Why I willingly downgraded myself for a 3 ½ hour flight

Simple.

EWR – AUS (Newark to Austin)

I received a “battlefield upgrade” upon boarding (it didn’t come through until the very end)

I took my new seat 1E, the bulkhead

Nowhere to put my briefcase under the seat in front of me, and I wanted easy access to it during the flight.

34 passengers in Coach on a plane that holds about 110 people (the emptiest Continental flight I have taken in recent memory).

There were empty rows in the back, plenty of room to stretch out.

The food up front was merely a “cold plate” and I’m not super hungry.

But….above all…

The guy in seat 1F next to me had noticeable body odor.