Airline upgrades with comfort in mind

Have you noticed that padding on airline seats is getting thinner and that the rows are closer together? To save fuel and squeeze in more folks, airlines are packing in the passengers. Comfort in the cheap seats often is an afterthought.

An upgrade may be just what the doctor ordered. Here are some ways to help make your next flight more comfortable with what may turn out to be a small investment:

• Buy a coach seat with extra legroom. JetBlue, Delta, United and other airlines will sell you a few extra inches of legroom at the front of the economy cabin or at exit rows for a reasonable fee. JetBlue charges as little as $10 extra for seats with 38 inches between rows; its standard seats have 34 inches between rows, rather than the 30 or 31 inches typical on some airlines. United has long had its Economy Plus option, offering as much as 5 extra inches of legroom in coach, starting at $9 a flight for shorter hops and going up to, say, $109 each way on an LAX-Tokyo flight.

• Buy a cheap domestic business-class seat on a discount airline. AirTran (at least until it’s fully integrated with Southwest) and Spirit sell roomier business-class seats for far less than most other airlines. AirTran will let you upgrade to business class from any fare at the airport on a first-come, first-served basis for $69 and up per flight segment.

• Buy a non-refundable discounted business- or first-class seat on a network airline. Although this isn’t exactly cheap, airlines sell business- and first-class fares at discounts on their websites. For example, on an LAX-Miami nonstop, American was recently selling “first special” fares for $368 each way.

• Buy cheap first-class last-minute upgrades. Virgin America offers last-minute upgrades (four hours before flight time) to its luxurious first-class cabin; fees vary depending on the length of the flight. US Airways has a similar program called GoUpgrades, allowing passengers to upgrade from economy class to first for $50 to $500 each way, depending on flight length, 24 hours or less before flight time. You can upgrade by phone or at the airport, and international flights are included. If you don’t see an upgrade offer, ask a representative at check-in.

• No “extra legroom for purchase” option on your airline? At the very least, choose planes with more legroom. Not all aircraft are created equal, even when flown by the same airline. Check out the “seat pitch” data at Seatguru.com and book on an aircraft on which seat rows are spaced farther apart. Doing so can earn you as much as 2 extra inches of legroom. Your knees will thank you.

• Buy international business- and first-class fares from consolidators. Ticket sellers such as https://www.1stair.net and https://www.planetamex.com sell premium cabin fares at considerable discounts.

• Use miles to upgrade. This is one of the highest-value ways you can spend your miles. It certainly makes more sense to use your miles to upgrade to a business-class ticket than to spring for a full-fare business-class ticket on, say, American, which last week showed its business flexible round-trip fare from LAX to New York at $5,400. An upgrade to business class from a discount economy ticket starts as low as 15,000 miles plus a $75 fee on American.

• Be loyal. Upper-tier frequent-flier program members get free upgrades, priority access to exit row seating at no charge and other perks on many airlines, so stick with one airline, fly frequently and attain “premier” status.

travel@latimes.com