Long Flights

[Gary D]

We did UK to Hong Kong this time, about 11 hours, no fun. Several previous trips we have flown Qatar or Emerites who both stop in the middle east so give 6 & 7 hour legs which I prefer.

[Huggybearman]

4 minutes ago, Gary D said:

We did UK to Hong Kong this time, about 11 hours, no fun. Several previous trips we have flown Qatar or Emerites who both stop in the middle east so give 6 & 7 hour legs which I prefer.

We always use Emirates when travelling between the UK and Manila. Dubai have an airside hotel in all the concourses of the terminal with a 'meet and greet' service to take you from the aircraft to your room. The many flights available allow us to break the journey with a 12 to 14 hour layover which makes the journey almost pleasurable. Bags are checked through to final destination so you only have your carry on bag.

Ken

[sonjack2847]

I have done many 12 hour flights.I usually take a book and try to sleep.Or just overload on the movie channel.One piece of advice I would give is go to the loo about 1 hour  before you land or you will be waiting outside the loo for some selfish idiot who wants to put make up on.

[OnMyWay]

22 minutes ago, sonjack2847 said:

you will be waiting outside the loo for some selfish idiot who wants to put make up on.

There you go again, insulting Hounddriver!  

[Lou49]

I fly out of Vancouver to Cebu so i try and layover for a few hours in Narita or Seoul which is about ten and a half hours, then the final leg is five or so hours to Cebu. ........aspirin does help for dvt.

Edited April 2, 2018 by Lou49

[Jollygoodfellow]

14 minutes ago, OnMyWay said:

There you go again, insulting Hounddriver!  

If it was color the hair before the plane lands I would say your correct 

[marine6357]

After doing some online research I came across this good article from Harvard Heath:

https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/air-travel-health-tips

 

This site seems to have a lot of good info not only about travel but many different health related subjects.

Edited April 2, 2018 by marine6357
added info

[Old55]

23 minutes ago, Lou49 said:

I fly out of Vancouver to Cebu so i try and layover for a few hours in Narita or Seoul which is about ten and a half hours, then the final leg is five or so hours to Cebu. ........aspirin does help for dvt.

We do that from Seattle. Eight hours to Narita, two hour layover then just under four hours to Cebu.

Returning there is a 12 hour layover in Narita. You may book a room through your airline and sleep. I absolutely love that makes the return trip much easier and the time adjustment is also easier for me. 

[KC813]

4 hours ago, marine6357 said:

I will be making my first visit to the Philippines in September and was hoping to get some tips or tricks to help with long flights. This will be my first time traveling non stop on an airplane of over 7 hours and was wondering how bad can 13 or more hours get? Was thinking of breaking the trip up some to alleviate some of the longer flights. Possible flying thru a different route to get there. Time is not a factor so making shorter hops and longer overall travel time is not a problem.
Also what is the longest non stop flight you have ever been on?

Unfortunately, I am still doing too many of these Asia (ICN, MNL or HKG) trips to the US each year.  Longest flights legs between 13 to 15 1/2 hours.  Good if you like watching movies, but getting tougher to tolerate as I rapidly age!

A lot of the discomfort depends on your aircraft seat product and the environmental settings, but it is always good to be prepared for the unexpected. Here are a few tips I have discovered and learned from others along the way:

 

Compression socks.  A small protection against DVT and lower leg swelling.  Also, don’t fall asleep with your legs crossed unless you want a very swollen knee!  I learned that the hard way.....

Bring backup entertainment.  Book, videos, puzzles, etc.  Most planes have AVOD (audio video on demand) and a good selection of movies and shows, but sometimes technology fails.  And if you decide to fly PAL from the west coast, they sometimes sub in without any notice their old aircraft without any AVOD in coach.

Bring your own ear buds or headphones that block out noise.  Some prefer the over-the-ear headphones so their ear isn’t compressed when leaning or sleeping. 

Sit on your pillow?  This tip has literally saved my a@@ on these flights!  Some of us get a very sore tailbones sitting in an aircraft seat for hours.  Very painful and makes the trip a nightmare until you finally just go completely numb.  Place the pillow on the seat, but just forward a few inches so that a portion of your body weight is now being supported by your upper legs and not the back of your tush.  Do it when you first board- don’t wait until you are hurting!

Humidity.  After 6-8 hours on some aircraft, especially when sleeping, the low humidity can dry out your mouth and nasal passages.  Can be very uncomfortable and even lead to a nosebleed.  Pouring a little water on a corner of the blanket and breathing through it will provide immediate relief.  Longer relief by putting the damp cloth near your face when going back to sleep.

Cheap Inflatable neck pillow.  Sold at Walmart.  Good for ‘head flop’, and takes up almost no room in your bag.

Pack some emergency snacks in your carryon.  Again, most airlines will have a snack basket set out in the galley for most of the flight, but you never know when you’ll be stuck in your seat or on a tarmac somewhere for hours.  And sometimes the food is, well, airline food.

Premium economy or exit row seats.  Something to consider if not too pricey.  Everyone I have talked to were amazed at how an extra 3-4 inches of legroom adds to their overall comfort.

After you’ve ‘paid your dues’ in coach for a few years, and you just can’t bear the thought of another 12 hours without raising your feet, there is always business class!  I see you are in Buffalo.  If you search a bit, on some days China Eastern sells JFK-Shanghai-MNL in business for under $2300.  Limited English, but great lie-flat seats!

 

Good luck.  The trip is definitely part of the adventure!

 

[Gerald Glatt]

Never been too effected going from US too Cebu.  20-25 hours total time napping on the plane works and not ery tired until the day after arrival. sleep about 12 hours second night.  Return trip is the MF takes about 3 days to get that 12 hours back.