As long as I have enough books, I can fly forever and not get bored. If I weren't a reader, I'd buy a personal DVD player and take movies with me; I rarely want to see the movie shown.

I am right with AAJETMAN. That is, I enjoy a lengthy flight. I fly a minimum of two round trips to Singapore per month (from LAX), plus a host of other flights. I am relaxed and happy on each trip.

What is my trick? Firstly, I trained myself to truly relax and just enjoy the flight... regardless of the circumstances. I do not let hassles of modern day air travel aggravate me, focusing on how lucky I am to be able to travel like this. Hey, a lot of people cannot afford air travel. Aloft is a fine place to be, well away from the stresses of work and family, with time to just chill out for yourself. It's great fun with the right mindset.

Do not focus on where you should be, but rather look out the window and marvel where you are at.

This may sound a bit too esoteric for some, but I have flown nearly fifteen million miles in my lifetime and still look forward to each flight.

An Ipod, decent pillow (from home) and a scotch helps too!

I never get bored flying - even with well over 400,000 flown miles last year.

Between movies, books, talking, reading reports/papers, thinking time and sleeping, I often wish I had more time aloft.

Agreed, I find longhaul is as much about a state of mind, as it is about making use of the usual stuff to put the time in.

I'm more relaxed on a 12 hour flight than I ever am on a 1-2 hour short hop. You get on knowing you're going to be on there half a day, so just chill out and enjoy some me time.

Works for me
 

I've tried pre-flight deprivation and like you, it seemed to backfire on me. Now I just get my normal amount of sleep, regular sleep patterns, etc. before the flight. Once I'm on the plane and I get to the point where I don't want to read or watch tv or do any more sudoku puzzles, I pretend to sleep. I get in a comfortable position, one click back with the seat is usually enough for me, and close my eyes and try to slow my breathing a bit and force myself to relax. It usually works and sometimes I'll even doze a bit. If I can I'll try to bring a hard-sided carryon that will fit under the seat and I use it as a foot rest. An eye mask can help and if they aren't uncomfortable for you, ear plugs might also help.

Or my favourite...Championship Manager 97/98 season :D

Ugh...
 

Pony up to bring along a friend that will keep you company for the flight, and then as well as the drive.:)

I used to get bored on TATL flights, but I haven't been for several years now.

• Habbit: First and foremost, I think the more you fly the less boring you find it. You just get used to long trips.
• Mindset: It helps to get into the right mindset. I too relax when I fly and knowing that I have several relaxing hours ahead helps. Which brings me to my next point...
• "Tricks": I set myself up for a loooong flight. I don't envision the arrival; I just set my mind to "neverending flight mode", where I just know that I have many hours to go no matter how many have gone by. This helps because not worrying about how much I have left helps me relax more. I take my time doing things. Time goes by faster if I look out the window and let my mind wonder.
• Tools: the right gear can make a bid difference! Ear plugs, eye shades, a small pillow or a neck-rest thingy, something to read, an mp3 player... these are the basics. I often have some sudokus or crosswords with me for when I can't sleep and I need something else (besides music, mouvies, reading) to occupy my time.

I never take sleeping pills. Some drinks usually do the trick. If I want to sleep, red wine works better than anything else. (Works even better after a jack&ginger or two:)).

I'm with Kiwi Flyer, as I cherish my time aloft - there's never enough time for reading, IMO.

However, back to your problem ...

About 20 years ago I quit smoking. Tried lots of methods. One was the use of self-hypnoses tapes. Probably didn't have the desired effect because I ALWAYS fell asleep using them. They helped me achieve a state of deeeeep relaxation. I imagine these would help lots of folks with problems flying. If you Google "self-hypnosis CDs", you'll find lots of companies - pick an issue to deal with (we all have something).

Two words: video iPod.

Sleep deprivation seldom works for me and I am a bad plane-sleeper. (Not good - seems I'm always on the red-eye.)

I've found that I'm most able to sleep my way through a flight when I bring non-stimulating forms of entertainment. I'll get three rows into a knitting project or ten minutes into a lecture on my iPod before I pass out. If I try to read or watch a movie, I'm up for the whole flight.

Lectures and audiobooks on academic topics are particularly "useful" in this regard. (I love both, but the drone of the plane engine and the dark cabin combine with the lectures in such a way that I fall asleep, even when I don't intend to.)

I have never been bored in flight, and that includes the longest flight I have taken of 12 hours. I love being in the cabin where the telephone cannot ring, no one can walk into my space with disturbing issues, and there is nothing I can do to address the emergencies of another person. There is no place on earth that is quite a private as an airplane.

I take a great book that I have saved for the occasion, a light reading magazine for take-offs, and i-pod with noise-canceling headphones and loaded with a couple of movies, a laptop with a DVD I've been waiting to see, and a sudoku puzzle book. With all these toys and hours to spend, I can enjoy them without feeling guilty about not being productive.

Been using that, too! ^

How are you able to bring knitting needles on the airline?