Another dumb question here....

We're not looking forward to an upcoming extremely long flight in Y. Other than the fact that other fliers will look at us like we're idiots, is there any reason why we cannot bring standard size pillows onboard? I'm thinking of picking up cheap ones and using them for the trip. It has to be better than stacking up a bunch of crappy airline pillows.

no question is ever dumb 'cept the one not asked....

not sure if you've explored inflatable travel pillows (aka "blow up dolls" as i call them ) but they do work, can be very comfy and take up very little space in your carry-on. see my post (#10) in this thread about travel pillows along with the other links about travel pillows in it. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showpost.php?p=7847422

Thanks for the quick reply. I have had limited success with blow-up pillows. Basically I find them tolerable for about 6-8 hours. Anything longer than that, and I just want a real pillow. On my last 2 hour flight on WN, I saw a teenager carrying her own normal-sized pillow. My first thought was, "How tacky." After I thought about it, I thought, "You know, she may be on to something." While I wouldn't do it for a little puddle-jumper flight like she did, the idea merits consideration for a longer flight. We've got a 15 hour flight coming up and I'm thinking it may be the way to go.

I'm also allergic to feathers and that can present a problem while traveling, even when staying in good hotels. Hypo-allergenic does not always translate well. Good quality hypo-allergenic will often feel like feathers to the touch and you can't always tell what's what by feel. Many times tags are long gone. The only way I can "tell" the difference is if I wake up in the middle of the night choking and covered in hives--that's usually a dead giveaway that the hypoallergenic pillow really wasn't! I've spent many nights in beautiful hotels sleeping on a couple of towels folded up and covered in one of my tshirts trying to masquerade as a pillow. So, I'm thinking bringing my own pillow may fix two problems.

What I'm trying to figure out is, other than looking like an idiot (and I'm completely ok with that), do you think I can get away with bringing a pillow onboard as a carryon? I tooled around on a couple of airline websites and didn't find anything (not that I expected to).

I may look like an idiot, but I always carry my pillow on flights longer than 5 hours (esp red-eyes). I just can't get comfortable without it. Sometimes I just carry it, other times I squish it into my carry-on. I don't really care what other people think, they don't have to live with the pain in my back without it.

Robin

I've often thought of carrying along a down pillow from a backpacking supply store. That wouldn't do the OP any good, but they are comfy and squish down to a small size.

As for carrying a full size pillow, how would you keep it clean? If you do so use pillow cases in colors, not in hotel white to make it clear that your pillow is your own property.

I have the advantage of being able to sleep on planes. It comes naturally. Sorry for folks who can't do so.

If you really want a pillow, take your own. These days you are lucky to get one airline pillow, much less a stack.

No, it's not dumb at all...I've seen people carrying their own pillows all the time. Once onboard they are the object of enviousness ....Actually If you are smart you can rent it out for $5 every 30mn...

I always travel with a down pillow. I have three different sizes and pack the largest one that will fit in my suitcase. I switched to colored pillowcases after I forgot my first travel pillow in a hotel. An inflatable goes in my small carryon, but if you have room in your bag or don't mind the extra burden, why not carry on a full-sized one?

I remember watching a tv programme on air travel where using airline pillows was strongly discouraged.

It was reported that they carry all kinds of germs from the numerous previous users and could easily result in picking up colds/flu or other viruses.

I think that it's a great idea-who cares what anyone else thinks^

Mrs. V407Rob carries her own pillow and fleece blanket onto long flights. The blanket she carries is soft and comfy, yet compact. The pillow, well we usually "squoosh" it into a carry on. If both of us are flying together, we will consolidate our items into one carry on bag and put the "bedding" in another. Many airlines will allow you to bring a blanket and/or pillow without it counting against your carry on allowance.

I can't bring myself to do it, but when I see someone konked out on their own pillow on a tray table, it starts to look like a pretty good idea to me.

I would definitely double-case it to keep it cleaner (put on one case, then put the other case going the other way, so no pillow shows out the ends).

My tempur-pedic pillow has been to Europe with my about a dozen times, I wouldn't think of traveling that far without it. On the plane I actually use it for my back or sit on it (makes a world of difference for comfort) and then use it as a regular pillow in the hotels. I don't feel even slightly odd doing that. The people at the security check always ask me about it when they squeeze it and feel how great it is. And it can be squashed into my bag easily if necessary. I don't like the blow up pillows personally. They just don't do it for me.