just trying to survive and keep my sanity intact. It’s already hard enough being stuck in one place for hours, but adding the extra level of discomfort was torture.

Let’s Talk About the Flight Attendants

Can we talk about the flight attendants?

Because wow.

I flew with Delta because Virgin Atlantic decided to stress me out by letting me on a flight that would be uncomfortable. And Delta said, we got you uncovered on the "thrown in our flight".

The Delta crew were just rude. One of them practically threw a snack at me, and another one lied about not having soda in her crate when she clearly did which was absolutely unnecessary.

They made it look like they were doing me a favor or did I not pay for this flight?. I didn’t come here for charity. Basic courtesy is literally the bare minimum regardless of the class of flight you are in; I really think that flight attendant needs to be mindful of how they treat people.

Nobody is flying for free. Everybody paid for their flight and should be accorded some form of regard. Anyways, my people whatever you do, just be able to afford the basic necessities of life.

The Premium vs Comfort Situation

In Virgin Atlantic, I was supposed to be flying Premium as Upper Class wanted to take my kidney for a ticket; instead I opted for a Premium and on a Virgin Atlantic, I would have been treated much better than the treatment I got from Delta. That aside, instead of flying Premium, Delta bounced me to Comfort instead of putting me in my Premium.

And the experience? Altogether horrible.

I mean if I wanted economy treatment (no shade at all), I would have paid for an economy ticket.

My Final Rating

Overall, I’m rating Delta a 55% because they were so below par.

I won't say that this was the worst flight of my life, but it definitely wasn’t worth the stress, discomfort, and attitude.

Final Thoughts

Traveling is supposed to be exciting, refreshing, and full of good memories, but sometimes the journey itself will humble you.

One thing I’m learning is this: comfort matters. Respect matters. And if you’re paying for a certain level of service, you deserve to receive it without feeling like you’re begging.

Until next time, I’ll be praying for peaceful flights, kind flight attendants, and no coughing seat partners. Amen.