Long flights life hacks

[athena53]

Take the train. More comfortable and about the same travel time.

I agree. I once took Amtrak from Newark to a conference in Boston. I was a bit stir-crazy from being in the train that long but it was so much more civilized. You could actually get up and walk back to the dining car to get a cup of coffee. Bonus: a snowstorm blew up the last day of the conference and many people were on the phone with the airline trying to check the status of their flights (pre-Internet). I hopped on the train and went home as scheduled. Never tried driving there- public transportation is pretty good.

 

[CO-guy]

On the return flight we were on a dual aisle... we paid to upgrade to a level above premium economy... still had economy in its name... BUT, they were what I expected on my business class seats... nice and wide, two seats next to each other with each having plenty of arm room... reclined correctly etc... they did have the lay down seats but I think they were either business or first... I will always go for this if it is offered!!!

I believe you're talking about something called "Premium Plus" on United, and other airlines offer a similar service between economy and First/Biz/Polaris. This has become our preferred class of service on long-haul flights. Premium Plus addresses the most uncomfortable parts of economy class seating including wider seats and large armrests. There's also fewer seats per row and more cushioning on the seats. The seats also have leg rests, foot rests and recline substantially more than a normal Economy seat.

Even with the lie-flat seats, we're never able to sleep on a plane. We don't drink while flying, airplane food rarely agrees with me, and we're not huge people, so the added cost hardly seems worth it.

 

[DEC-1982]

If you are highly confident about the dates well in advance, buying 6-8 months early brings the cost down by about 40% for us. We haven't had the need to cancel or change our flights, but our approach entails those risks.

 

[Koolau]

Please don't! Driving in Boston is an acquired talent, not suitable for those from other states.

You must be prepared to run red lights, dodge bicyclists who cut in front of you, pedestrians who cross without looking, go the wrong way up one way streets, have on-coming traffic in a one-way, tolerate idiots who won't turn right on red ( do not beep at them, you might get shot at), aggressively stare down other even more aggressive drivers, others switching from the left lane to turn right, be able to drive with your middle finger constantly raised-- both at the same time, preferably--and, if necessary, to the point of gunpoint, defend your parking space.

Also be ready to hear (heyah) swear words lobbed at you that you haven't heard in decades and be constantly aware (awayah) of a road rage incident you caused simply by following the rules of the road. An out of state plate spells "prey" to these people!

As a seasoned Boston driver, I used to drive down the streets of downtown Paris and Rome and found it relaxing by comparison.

Remember: yellow light means speed up. Red means proceed with caution. Seriously.

Okay, I stand corrected. Take the train.

It's been 56 years since I drove in Boston. I'm sure I've lost my touch.

 

[audreyh1]

I drove in Boston a couple of times back in the 80s. My boss made me drive. Pretty crazy!

 

[brett]

I learned to drive in Montreal. Driving in Boston was no issue. Many business trips to the Boston area and north to other parts of Mass and NH.

Nor was driving in Italy, Turkey, Greece, Portugal, Spain, France, etc particularly difficult other than perhaps the roundabouts/directional signs in Italy.

People make it out to be far worse than it really is IMHO.

 

[BigNick]

Over the years DW and I have developed two strategies to avoid (the worst of) jet lag.

The first is smart timing of flights. We plan to either arrive at bedtime in destination time, or to depart as late as possible in origin time. Either we arrive ready for sleep (the fatigue caused by the flight will compensate for the fact that we are going to bed only 13 hours after we got up), or we get solid sleep on the plane. Personally, if I can get 4½ hours of sleep in the air, I can land and tell myself I just had a "bit of a rough night".

The second is choosing the right cabin, and if you want solid, good-quality sleep, the kind that will avoid either spending the first three days of your vacation feeling groggy or get you right back into the swing of things when you get home, for us that means business class. I am 6ft4 and I cannot sleep properly unless I am flat out. With most business class seats I only need to make a small adjustment of my feet (someone 6ft2 would not touch the end of the sleeping compartment, which is typically under the side table of the seat in front).

On our recent trip from Europe to India, our outward flight (5½ hours time difference, as we were starting in London) was from 8:50am to 5:10pm London time, landing at 10:40pm local time. We got the transfer to our hotel and went straight to bed. Next day's start was 8:30am (3:00am London time) but we were pretty much OK.

The return flight left at 01:10am and we landed in Zürich (4½ hours time difference) at 6:00am local time. We were in business class (the price was a surprisingly low multiple of the economy fare, with Swiss — although the business class cabin was a bit dated) and I slept nearly 7 hours, DW about 4. We then had a connecting short-haul flight to our final destination in Mallorca, so we spent the intervening 3 hours in the lounge.

The absolute worst is a 7:00pm flight from Boston to London. You arrive at 6:00am local time and it's midnight where you came from, and you might have dozed two hours.

 

[athena53]

The absolute worst is a 7:00pm flight from Boston to London. You arrive at 6:00am local time and it's midnight where you came from, and you might have dozed two hours.

And then you can't check into your hotel till 3 PM unless you booked it for the night before.

 

[Peter]

And then you can't check into your hotel till 3 PM unless you booked it for the night before.

Actually, what you do is get breakfast in the airline club lounge, take a shower, then head off to your 8:30 am meeting. With luck, you'll be back on the late afternoon flight.

Ugh. I remember ...

 

[rodi]

I am a terrible sleeper on planes. If it's a red-eye to Europe, I do my best to get a few hours of sleep. This involves an eyemask that is padded with space for the eyeballs.. Ear plugs. Melatonin AND sleep aid. No alcohol. Window seat in premium economy or business...

More and more, if it's a red eye I spring for business.

I start pricing airfare about 8 months before the trip... and invariably the price will dip and I'll pounce. I sign up for alerts on google flights. I pick several itineraries that work, time wise, for me, and put alerts on each one. I'll sometimes leave the alert on so I can feel good about the price I snagged. For example, our airfare returning from Italy this December is running over $8k for 2 one way business.... We snagged it for $3.4k for 2 tickets. But their not lay flat... but $5k savings is fine for comfy seats that don't lay flat.

 

[HFWR]

Infrequent international traveller here, but I won’t let that stop me…

On a flight to Tokyo, I was on a wide body, maybe a third full, so I had three seats. I think that 5mg diazepam may have helped. Coming back, plane fully packed, was a long one.

Flying from Detroit to Rome, we were in the sit down, shut up section, though at least in a twofer row. Restless legs kicked in to boot. Pretty miserable. Flight back, Paris to Indy, I coughed up an extra $500 for super duper economy. Extra legroom, warm washcloth, snack, meal, warm washcloth, snack, another snack… Best $500 I ever spent.

 

[tulak]

I have the chance to upgrade for $1300 to Delta One for a return flight from Europe. I likely won’t do it, since for some reason, I care less about comfort on the return flight. But if this was to Europe, then I would be tempted.

I realize how lucky I was to score $500 upgrades for two last year for Delta One. I haven’t seen anything close to that since then.

 

[brett]

We booked economy on our flight that had a San Francisco-Singapore leg. 17.5 hrs. Upgrade to business was very expensive at time of booking.

Two weeks or so prior to blast off got a note for United about an upgrade. Cannot remember if it was a set price or we bid minimum. In any event the price came in at lest that 1/2 of what UA was asking. We bit. Great lay down seats, good cabin location. Luck of the draw I guess.

 

[audreyh1]

United reducing prices on upgrades as time approaches is why I never used to bother trying to use points + $500 to request a business class upgrade. People will snap up those paid upgrade offers and take the remaining business class seats. And using points you are easily outranked anyway - anyone with higher status is put ahead of you in the queue.

These days business class is often already full 2 months out, depending on the plane size/configuration of course.

 

[Koolau]

Infrequent international traveller here, but I won’t let that stop me…

On a flight to Tokyo, I was on a wide body, maybe a third full, so I had three seats. I think that 5mg diazepam may have helped. Coming back, plane fully packed, was a long one.

Flying from Detroit to Rome, we were in the sit down, shut up section, though at least in a twofer row. Restless legs kicked in to boot. Pretty miserable. Flight back, Paris to Indy, I coughed up an extra $500 for super duper economy. Extra legroom, warm washcloth, snack, meal, warm washcloth, snack, another snack… Best $500 I ever spent.

Diazepam is no longer easy to come by. Good for saving one for the flight.

 

[HFWR]

Diazepam is no longer easy to come by. Good for saving one for the flight.

At the time, they were part of the intl. travel kit.

 

[Koolau]

At the time, they were part of the intl. travel kit.

Yeah, all the "good" stuff used to be handed out like candy. No longer. I've had to beg my PCP for a few lortabs to get me through a rough patch with my back. He'd then write up a big "justification" that "I've known Ko'olau for many years and he isn't a drug-seeking patient...blah, blah, blah."

 

[CO-guy]

Speaking of back pain, I know this is about upgrades and such, but a few years ago I realized something seemingly obvious that has really helped on all flights, especially long-haul flights. Rather than trying to relax the entire time, I do my best to engage my core and maintain good posture during takeoffs, landings, and turbulence. These limited times during a flight seem to contribute disproportionately to back/neck pain from flying, IMO. It's been a huge help for me.

Also, one upgrade in the seats above any kind of economy is more padding. On long flights, the lack of padding in regular economy seats (even if it's an "economy plus" seat) really starts to hurt my backside.

 

[SecondAttempt]

Please don't! Driving in Boston is an acquired talent, not suitable for those from other states.

30+ years ago I had a roommate from Boston. He shared with me a book about driving in Boston. There was a hysterical section on one particular intersection where a certain car could never make the turn they wanted and was eventually dismissed and labeled as a tourist.

About 20 years ago when I regularly traveled there for business I had no real issues because I had colleagues from the area who advised me "DO NOT MAKE EYE CONTACT!" It is a sign of submission. Just GO!

Most of my trips were to MIT Lincoln Laboratory and there is a pullout turn near there that you have to take to get in. If you don't know how to navigate it you are pretty much screwed. Maybe you know the area I am talking about!

 

[mystang52]

Being a lifelong insomniac has some advantages for international travel. We booked our past flights - as well as our upcoming one to Barcelona - leaving late afternoon arriving early morning local time. We "check in" at our hotel, as in having them watch our luggage 'til the room is ready, then do one or 2 sightseeing things. I'll catch a couple of hours sleep on the flight over, and that's enough for me. DW is a trouper and muddles through, going to sleep that first night about 8 PM. Then we're back to normal.

 

[audreyh1]

I love being able to sleep on the flight over to Europe because if you do it right a 10 hour flight feels like a 4 hour flight instead. And even if I don’t sleep perfectly, I still am ready for a fresh new day.

Never could sleep sitting no matter how reclined. More like a fight with exhaustion.

 

[brett]

I can sleep on the plane. No problem. Lots of practice during my working life.

When we go to Europe it is usually an AM arrival...between 9AM and noon. We go to our hotel, nap for an hour or so, shower, and then get out and do things.

When we go to SE Asia we have always arrived at midnight. In bed by 2AM. Sleep in until 10 or so then start our day. Never have any issues with jet lag.

The absolute opposite when we return to North America from either destination. Takes us a few days to recover from the jet lag. Not certain why this is.

 

[Montecfo]

About 10 years ago I flew LAX to Venice (through Amsterdam) on KLM and I was able to book the exit row in Economy which literally had no seat in front of it and was facing the jump seat so I was able to stretch out my 6'6" frame quite comfortably. Don't remember what type of plane it was but I do remember the leg room and the service (food, drink, attentiveness, etc.) was excellent. Cannot recomment KLM highly enough.

I do think this is the sweet spot. We did same on trip to London last year on British. That seemed pretty good. I paid an extra $100 for those seats which worked well for 6-2 me and 6-6 son.

Doing the same in May on flight to Paris (and on return from Florence, Italy). It is on Air France but it's a Delta code share and I have some status with Delta.

The flights are pretty expensive but I have never found business class to be a value. Can always BTD but seems I need a good deal to BTD.

 

[walkinwood]

I believe you're talking about something called "Premium Plus" on United, and other airlines offer a similar service between economy and First/Biz/Polaris. This has become our preferred class of service on long-haul flights. Premium Plus addresses the most uncomfortable parts of economy class seating including wider seats and large armrests. There's also fewer seats per row and more cushioning on the seats. The seats also have leg rests, foot rests and recline substantially more than a normal Economy seat.

Even with the lie-flat seats, we're never able to sleep on a plane. We don't drink while flying, airplane food rarely agrees with me, and we're not huge people, so the added cost hardly seems worth it.

+1
Premium economy or Premium Plus on international flights have seats similar to first class in domestic US flights, but have a foot rest. We find that a good option for transatlantic flights. On flights to India, we use a connection in Europe with a long enough layover to stretch our legs and break up the journey. Works for us. We're not tall or large.

We upgraded to business class once on a transatlantic flight using miles+cash and didn't find it to be a good value. Instead, we find better value spending more on hotels and food.

 

[MarieIG]

Yeah, all the "good" stuff used to be handed out like candy. No longer. I've had to beg my PCP for a few lortabs to get me through a rough patch with my back. He'd then write up a big "justification" that "I've known Ko'olau for many years and he isn't a drug-seeking patient...blah, blah, blah."

I was recently given a script for oxycodone and I received a letter from my insurance company sympathizing with the need for the prescription and simultaneously warning of addiction . . .