Making the Most of a 15-Hour Flight in Coach
#1
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Making the Most of a 15-Hour Flight in Coach
Scott Macarty
http://online.wsj.com/video/making-t...EB66EFBA9.html
This is really funny since they seem to imply 15 hours is long and bad somehow. Perhaps in DL.
They said Quantas pioneered the longest coach flight last year, which is wrong. SQ had PY EWR-SIN, and TG had it JFK-BKK, and now LAX-BKK, which is a trifle less, less than a thousand miles.
http://online.wsj.com/video/making-t...EB66EFBA9.html
This is really funny since they seem to imply 15 hours is long and bad somehow. Perhaps in DL.
They said Quantas pioneered the longest coach flight last year, which is wrong. SQ had PY EWR-SIN, and TG had it JFK-BKK, and now LAX-BKK, which is a trifle less, less than a thousand miles.
#3
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I'm inclined to agree. It's depressing when a reporter for a reputable publication does such a sloppy job of reporting.
In particular: how hard is it to give accurate facts about the longest flights in the world?
Secondly, he makes it sound sooo much easier than it really is to stay hydrated on a long-haul. I need 1 to 1.5 liters of water on a 10+ hour flight to stay adequately hydrated. It's very difficult to get that much to drink in economy - and to stay that well hydrated, I have to get up and go get the water.
Sometimes I can carry a water bottle and fill it at the airport, but often when I'm coming back on a US carrier, thanks to TSA's influence, I have to 'surrender' it at the gate.
I guess this is of marginal interest if you don't care about facts and you've never flown a long-haul.
In particular: how hard is it to give accurate facts about the longest flights in the world?
Secondly, he makes it sound sooo much easier than it really is to stay hydrated on a long-haul. I need 1 to 1.5 liters of water on a 10+ hour flight to stay adequately hydrated. It's very difficult to get that much to drink in economy - and to stay that well hydrated, I have to get up and go get the water.
Sometimes I can carry a water bottle and fill it at the airport, but often when I'm coming back on a US carrier, thanks to TSA's influence, I have to 'surrender' it at the gate.
I guess this is of marginal interest if you don't care about facts and you've never flown a long-haul.
#4
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I didn't want to get too comfortable flying more than 15 hours in-flight. My old manager & his girlfriend who flew on CX from JFK-HKG nonstop last week. It was too long for both of them. They will have stretch the legs. I'm pretty sure they will very extremely tired.
#6
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Secondly, he makes it sound sooo much easier than it really is to stay hydrated on a long-haul. I need 1 to 1.5 liters of water on a 10+ hour flight to stay adequately hydrated. It's very difficult to get that much to drink in economy - and to stay that well hydrated, I have to get up and go get the water.
#7
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[how to] Mak[e] the Most of a 15-Hour Flight in Coach
Ambien.
At the best you won't remember a thing, to the amusement of your fellow passengers, making 15 hours go quicker for them. At the worse, you'll turn the 15 hour flight into two shorter segments, and you'll have an excuse for the judge ("Your honor, it was the Ambien, I don't remember a thing...")
Ambien.
At the best you won't remember a thing, to the amusement of your fellow passengers, making 15 hours go quicker for them. At the worse, you'll turn the 15 hour flight into two shorter segments, and you'll have an excuse for the judge ("Your honor, it was the Ambien, I don't remember a thing...")
#8
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There is at least one exception. SQ. On one of my Good Karma days a NW ticket agent rerouted me (due to their foul up) onto the SQ LAX-SIN nonstop in J. About 16+ hours IIRC, longest flight I have ever taken. Superb food and drinks. ^
I always keep a pint water bottle at my seat even in J. I placed it on my armrest table. Every time the SQ FA went by to the galley she looked at the bottle, and if I drank more than 1/4 inch she would take it to the galley, fill it back up, and return it, even if I was asleep. When I noticed she was doing this I drank a little as an experiment and she would not pass my seat without refilling the bottle. For the whole flight. To say "mind blowing service level" is an understatement. SQ J = :-: :-: :-: :-: :-:
#9
Join Date: Dec 2011
Posts: 57
[how to] Mak[e] the Most of a 15-Hour Flight in Coach
Ambien.
At the best you won't remember a thing, to the amusement of your fellow passengers, making 15 hours go quicker for them. At the worse, you'll turn the 15 hour flight into two shorter segments, and you'll have an excuse for the judge ("Your honor, it was the Ambien, I don't remember a thing...")
Ambien.
At the best you won't remember a thing, to the amusement of your fellow passengers, making 15 hours go quicker for them. At the worse, you'll turn the 15 hour flight into two shorter segments, and you'll have an excuse for the judge ("Your honor, it was the Ambien, I don't remember a thing...")
#11
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That's a lot of water. But, drinking moderate amounts I think is the single biggest key to making a long flight bearable in coach. You talk about peeing often, but that's the key to the whole thing and not a disadvantage! More specifically, getting up out of your seat often just to stretch your legs works wonders. In addition to using the lav, spend about 5 minutes just stretching while you're out of your seat. Even if you have someone between you and the aisle, there will generally be 3 meal services on a 15+ hour flight, and getting up right before and right after the service usually isn't too much of a bother.
#12
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Even when you're seated in Business or First? If so, this is the kind of pain I'd like to experience first hand. Regrettably, I'm running out of time.
#13
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Two things that you can do to protect yourself are to drink a lot of water and get up and walk around every one or two hours.
#15
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I took several 13 hour flights TLV-ATL in the past 12 months and, even sitting in Biz Elite, it was too much time to be stuck in an aluminum tube.
Having said that, DL no longer offers that route so my upcoming itinerary is TLV-JFK-ATL, and given the mess that JFK is, I would prefer the (one hour longer) direct route.