I fly twice a week, but always under 2 hr flights. (although often they are extended due to lack of gates at ORD).

I am taking my first trip across the Atlantic in a couple of weeks and I am nervous about being cramped in a coach seat for 9 hrs, I am just over 6 feet tall. Does anyone know if I make an appointment with a doctor, will he or she prescribe me something to knock me out for most of the flight?

Thanks.
-matt

Hello there.

First off, hopefully flying 2X weekly you have garned some status on the airline carrying you across the pond. That way you can secure an exit row, or maybe even an u'grade.

Besides that, my best advice is to sleep. Have some red wine as soon as you get aboard and served and you will drift asleep.

My wife & I had a 40+ all in hour journey from Bali to Chicago this past year and a combination of sleeping, and the luck of getting an exit row on the MH flight from KUL-LAX made it seem like nothing at all. Funny enough, the last leg of the flight, LAX-ORD red-eye was the worst!!

Enjoy the trip!!

~A

If you can:

get some ambien
(silly as it sounds) get a pair of pantyhose, wear them, you'll be surprised at how good your legs will feel.
get a good book

The seats are cramped for me and I'm 5' 6" .

Although you could probably take a sleeping pill of some kind (and a doctor could prescribe one or advise you of appropriate OTC variety), you might be better off trying for an exit row or bulkhead as they have more leg room. You can request these when checking in and/or request a change in seat assignment when you arrive at the gate. Some airlines hold these seats until the day of the flight, or allow only Elite/Premier/Gold/Silver members to reserve the exit row, but sometimes the seats are still available.

Also the human body isn't supposed to be completely still for several hours as movement is a necessary part of good blood circulation so when confined to a small area it is best to get up, stretch and walk around every 2 hours or so and perform exercises while seated (dorsiflexion/plantar flexion, knee flexion/extension, shoulder rolls, etc.).

evilflierwoman

If you have noise canceling headphones, or can borrow a set, you will feel well rested when you arrive at your destination. For me, they make a world of difference.

Also agree with 'auher' about have a glass of red wine, and stay away from the caffeine. I always end up drinking too much coffee and then stay awake watching all the movies. Drink plenty of water to keep hydrated.

Having flown dozens of long hauls (NZ is so far from everywhere, especially europe, that for me a 9hr flight is short!) here are my tips:

Get the best seat you can (making full use of status, early on-line check in etc). Ideally exit row, bulkhead or at very least aisle seat (even just stretching legs out into aisle makes a difference).

Try to get some sleep (depending on timing of flight). Some alcohol (not too much) and stay away from caffeine helps.

Noise cancelling headphones also helps me sleep by blocking out noise.

If you cant/wont sleep then good movie and magazine (one havent already started) helps fill in time.

Matt, I think the key to sleep is getting in business or first. How do you do that? About 40% of FlyerTalk posts are dedicated to that very question.

You've come to the right place. Welcome.

You don't say your itinerary but consider a daytime flight, e.g. AA to London, leaves 9am, arrives 10:30pm local time, or 4:30pm to you. Priceline a Heathrow hotel overnight (around $75) and you'll be ready to connect to wherever the next morning. Plus, for the time being, AA still has MRTC on its ORD-LHR 777s. Combine it with a Gold (or Plat) challenge and you'll be able to get the exit rows in advance in the future.

I was concerned the first time I went to Asia in coach - 26 hours of flying - longest leg I've done so far was 15 hours. I found that once you mentally prepare for it, it really isn't a big deal. You don't say what airline you're flying, but I'm hoping for your sake they have in-seat IFE in coach. I find that playing the video games (and getting addicted to winning one) can blow a bunch of time and get you to the point of exhaustion and ready to sleep.

Plus, it seems that most of the international flights I've been on have better seat pitch in coach than your normal 2 hour domestic runs. A couple inches can make a pretty big difference. I'm 6'0".

I second the Ambien suggestion. If you do a search on "Ambien" there are lots of posts on it here.

My husband is also over 6 feet tall. While I agree wholeheartedly with the suggestion about bulkhead and exit row seats, they're not always easy to come by even if you have Elite status. AA did upgrade us to Business Class coming home from LHR once. THAT was legroom!

If possible, try adjusting your body to the time zone you'll be visiting over the 2 or 3 days prior to the trip. Go to sleep at bedtime Europe time and set the alarm for wakeup Europe time. This is usually do-able if you're leaving on a Monday.

Also, as soon as the plane leaves the gate to taxi, adjust your watch to your European time zone and behave accordingly. Eat, sleep (or at least try to), wake up, etc., at the hours you normally would, but on the new time zone.

Actually there are travel / ompression socks for men, same effect, but you don't feel odd.

If you need to sleep, 1/2 valium, some codein (in prescription cough medication)

For seating, call immediately and for a assigned seat, if you don't get exit row, go to the airport early, or try to get behind the restrooms / galley, (bassinet seats)

I hope this works out... oh don't drink alcohol, dehydrates can give you headache if you can't / don't move during the flight.

Or try to take a day flight both ways.... BA has a dayflight IAd - LHR maybe others have too, so you can move around.

Noise-cancelling headphones are terrific, and ambien helps too + all the advice above. But if you have one or can afford to get one or borrow one, attach an iPOD or MP3 player with some soothing new age type music of waves at the seashore or birds in the mountains to the headphones if you're going to be sleeping. Then you'll be in your own little world for several hours.

Also, coach bathrooms on long flights often get pretty disgusting after the first few hours of flight. So bring along some extra kleenex in your pocket, some hand cleanser, and avoid drinking more fluid than you need to stay hydrated so as to minimize trips there.

Oh, boy, this one's coming back to OMNI

There are several flights from the east coast bound for trans-atlantic journey that leaves early in the morning and arrives on the other side of the continent into the night hours. If you have trouble sleeping onboard aircraft such as I do, you'll benefit greatly from these flights. All you have to do is try to stay awake during the majority of the flight duration and you'll definately be eager to crash into bed and get a good snooze upon arrival. You'll then be freshed, awaked, and be ready for a full day the next morning.