How do you handle the long flights?

[SelectSys]

1 hour ago, monkey@cruise said:

Hong Kong is 13 hours ahead Central Time zone.

Sure, but your body only feels the 9 hours behind as your circadian rhythm doesn't feel the calendar date.  For me, I only consider the maximum number of hours between locations irrespective of the calendar date which at most is 12 hours.  Does this make sense to you?

 

Below is an extreme example of a calendar difference of 26 hours while your body traveling between these two locations would only experience 2 hours of time difference from a sleep/jetlag perspective:

 

https://earthscience.stackexchange.com/questions/16528/what-are-the-farthest-time-zone-locations#:~:text=You can see that the,a Wednesday in Line Islands.

"you can see that the most extreme time zones are +14 hours at Line Islands (Kiribati), and -12 hours in and around Baker Islands (US).

Therefore, the maximum possible difference between times on Earth is 26 hours. That means that at 11:00 PM of a Monday in Baker Island, it is 1:00 AM of a Wednesday in Line Islands."

 

1 hour ago, monkey@cruise said:

Because of jet stream, west bound flight time is longer than east bound. Before Russia/Ukraine conflict, flight path fly over North Pole for shorter distance.

While the flight path is independent of any time zone discussion, many airlines still fly over Russia to get to and from North America.  I was recently on a Qatar Airways flight that went right across Russia and over the pole flying from Doha to Seattle.

[JourneyJim]

Having flown economy to Asia several times in my youth, I've developed some strategies for long journeys. I typically opt for a window seat to minimize disturbances compared to the aisle. My in-flight comfort kit includes a neck pillow which helps me get some sleep on flights.  Before boarding, I make sure to walk around the airport extensively to tire myself out. Occasionally, a small amount of beer helps me relax and sleep better. I also make a point to stretch periodically, especially when I visit the restroom. I always bring and use airplane pressure relief earplugs when boarding airplanes. I prefer to use these rather than headphones. On long flights, I also watch two movies: an action flick to stay awake and the snoozer that helps me drift off.

[JohnCoffield]

On 4/14/2024 at 10:28 PM, tj_shopper said:

I'm thinking about doing one of the Asia cruises going from Hong Kong to Singapore or vice versa.  I live in Illinois.  The flight to Hong Kong is about 15 hours.  How have you handled long flights like this?  I am not inclined to go business class or first class and I don't have any points to use lol.

 

I've also seen those neck pillows and wondering if that helps or if they are just gimmicky items.

 

Let me know what you've done on long flights sitting in Economy.  Also, if there is a flight that splits up the time?  Flying to California would only relieve about 4 hours.

 

Looking forward to hearing suggestions.  Thank you in advance.

I can echo lots of what's already been posted. We recently flew from London to Sydney with Singapore Airlines in Premium Economy & I can't recommend them highly enough. First flight was just over 12 hours, 3 hours in the terminal then another 8 hours to Sydney. I'm early 60's but managed the time difference (11 hours) & was able to sleep, eat & be entertained the whole way. We've booked again with SA as we are travelling to Singapore later this year.

[tj_shopper]

1 hour ago, JohnCoffield said:

I can echo lots of what's already been posted. We recently flew from London to Sydney with Singapore Airlines in Premium Economy & I can't recommend them highly enough. First flight was just over 12 hours, 3 hours in the terminal then another 8 hours to Sydney. I'm early 60's but managed the time difference (11 hours) & was able to sleep, eat & be entertained the whole way. We've booked again with SA as we are travelling to Singapore later this year.

I've mostly flown U.S. airlines.  I've never flown Asian airlines - I guess time to check them out.  Also, check the price difference.  Thanks for everyone's suggestions and strategies!  This has been very helpful and I've taken many notes.

[BruceMuzz]

Yesterday I flew Barcelona - Doha - Tokyo on 2 different Emirates A380-800s in Business Class. 19 hours in the air.

Great food, outstanding service. Great seats.

Slept most of the way. Almost sorry the flight ended so soon.

Had a great sleep back on the ground last night, and just woke up a few minutes ago feeling great.

[Arubamoose]

OK - Asian Carriers.

Will be doing Singapore Airlines in Premium Economy to SIN from EWR.  Using Chase Sapphire points.

 

What Asian Carrier can I use my United Mileage Plus award on?  

[monkey@cruise]

3 hours ago, Arubamoose said:

OK - Asian Carriers.

Will be doing Singapore Airlines in Premium Economy to SIN from EWR.  Using Chase Sapphire points.

 

What Asian Carrier can I use my United Mileage Plus award on?  

United is a member of the Star Alliance carrier.

 

Star Alliance Asian Carriers: All Nippon Airways, Asiana Airlines, Eva Air, Air India, Air China, Singapore Airlines, Thai Airways.

Edited April 24 by monkey@cruise

[Arubamoose]

On 4/24/2024 at 3:48 PM, monkey@cruise said:

United is a member of the Star Alliance carrier.

 

Star Alliance Asian Carriers: All Nippon Airways, Asiana Airlines, Eva Air, Air India, Air China, Singapore Airlines, Thai Airways.

Thanks!!  Will have to check them out.

Edited April 27 by Arubamoose

[SelectSys]

On 4/22/2024 at 5:54 PM, BruceMuzz said:

Barcelona - Doha - Tokyo on 2 different Emirates A380-800s

You mean via Dubai and not Doha, right?  Doha is the connection point for Qatar Airways flights and not Emirates.  

[mo-chuck]

I live in Australia so just any flight is a long haul flight. When I was younger I used to just suck it up and fly economy but as I've gotten older it just takes it out of me.
We flew to Italy 10 years ago and my feet were swollen for 5 days. I haven't flown economy long haul since.
If you can afford it shell out for Business Class. You won't believe the difference.
Another tip - if you're going to fly via LA, spend a night there near the airport and then get a direct flight to Singapore.
At least you will get on the plane well rested.

[tj_shopper]

4 hours ago, mo-chuck said:

I live in Australia so just any flight is a long haul flight. When I was younger I used to just suck it up and fly economy but as I've gotten older it just takes it out of me.
We flew to Italy 10 years ago and my feet were swollen for 5 days. I haven't flown economy long haul since.
If you can afford it shell out for Business Class. You won't believe the difference.
Another tip - if you're going to fly via LA, spend a night there near the airport and then get a direct flight to Singapore.
At least you will get on the plane well rested.

I hear you.  I am 59 and my husband is 62.  Luckily we are relatively small people, but flying long distance cramped in economy does take it's toll.  I flew 10 years from Chicago to Hong Kong direct on United's economy.  The 15 hour flight was one of the worst flights.  After 9 hours, I just wanted off.  I tried walking up and down the aisle but it really didn't help.  Once we figure out the dates, I'm going to start researching the cost of the flights.  I really don't have a clue how much more it would cost to go from Economy, to Economy Plus to Business Class.  First class is definitely out of my league.

 

Thanks for your thoughts.

[Philob]

If not already mentioned, wear knee-high compression socks on the plane. 

[terry&mike]

You mentioned you have Chase Sapphire, so you likely have some points you have been accruing with them. Depending on how many you have, you may want to transfer your points to Singapore Air to purchase your tickets. 

 

Singapore Air from the the east coast (JFK, EWR) direct to Singapore, 19 hours, has one way fares at Saver Rates in Business at 111,500 miles per person, once they are out of Saver Rates it moves up to 143,500 pp. From the west coast (LAX, SFO), 17 hours, Saver Rates in Business at 107,000 pp. 

 

Premium Economy should be east coast Saver 73K pp, west coast Saver 68K, but finding both of these usually requires about 80K pp spend. 

 

Some tips to acquire award seats on SA - 

 

Award seats from SA are released at 355 days out, which is unusual as most carriers release at 335 (or fewer) out. You will want to be ready with your dates/routes, and have some options. I tend to strip off the excess flights to make shopping for award seats easier, for example, I don't shop from Tampa to Singapore, I shop from Newark to Singapore, JFK to Singapore, etc. Sometimes, once I find availability, I'll put the domestic leg back on and see if it remains the same or not, but often I'll just buy the main international route with miles, and purchase the domestic leg on my own some other time. My goal is the long haul in Business, I'm less concerned about the domestic legs. 

 

Once you find your route, you can then call SA and have them hold your itinerary, another unusual trick. They will generally hold it for 7 days. This allows you to then transfer your miles over from Chase to SA, which with SA can be painfully slow; my recent transfer took 4 days. 

 

You can also buy a Top Up from SA if you don't have enough miles. SA charges .04 per mile, purchased in increments of 1,000, which is rather high, but it does provide an option when you are close to your award level. This must be done by submitting a form through email and takes a couple of days as well. 

 

My preference on getting to Asia, is to fly on the direct routes from JFK or EWR to Singapore, on the SA planes/hardware that are set up as large Business section up front, and the entire rest of the plane as Premium Economy (no Economy section). I like the vibe on these flights. 

 

As to breaking up the flight in segments by stopping in Europe, or flying a really long leg of 17 or 19 hours, we always prefer the really long legs when we can get them. We find that we get much more sleep on the long legs, as on a 7-9 hour flight, by the time they have served and cleared the post-take off meal, you are generally close to 3 hours into the flight, they will then turn the lights up and begin serving the pre-landing meal at about 1.5 hours before landing, this allows only a few hours for settling in and actual sleep. On a long flight, we are able to totally relax into the sleep portion. 

 

Also, I see you mentioned "First Class is definitely out of my league" in a post above. No worries on this. When thinking international long haul flights, like those from US to Asia, you need only consider Premium Economy or Business. Business class on major carriers will feature what you want, large comfortable seats that convert to lie flat beds. (*There are a few exceptions of international flights where Business is not a lie flat bed, but they can easily be discovered and avoided on SeatGuru and you are likely not going to encounter them.) First Class in International long haul flying is only available on a very few flights, and is a lot more fluff than you need - for example, First Class on Singapore Air from the US to Asia, is a separate suite with a double bed and also recliners. 

Edited May 3 by terry&mike
copy change

[tj_shopper]

21 minutes ago, terry&mike said:

You mentioned you have Chase Sapphire, so you likely have some points you have been accruing with them. Depending on how many you have, you may want to transfer your points to Singapore Air to purchase your tickets. 

 

Singapore Air from the the east coast (JFK, EWR) direct to Singapore, 19 hours, has one way fares at Saver Rates in Business at 111,500 miles per person, once they are out of Saver Rates it moves up to 143,500 pp. From the west coast (LAX, SFO), 17 hours, Saver Rates in Business at 107,000 pp. 

 

Premium Economy should be east coast Saver 73K pp, west coast Saver 68K, but finding both of these usually requires about 80K pp spend. 

 

Some tips to acquire award seats on SA - 

 

Award seats from SA are released at 355 days out, which is unusual as most carriers release at 335 (or fewer) out. You will want to be ready with your dates/routes, and have some options. I tend to strip off the excess flights to make shopping for award seats easier, for example, I don't shop from Tampa to Singapore, I shop from Newark to Singapore, JFK to Singapore, etc. Sometimes, once I find availability, I'll put the domestic leg back on and see if it remains the same or not, but often I'll just buy the main international route with miles, and purchase the domestic leg on my own some other time. My goal is the long haul in Business, I'm less concerned about the domestic legs. 

 

Once you find your route, you can then call SA and have them hold your itinerary, another unusual trick. They will generally hold it for 7 days. This allows you to then transfer your miles over from Chase to SA, which with SA can be painfully slow; my recent transfer took 4 days. 

 

You can also buy a Top Up from SA if you don't have enough miles. SA charges .04 per mile, purchased in increments of 1,000, which is rather high, but it does provide an option when you are close to your award level. This must be done by submitting a form through email and takes a couple of days as well. 

 

My preference on getting to Asia, is to fly on the direct routes from JFK or EWR to Singapore, on the SA planes/hardware that are set up as large Business section up front, and the entire rest of the plane as Premium Economy (no Economy section). I like the vibe on these flights. 

 

As to breaking up the flight in segments by stopping in Europe, or flying a really long leg of 17 or 19 hours, we always prefer the really long legs when we can get them. We find that we get much more sleep on the long legs, as on a 7-9 hour flight, by the time they have served and cleared the post-take off meal, you are generally close to 3 hours into the flight, they will then turn the lights up and begin serving the pre-landing meal at about 1.5 hours before landing, this allows only a few hours for settling in and actual sleep. On a long flight, we are able to totally relax into the sleep portion. 

 

Also, I see you mentioned "First Class is definitely out of my league" in a post above. No worries on this. When thinking international long haul flights, like those from US to Asia, you need only consider Premium Economy or Business. Business class on major carriers will feature what you want, large comfortable seats that convert to lie flat beds. (*There are a few exceptions of international flights where Business is not a lie flat bed, but they can easily be discovered and avoided on SeatGuru and you are likely not going to encounter them.) First Class in International long haul flying is only available on a very few flights, and is a lot more fluff than you need - for example, First Class on Singapore Air from the US to Asia, is a separate suite with a double bed and also recliners. 

Wow!  This is exactly the type of information I need.  I've never used my Sapphire Reserve points for anything other than Southwest because that's really all I know how to use them for.  We are over one year out on this trip so I will continue to save up my points for my husband and me.  Currently I have over 90,000 miles on my Chase Sapphire Reserve.

 

Thank you so much for this information!  I need time to process all the good information here and will probably come back with some questions.  Have a great day!

[xxHadleyxx]

You've gotten great advice on which airlines, etc.   I'll add tips I find help me on my fairly frequent long haul flights:

 

Book the last row in the aircraft (I like aisles so I can get up often, windows are ready to Kean against sleeping,it's a personal preference thing).   That back row is more likely to leave you with an empty seat (with two of you book the window and auskey,the back row middle seat is highly undesirable and likely to remain empty if the flight isn't fully booked).  Bonus: flight crew like to use that for to sleep in, so if there are economy plus seats left they'll usually offer to move you there at no charge.

 

Walk a LOT at the airport.  I rarely sit at all between leaving the car and boarding.  Before leaving for the airport try to get in some good exercise (go for a run, dance, etc).

 

Wear comfortable noise cancelling headphones.  

 

Spread your blanket over you like a giant bib during food service.  This has saved me twice: when the person next to me knocked a drink over onto me and when a burst of turbulence during food delivery resulted in something upside down and partially on my lap.  It's a lot easier to get another blanket than a replacement clothes and a dry seat.

 

Have wine or a cocktail or two with dinner (it's extremely rare for me finish even one drink except on overnight flights...it does help me sleep).

 

After the dinner service, go brush your teeth and change into some clean and loose fitting (for flights to Asia actual PJs would not be particularly out if place).  Take a little bag which you hang from the hook in the lavatory to hold everything.

This is a hassle, but I've learned my body responds well to these "it's time for bed" cues.

Bring flip flops you can easily slide in for bathroom trips and wear soft slipper socks when seating and trying to sleep.  

 

Go ahead and recline when cabin lights are dimmed.  That's typically considered sleeping time and most will recline.

 

I like to put on a movie I've seen a lot, something I don't get too involved in, but interesting enough to keep me from noticing what's happening around me, and turn the volume pretty low as I am falling asleep.

 

When the cabin lights come back on, head straight to the lavatory to brush teeth and change again.  Have something caffeinated with breakfast.

 

Spend 5 or 10 minutes stretching and walking every time you get up for the toilet.

 

 

 

 

[mo-chuck]

12 hours ago, xxHadleyxx said:

You've gotten great advice on which airlines, etc.   I'll add tips I find help me on my fairly frequent long haul flights:

 

Book the last row in the aircraft (I like aisles so I can get up often, windows are ready to Kean against sleeping,it's a personal preference thing).   That back row is more likely to leave you with an empty seat (with two of you book the window and auskey,the back row middle seat is highly undesirable and likely to remain empty if the flight isn't fully booked).  Bonus: flight crew like to use that for to sleep in, so if there are economy plus seats left they'll usually offer to move you there at no charge.

 

Walk a LOT at the airport.  I rarely sit at all between leaving the car and boarding.  Before leaving for the airport try to get in some good exercise (go for a run, dance, etc).

 

Wear comfortable noise cancelling headphones.  

 

Spread your blanket over you like a giant bib during food service.  This has saved me twice: when the person next to me knocked a drink over onto me and when a burst of turbulence during food delivery resulted in something upside down and partially on my lap.  It's a lot easier to get another blanket than a replacement clothes and a dry seat.

 

Have wine or a cocktail or two with dinner (it's extremely rare for me finish even one drink except on overnight flights...it does help me sleep).

 

After the dinner service, go brush your teeth and change into some clean and loose fitting (for flights to Asia actual PJs would not be particularly out if place).  Take a little bag which you hang from the hook in the lavatory to hold everything.

This is a hassle, but I've learned my body responds well to these "it's time for bed" cues.

Bring flip flops you can easily slide in for bathroom trips and wear soft slipper socks when seating and trying to sleep.  

 

Go ahead and recline when cabin lights are dimmed.  That's typically considered sleeping time and most will recline.

 

I like to put on a movie I've seen a lot, something I don't get too involved in, but interesting enough to keep me from noticing what's happening around me, and turn the volume pretty low as I am falling asleep.

 

When the cabin lights come back on, head straight to the lavatory to brush teeth and change again.  Have something caffeinated with breakfast.

 

Spend 5 or 10 minutes stretching and walking every time you get up for the toilet.

 

 

 

 

The problem with the back row is they have a bulkhead behind them and don't recline very much if at all.

[xxHadleyxx]

6 hours ago, mo-chuck said:

The problem with the back row is they have a bulkhead behind them and don't recline very much if at all.

That used to be my experience, so can't blame anyone for skipping this advice if they still encounter it.

In the past decade, flying mostly Lufthansa, back row seats have all been offset enough to recline as much as other economy class seats.Not sure if that's been an overall aircraft change, or maybe it's a difference between Airbus and Boeing aircraft?   

 

I've only actually ended up sitting there the whole flight a couple of times in the past decade.

Edited yesterday at 06:33 AM by xxHadleyxx