MiraculousM

If i was the person in front or even in front to the left or right i would say something

RobDBA

Blueboys999

And bear in mind that when you arrive at your destination your bank account will typically be around £2,000 healthier than it would have been if you had forked out for what can all too often be a less than stellar experience in the premium cabins.

missdimeaner

sjrk1

I can't add anything that hasn't really been added here but as some who trots round the world on the cheapest Y tickets for work (thus never earning any meaningful status), here are a few of my tips:

- A positive attitude is a must. Don't sweat the small stuff because that just grinds you down
- Go for a walk through the tunnel between buildings at T5, a stretch of the legs works wonders
- Sit at an empty gate to get away from others and watch the goings on outside or people watch
- Eat lightly and often. I find works to keep me comfortable
- Have a carrier bag with the bare essentials (book, water, pen etc) and put under the seat and your main bag up in the locker, ideally travel with just the carrier bag(!!) but have your other bag as a small squashable rucksack so it will always fit in the locker
- Drink plenty of water before, during and after the flight
- Take your trouser belt and shoes off when seated
- Put the BA app on your phone and watch it like a hawk so you check in and reserve a seat as soon as it opens
- I always sit on the aisle, ideally on the last row so I can have guilt free recline
- Get up and walk about
- Have a chat with the crew
- Don't worry about sleep quality - it's easy to worry about that so much, that you don't actually sleep!
- Watch a film, documentary, read a little, snooze, pad about the cabin and before you know it, it's time to land
- If it's a regular occurrence, then I personally found having an amex platinum valuable for gaining lounge access and having a quiet corner to sit in before spending a few hours in a crowded tube (YMMV)

EuropeanPete

corporate-wage-slave

Though of course you are best to slip out of your shoes after take off and before landing, from a safety perspective. Also I have been on flights where people lose their shoes during take off / landing and they simply can't be found (presumably someone scoops up all their stuff and only realises several hours later that they have some strange shoe). So the passenger ends up trying to complete their trip without one or both shoe(s).

sjrk1

I had assumed that it's a given to keep your shoes etc on for take-off and landing!

Never thought about people wandering off with a mystery shoe...
Though I doubt anyone would want my rather agricultural boots!

gDolan

Benadryl has a half life of 4.3 hours. Typically, I find one pill per 70 pounds of me is enough to knock me out. For a 140 pound person on a 7 hour flight, I'd take 5 as you get on the plane.

(Keep in mind that regulations wrt Benadryl differ country-to-country, and that using too much too often does have negative health effects.)

PETER01

Theres always the Aspire Lounge in T5 which is ok and certainly can make for a relaxing experience before a Y flight if you don't have status but theres a few places to hang out.

A walk to the galley well after dinner and sometimes striking up a conversation with the CC asking for a cuppa can in my many Y experiences kill 20-30 minutes and most in my experience like this but you have to time/judge it right and probably more applicable on much longer sectors.

IFE should be OK on the JFK route generally but have a back up. Book, IFE, magazines. If your in a 747 it's worth going for a window ar the rear. 51/52 specifically sitting in the K side going west so the sun isn't blazing in. Watching the sky/clouds, thinking can kill some time too!

So board, enjoy the take off, watch a film, eat, little nap if you can, stretch out/walk, play a quiz, read and before you know it there'll only be a few hours until touchdown

bisonrav

bisonrav

yrin

I will add that ordering one of the paid-for meals on BA (only available from London) can add a bit of change and fun to the Y experience. Wheter the price is worth it only you can say! They are, after all, just reheated ready meals after a fashion.

Definitely have a bottle of water with you, and snacks that don't leave you dehydrated (raid the shops in the terminal if no time to organise before). You can bring your own amenity kit but the only thing I want during or after a flight is brushing my teeth...

I do sleep anytime anywhere, most of my travel (including 12h+ flights) is in economy and have only had status this year. I have however used lounges courtesy of priority pass/dragon pass and find them useful for smaller airports like Luton/Stansted. LHR has a lot of seats and food options, lounges can be nice but there are better options.

PAL62V

If possible, I always try and book the early morning return so that I avoid having to try and sleep on the short overnight. And that's the case for me in any class as the flight home is way too short to get any meaningful sleep. If in Y, it makes the experience far more palatable for me.

And remember - you are flying all the way to NY and back for what - £400 compared to around £1500 or more? I have done it many times and I lived to tell the tale. It's 7 hours sitting while someone feeds you, watch movies, read a book. Hardly a difficulty. Heck most people spend more time at their desk each day doing some menial task they'd happily give up if they could.

MajorVoid

As a regular long haul flyer in Y this is all great advice...I usually try to get a seat near the front of the Y cabin as somehow psychologically you don't feel quite so packed in with a sea of rows in front of you...plus you get off the plane a bit quicker at the other end. I tend not to eat much but do make use of the abundant free booze if I'm in the mood (and not crashing straight into work on arrival). I just put a blanket over me, try to get some sleep and have something decent to read/watch en route.