Flying, especially in economy, has never been pleasant. Instead of getting better, many frequent flyers, including me, think the experience is getting worse. Delta recently announced it would no longer serve water or its trademark cookies to economy passengers on short flights.

It seems that fewer airplanes have seatback screens for in-flight entertainment, and those that do may be broken. Additionally, I consider myself lucky if I get basic amenities like a pillow and blanket, let alone socks or eye masks, which used to be common on longer flights. 

Since I can rarely afford to fly in the front of the plane, I have taken matters into my own hands. After a lot of trial and error, I have found ways to make flying economy more tolerable despite the cuts. 

Here are some of the items I bring on the plane to make my experience more comfortable.