Flying in a window seat without a window sounds like an upsetting experience. But I found it might just be the best spot for an in-flight nap.
Boeing 737 and Airbus A321 jets typically have at least one row with a missing window due to ducts or other components. They are the most popular planes in the world, with thousands of them shuttling passengers every day.
Plenty of them will wind up next to a blank wall instead of a window.
Last month, United Airlines and Delta Air Lines were sued by passengers who said they unexpectedly found themselves in these “windowless window seats.”
The suits accused the airlines of failing to highlight the lack of a window during the booking process, unlike some other carriers. The plaintiffs said they spent between $45 and $170 extra to choose their seats.
I decided to book one for myself to see what it was like.
It was obviously different for me because I knew what I was in for, while the plaintiffs said they didn’t.
But I was still surprised to find a benefit that might make some travelers want to choose this seat over another one.
My flight without a window
On Tuesday, I flew with Ryanair from Dublin to London. The Irish budget airline is Europe’s biggest carrier by passenger numbers.
It was also cited in the August lawsuits as an example of an airline that warns passengers about the windowless seat during the booking process.
Business Insider paid £21 for the flight and an extra £9.50 to reserve seat 12F, which is about $28 and $13, respectively.
Ryanair only operates Boeing 737 jets, so all of its planes have at least one windowless row.
On a previous Ryanair flight I took, the airline changed the plane to a different variation of the 737. That meant that while I had booked a regular seat, I unexpectedly ended up sitting in the exit row.
So, before boarding, I was briefly tense in hoping that I would still have the windowless seat I wanted for the experiment.
Thankfully, there was no plane swap this time.
I was also pleased to find that my seat wasn’t entirely windowless after all. There was still a view, but I needed to lean forward to see it properly.
By the time we took off at 7:44 p.m., the sun had set, so there wasn’t much to see outside anyway.
My seatmate and I laughed off the awkwardness of our seatbelts being tangled up, and, buckled in, I relaxed after a long day.
My phone told me I’d done about 25,000 steps during my few hours exploring Dublin. Plus, I’d spent the previous night sleeping in London Gatwick Airport (keep your eyes peeled for the article.)
In short, I was pretty exhausted.
I also couldn’t help sampling a pint of Guinness in the terminal.
Even though I had a good novel with me, I was keen for a bit of shut-eye. As we taxied toward the runway, I pulled up my hoodie and leaned my head against the windowless wall.
At first, I feared the vibrations and the noise here would keep me awake — but I turned up my Spotify and soon drifted off.
I reckon earplugs or noise-cancelling headphones are a must if you’re hoping to sleep on a plane. My hoodie was also comfier than putting my head directly against the wall, and I pulled a cap over my eyes to block out much of the light.
Almost an hour passed before I woke up, with the plane starting its descent to Gatwick.
At this point, I also found myself contending with the main drawback of a window seat: needing the loo.
I’d finished off a bottle of water before going through security, and I blame my tiredness for neglecting my typical pre-boarding bathroom visit.
Given it was a short flight and there were only a few minutes left, I was fine to wait a bit longer and avoid asking the other passengers in my row to let me out.
After a bumpy landing and some strong braking from the pilots, I was back in England and feeling more refreshed than I expected.
It was comfier than leaning my head against a window or on my hand propped up on an armrest. Even if you’re in business class, you’re not going to find lie-flat beds on a short-haul flight.
If you’re flying late in the day and plan to sleep on the plane, a windowless seat could actually be your best bet.
Read the full article here
