- My friend and I boarded a 10-hour economy flight between Denver and Munich.
- Like most long-haul flights, the journey was filled with highs and lows.
- We celebrated an empty middle seat and dined on OK plane food.
Long-haul economy flights are a roller coaster of highs and lows.
I hate cramped quarters but love plane food. I struggle to fall asleep but crave an excuse to binge movies for hours.
Jet lag is a nightmare, but the stomach drop from taking off and gaining a bird’s-eye perspective on a destination are two of my favorite things.
My most recent long-haul flight was filled with similar highs and lows.
For the first time in years, I wasn’t traveling solo. I had a friend by my side. Together, we were heading to Italy’s Dolomites for a week of skiing — a high.
To get there, we had to embark on a 10-hour Lufthansa flight from Denver to Munich in economy — a low.
Here’s how we spent every hour of the journey.
Hour 1: A TSA hiccup
Like any long-haul flight, the journey starts long before stepping on the plane.
Thankfully, dropping off ski bags was a breeze, and my friend and I were eager to zoom through TSA PreCheck and get to the Capital One Lounge.
Like any plan, something is bound to go wrong. I was supposed to have PreCheck, but it wasn’t showing up on my boarding pass. After getting turned away at TSA, I waved farewell to my friend Emma and headed to general check-in.
It was no big deal. Then, the TSA agent’s face filled with confusion when she scanned my passport and boarding pass. The name on the screen and my passport didn’t match.
She sent me back to the Lufthansa desk, where they printed me a new boarding pass. Two lines later, I was in front of a new TSA agent. Again, the incorrect name popped up.
After flagging a supervisor, they let me through with no explanation.
My friend and I have no theories about what happened or how a completely wrong name could be attached to my profile. We ultimately shrugged it off, attributing it to Denver International Airport’s many quirks.
The fiasco reminded me that I needed to get to the airport early. Many things are out of your control when you fly — from traffic to technology issues — and creating a buffer for things to go wrong is always key when traveling.
Hour 2: A quick lounge bite
Our planned lengthy break before boarding turned into a quick bite.
My friend wrapped up a last-minute work assignment, I sent off an email, and we toasted to making it through security.
As I sipped my spritz, I sat in disbelief that I had gone years without lounge access. Late last year, I finally caved and bought a travel credit card with lounge perks. It only took one trip to make the card worth the cost, and now, every time I fly out of Denver, I drink and dine for free.
Our time in the lounge flew by, and after about an hour, we both realized our flight had already started boarding.
Once again, stress set in. We scrambled to shove our laptops in our bags, use the bathroom quickly, and pack a few lounge snacks for the flight ahead.
Hour 3: A race to our gate
Emma and I rushed to the gate. I often travel alone, so I was thankful we had each other for reassurance.
“Boarding doesn’t end for another 7 minutes,” we reminded each other as we hopped on and off moving walkways and darted between passengers to get to gate A45.
We were some of the last passengers to board, and as we looked around, we noticed the back of the plane was practically empty. No one was seated in our middle seat, and the row in front of us was empty. There was plenty of overhead storage for our carry-ons and personal items.
My unpopular opinion that the back of the plane is the best place to sit was proven right again. Later, when I walked to the front of the cabin, I noticed a much more crowded area.
After settling in, Emma and I celebrated the legroom and extra space.
Then, we eyed the pros and cons of our Lufthansa A350-900 aircraft.
The seats felt a little bigger and comfier than my other long-haul flights. We had TV screens and larger tray tables. What we didn’t have were outlets, so getting work done was going to be a challenge.
Still, as the plane pulled out of the gate, I felt the giddy excitement of starting an adventure.
Hour 4: Skeptical about a new travel pillow
I’ve been on the hunt for the best travel pillow. I tested an inflatable one on a recent 33-hour travel day and didn’t love it.
I’ve tried traditional pillows and foot hammocks, and I’m convinced something better has to exist.
I packed a sleep mask that attaches to a plane’s headrest for this flight.
Our journey had just started. Dinner hadn’t been served, and we were less than an hour into the flight. But something about getting on a plane immediately makes me sleepy, or maybe that’s just the lounge cocktails.
Thankfully, the eye mask was easy to set up. Emma and I laughed at how ridiculous I looked strapped in, but I wasn’t too worried about that as long as it helped me sleep.
After getting it set up, I debated sleeping. There were still 5,000 miles left in the trip. If I slept now, would I regret it?
Instead, we watched the sunset. The striking sky and watercolor of pastels were gorgeous. It felt like a good omen for our trip, and I snapped images of the plane’s wings.
“As if I don’t already have enough plane pictures,” I thought as I added about a dozen more to my camera roll.
Hour 5: Perplexing plane food
Suddenly, the plane cabin was enveloped in smells. Drink service started about an hour into the flight, and with eight hours left, food arrived.
Only the vegetarian meal was left when the flight attendants reached my seat.
I wasn’t sure what I was smelling, and as I uncovered the aluminum lid, I was even more confused. The flight attendants didn’t give me a description, and there wasn’t a label on the tray. It looked like some sort of quinoa loaf.
I could pinpoint some ingredients. There was zucchini, I’m sure. The loaf was on a bed of rice, and there was a white sauce that I couldn’t identify. My meal also included what looked like melted vanilla ice cream, but instead, it was a room-temperature mousse.
The meal was fine, but I was thankful I had dined at the airport lounge beforehand.
A Lufthansa representative told Business Insider that the airline is working on upgrading its food and beverage services.
Hour 6: Attempting to sleep
My desire to sleep had vanished, so I spent the next hour listening to a podcast and deleting old photos from my phone.
I knew I needed to attempt to sleep soon, so I headed to the bathroom for a quick break to stretch my legs.
I found an empty area, did a few calf raises, touched my toes, stretched my hamstrings, and returned to my seat.
By this point, most of the passengers were already sleeping. I strapped into my eye mask and hoped sleep would come easily.
Instead, I was restless. After about 20 minutes, I turned on a TV show.
Hour 7 – 10: Begging sleep to come
There were less than six hours left, so I turned off my TV show, strapped back into the eye mask, and willed myself to sleep.
I dozed off for a bit, but after about an hour, the pressure from the eye mask was too much. I ripped it off, grabbed my jacket, and used that as a pillow instead.
I continued tossing and turning. At hour nine, I mistakenly checked the flight’s remaining time. Four hours remained, and sleep wasn’t coming. I was antsy and ready to be off the flight.
In the past, flight attendants have shared tips and tricks for successful long-haul flights. I should’ve packed melatonin and had a healthy snack midair, and ultimately, I regretted not being more prepared to sleep for the journey.
Hour 11: Groggy with a grumbling stomach
I woke up dazed and more tired than I was 10 hours ago.
With less than two hours left, a new smell filled the plane’s cabin. This time, I knew exactly what it was: coffee.
It was breakfast time, and I was hungry.
I was handed another cryptic tray, and I crossed my fingers that it would be better than the dinner.
Unfortunately, I thought breakfast was worse than dinner. There wasn’t much flavor, and the textures felt off. The scrambled eggs were dry, and the hashbrowns were soft and greasy.
I longed for airport lounge food and regretted not packing more snacks for the flight.
Hour 12: Surviving and thriving
The pilot announced our landing, and my friend and I eagerly opened the plane windows to catch our first glimpses of Europe.
We were tired, hungry, and thrilled to be one step closer to our ski destination.
We landed in a dreary Munich and headed to our next gate, where a plane was waiting to take us to Venice.
Our ski trip was just hours away, and the dreaded long-haul flight was finally behind us.
I’ve taken plenty of long-haul flights, but each one teaches me something new
It’s been a while since I’ve traveled with a friend on this long of a flight, and I forgot how much a travel partner can ease the stresses of flying.
Instead of panicking when my name was incorrect or when we were late for boarding, we reassured each other, soaked in sunsets, and celebrated the small wins of what is often the miserable experience of long-haul flying.
The flight also reminded me that long-haul flights require preparation. Next time, I’ll pack the sleeping essentials, get to the airport early, and, of course, book my back-of-the-plane seat days in advance.
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