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Club World overnight flights - how soon after takeoff can you convert to bed?

Club World overnight flights - how soon after takeoff can you convert to bed?

Old Jul 18, 2017, 2:05 am
  #1  
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Club World overnight flights - how soon after takeoff can you convert to bed?

On a recent CW overnight flight from the US, I got up as soon as the seatbelt sign went off, and was surprised to see that a couple of the aisle passengers already had their seats made up as beds. How soon after takeoff is it acceptable to do this? I'm always trying to sleep every minute that I can on these flights, so if it's OK to do as soon as the plane leaves the ground then I'll start doing that.
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Old Jul 18, 2017, 2:13 am
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As long as you don't need to take off your seatbelt to do it, as soon as the wheels leave the ground.
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Old Jul 18, 2017, 2:15 am
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On my last CW flight there was one person in the seat beside me who converted to a bed as soon as the seat belt sign went off and he didn't wake up until he was woken by the FA before landing. Very impressed someone could sleep so soundly and for so long on a flight. I am lucky if I manage to get a couple of hours and most of the time I don't even try!
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Old Jul 18, 2017, 2:15 am
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I usually wait till the first "bong" where the CC get out of their seats then I am straight down flat and off to sleep.. never been questioned or told off!
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Old Jul 18, 2017, 2:17 am
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As soon as the gear is retracted - especially on a short East Coast service. Having taken a sleeping pill, I wont wake until about 20 minutes out.
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Old Jul 18, 2017, 2:19 am
  #6  
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Yeah I've done that on numerous occasions out of BOS. Allows the maximum time asleep on what is a quite short night flight.
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Old Jul 18, 2017, 2:48 am
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Once in F I asked for the bed to be made up ASAP after take off. What she actually did was make it up on the ground, and I just put it up for take-off and then straight back down again after the first bong. In retrospect, not sure if there's a safety issue there, if I had to get out of my seat quickly, but it was really convenient on a redeye!
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Old Jul 18, 2017, 2:52 am
  #8  
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Originally Posted by gustavmahler
Once in F I asked for the bed to be made up ASAP after take off. What she actually did was make it up on the ground, and I just put it up for take-off and then straight back down again after the first bong. In retrospect, not sure if there's a safety issue there, if I had to get out of my seat quickly, but it was really convenient on a redeye!
I regularly ask the crew to do this for me on short long-haul flights.

I've never had any issues, nor problems, and the crew usually just tell me to make sure my seatbelt is on.

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Old Jul 18, 2017, 3:23 am
  #9  
 
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Sleep

My routine on East coast flights too is to convert to a bed as soon as the wheels are up, having handed the "thanks no breakfast" card to the crew before takeoff. Helps me to last until the next evening at home
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Old Jul 18, 2017, 7:04 am
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My East Coast USA routine is bed as soon as I am able to after take off, no dinner and no breakfast, so that I can get maximum sleep possible, usually no more than 5 hours. I am usually woken by the cockpit announcement, around 40 minutes out of LHR. I then have breakfast and a shower in the arrivals lounge.
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Old Jul 18, 2017, 7:16 am
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I am hearing what people do in practice, but is there an actual rule as to when it's OK to recline after take off? I had always assumed that the cabin should be kept in take off mode until the seat belt sign is switched off.
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Old Jul 18, 2017, 7:17 am
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Same for me especially on the BOS and JFK routes. I don't always do this but if the week has been especially exhausting, I have no issue dropping off. Immediately after take off the seat is coming down. At this point I've already prepped the eye patch and ear plugs. Many a time I've been woken by the 30 mins to landing announcement.
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Old Jul 18, 2017, 10:55 am
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Originally Posted by HilFly
I am hearing what people do in practice, but is there an actual rule as to when it's OK to recline after take off? I had always assumed that the cabin should be kept in take off mode until the seat belt sign is switched off.
According to the ever helpful CIHY (and I can't find the post at the moment) once the wheels have left the ground the plane has "taken off".

It was this thread when does take-off finish?

Originally Posted by Can I help you
No reason why the foot rest cannot be put down after we have left the ground as long as this can be done with the seatbelt fastened.
Originally Posted by Can I help you
Reclining is also OK.
Originally Posted by Can I help you
Obviously I cannot speak on behalf of British Airways all that I am doing is giving you my opinion based on many years experience.
Once the aircraft has left the ground if we came down immediately it would be a crash landing and what would happen then we can only but guess.
As in the statement about when PEDs can be used as crew we can only ensure that the seat position complies with the BA rules for takeoff, we would not be in the position from our crew seats to know if seats are being moved or PEDs are being switched on.
There are no rules that I am aware of that states when seats can be moved and I know from common practice that on late night departures many customers recline their seats while still seated with their seatbelts on, if BA tells us that this is not acceptable then we will enforce the rule but at present there is nothing to say it isn’t acceptable.

Last edited by Jimmie76; Jul 18, 2017 at 11:13 am
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Old Jul 18, 2017, 10:59 am
  #14  
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On my last CW flight there was one person in the seat beside me who converted to a bed as soon as the seat belt sign went off and he didn't wake up until he was woken by the FA before landing
I'm jealous, flat bed, tons of champagne, sleeping pills, and I still can't sleep for more than 5 minutes.
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Old Jul 18, 2017, 11:06 am
  #15  
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Originally Posted by Jimmie76
According to the ever helpful CIHY (and I can't find the post at the moment) once the wheels have left the ground the plane has "taken off".
Why thank you.
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