17 hour Long Haul flight. Any advice

Cushtie · 20-10-2019 11:37am #1

Hi Folks. I have a long Haul flight coming up in a few weeks. 17 hours London to Perth with Qantas on 787.

Longest flight I've ever been on was about 4 hours.

Any advice from the seasoned travellers on anything I should bring m do to make the flight more bearable.

Thanks

uck51js9zml2yt · 20-10-2019 3:14pm

Plenty of fluids,no ..or very limited alcohol.
A good book or tablet. Set of headphones

Walk about regularly.

Samuel T. Cogley · 20-10-2019 3:20pm

Fly first class :pac: failing that get some Nytol from up North to help you nod off.

sdanseo · 20-10-2019 3:22pm

Noise cancelling headphones and an adapter for the plane, plus a decent travel pillow. You don't need to spend silly money on them (thanks to the Bargain Alerts forum). I also found ONE whiskey put me right to sleep on my most recent redeye. Wouldn't go having any more than that though.
Slept 6 or more hours in an economy seat, not the best sleep in the world but it passed the time.

I originally got these which were fantastic but broke them very easily due to sleeping on them :pac: They included the airplane adapter.
https://smile.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07C7PKBYZ/ref=psdc_310193011_t4_B07PF87V65

Immediately bought a second pair which I've found much more durable, didn't need another adapter but you would have to buy one seperately.
https://smile.amazon.co.uk/Cancelling-Headphones-TaoTronics-Wireless-Bluetooth-Black/dp/B07PF87V65/ref=sr_1_5?crid=RVI2DC22Y2Y4&keywords=taotronics+noise+cancelling+earphones&qid=1571581110&sprefix=taotronics+noise%2Caps%2C144&sr=8-5

Miaireland · 20-10-2019 3:25pm

Will there be a power point/usb charging port at your seat? If not bring a power bank. Download a few films on your tablet or phone or even better a series that you can binge watch. Bring a book or two in case the in flight entertainment does not work. Wear plenty of layers as planes can be cold/hot. Bring a water bottle that you can fill after security so you don't have to ask for water all the time.

sdanseo · 20-10-2019 3:31pm

Below is the aircraft layout for the flight. If you can still pick seats will be useful.
Power between every 2 economy seats.

https://www.seatguru.com/airlines/Qantas_Airways/Qantas_Airways_Boeing_789.php?flightno=10&date=

All the aove said fair play to you, I'd never do it, would always break the trip somewhere rather than do > 12 hours or so.

votecounts · 20-10-2019 3:35pm

Drink plenty of alcohol and the 17 hours will fly by:D

Snow Garden · 20-10-2019 3:40pm

Landon Teeny Metropolis wrote: »

Plenty of fluids,no ..or very limited alcohol.
A good book or tablet. Set of headphones

Walk about regularly.

Yeah pick an aisle seat and walk around regularly. I used to walk down the back of the plane and hang about. Air stewards usually fine with it. I would often go back and ask for water/OJ or a snack. I would stretch where possible too.
Depends on the flight but usually there is a very quiet period in the perceived 'nighttime'. Even the stewards take naps then. Great time to walk around and maybe even strike up a chat. I never drink or take sleeping pills because the jetlag is worse. I always try to fly in my evening time to help sleep i.e. depart the main hub (e.g. Heathrow) around 8pm. A meal and some TV and I start nodding off. When I wake its a walk, drink and more TV.

Burty330 · 20-10-2019 3:42pm

Stay awake for 24hrs before the flight , then your body will force you into a sleep for a good portion of the journey.

coylemj · 20-10-2019 4:29pm

Snow Garden wrote: »

Yeah pick an aisle seat and walk around regularly.

The problem with an aisle seat on a long flight is that lots of other passengers go for walks and if there's the slightest wobble in the flight, they will typically anchor themselves by gently resting their hand on the headrest of every third or so seat on their left and right. If you're trying to get some kip, that is the equivalent of someone socking you over the head with a pillow every minute or so. I'd always go for an inside seat. You can't stop the guy in front from reclining but you can minimize the disruption from behind you.

OP, travel socks. Your feet will swell in the low pressure and you're at risk of deep vein thrombosis if you have poor circulation and/or don't get up and move about often enough. A pair of travel socks will fix both problems.

Snow Garden · 20-10-2019 4:36pm

coylemj wrote: »

The problem with an aisle seat on a long flight is that lots of other passengers go for walks and if there's the slightest wobble in the flight, they will typically anchor themselves by gently resting their hand on the headrest of every third or so seat on their left and right. If you're trying to get some kip, that is the equivalent of someone socking you over the head with a pillow every minute or so. I'd always go for an inside seat. You can't stop the guy in front from reclining but you can minimize the disruption from behind you.

OP, travel socks. Your feet will swell in the low pressure and you're at risk of deep vein thrombosis if you have poor circulation and/or don't get up and move about often enough. A pair of travel socks will fix both problems.

Yeah but I prefer aisle than having to wake someone to go for a walk or to the toilet. My longest flight to date was 16 hours I probably got up and about 16 times. I tend to pick an aisle seat near the back of the plane (maybe only 6/7 rows up) where there tends to be less traffic and more empty seats. On my last flight to Malaysia I secured 4 empty seats in the middle and had great naps. I am not sure why but people tend to walk forward to the next toilet section rather than go back to the narrow end.

ozzy jr · 20-10-2019 4:37pm

Just curious OP, is that the only flight on your journey? Are you flying to London or onwards from Perth?

kirving · 20-10-2019 4:40pm

Remember too that the back of the plane tends to bounce around more and it noisier. A central isle seat as far forward as you can is the best option IMO.

Noise cancelling headphones are worth their weight in gold.

Pineapple1 · 20-10-2019 4:46pm

Landon Teeny Metropolis wrote:

Plenty of fluids,no ..or very limited alcohol. A good book or tablet. Set of headphones

Landon Teeny Metropolis wrote:

Walk about regularly.

This is pretty much it, and a lot patience! Bring a few cheeky snacks onto the plan with you and spread them out so that you have something to look forward to? Longest I did was Dub to LA 11 hours flying (12 in the plane total) and that was tough as I can't sleep on a plane.

krissovo · 20-10-2019 4:58pm

My essentials for long haul are:
1, Noise cancelling headphones
2, Water bottle
3, Hoodie - Keep warm and shut yourself away from the world and wear comfy clothes. I have a merino wool baselayer top to stop smells
4, Kalms tablets
5, Trail mix - Make your own with unsalted nuts cashews, raisins, dried banana from Aldi
6, Therma Care / Deep heat pads - If you get a back ache this is instant relief and does not smell
7, Load up on Netflix downloads
8, Download mellow spotify mix for sleeping
9, Battery pack
10, Mouth wash / Gum

Samuel T. Cogley · 20-10-2019 5:01pm

krissovo wrote: »

My essentials for long haul are:
1, Noise cancelling headphones
2, Water bottle
3, Hoodie - Keep warm and shut yourself away from the world and wear comfy clothes. I have a merino wool baselayer top to stop smells
4, Kalms tablets
5, Trail mix - Make your own with unsalted nuts cashews, raisins, dried banana from Aldi
6, Therma Care / Deep heat pads - If you get a back ache this is instant relief and does not smell
7, Load up on Netflix downloads
8, Download mellow spotify mix for sleeping
9, Battery pack
10, Mouth wash / Gum

Last time I went long haul I was fine on the way out, then once I got onto wifi the other end it disabled all my downloads and I didn't realise until the flight back

Snow Garden · 20-10-2019 5:17pm

krissovo wrote: »

My essentials for long haul are:
1, Noise cancelling headphones
2, Water bottle
3, Hoodie - Keep warm and shut yourself away from the world and wear comfy clothes. I have a merino wool baselayer top to stop smells
4, Kalms tablets
5, Trail mix - Make your own with unsalted nuts cashews, raisins, dried banana from Aldi
6, Therma Care / Deep heat pads - If you get a back ache this is instant relief and does not smell
7, Load up on Netflix downloads
8, Download mellow spotify mix for sleeping
9, Battery pack
10, Mouth wash / Gum

Yes, chewing gum or hard sweets. Absolutely vital for the ears.

spurious · 20-10-2019 6:48pm

I like to set my watch to the time zone of my destination as soon as I get onto the plane and then behave accordingly as regards sleep etc..

Cushtie · 20-10-2019 9:00pm

Thanks so much for the replies and all the tips.

Must pick up a set of noise cancelling headphones as so many of you advised.

I had a look on seatguru on the advice of one poster and would you belive the seat I had picked was flagged as a bad seat so changed. A lot of seats taken up so ended up with aisle seat about 5 rows from back. Hopefully be OK.

Cushtie · 20-10-2019 9:01pm

ozzy jr wrote: »

Just curious OP, is that the only flight on your journey? Are you flying to London or onwards from Perth?

Shannon to Heathrow then onward to Perth and same on return.

krissovo · 20-10-2019 9:06pm

Cushtie wrote: »

I had a look on seatguru on the advice of one poster and would you belive the seat I had picked was flagged as a bad seat so changed. A lot of seats taken up so ended up with aisle seat about 5 rows from back. Hopefully be OK.

You will be fine, you should be happy you are not in the middle

On that flight most of the seats in economy are much of the same.

mightyreds · 20-10-2019 9:11pm

Sleeping tablets would be my advice, I've been on 4 - 13 HR flights recently and I watched 4 films and still had 5/6 hours left.
It gets mind numbingly boring after that. If you can sleep well on flights then you should be ok though

Richard Hillman · 20-10-2019 9:12pm

Wear shorts.

atilladehun · 20-10-2019 9:18pm

Lots of great tips.

I'm +1 for getting into the timezone if you can asap.

Do whatever it takes to sleep. Earplugs, masks, pillow etc etc.

I once brought a sleeping bag onto a flight that I needed to work straight after a flight to Australia.

You'll mostly be tired, bored and stick of earphones.

Snow Garden · 20-10-2019 11:14pm

I am not sure when you arrive in Perth but if it's during the day, stay awake as long as possible until somewhere near your normal bedtime (9pm) and then sleep the sleep of the dead

They say carrot juice is great for jetlag. Jetlag is a weird one. Even with a good nights sleep I would feel absolutely grand the next day at work...until around 3pm and then I would crash.

The Nal · 21-10-2019 12:09pm

Nintendo Switch and Zelda.

Theres nothing that makes time go faster than gaming.

Samuel T. Cogley · 21-10-2019 1:41pm

PJ's, really? OP will look like a right knacker :pac:

Cyrus · 21-10-2019 1:48pm

Samuel T. Cogley wrote: »

PJ's, really? OP will look like a right knacker :pac:

the irony is people in business and first often change into lounge wear because you get lie flat seats and generally get a decent kip

XsApollo · 21-10-2019 1:56pm

Headphones.
Plenty of fluids,
I struggle to sleep on a plane regardless of how tired I am.
I try to stay out of my seat as much as possible for the first half of the flight, usually walk around and hang at the back.
Then when I go to sit down for movies and try to sleep my back isn’t in pain.
No alchohol for the first half either. Then when sitting down for movies and sleep start downing whiskeys.

21-10-2019 2:00pm

spurious wrote: »

I like to set my watch to the time zone of my destination as soon as I get onto the plane and then behave accordingly as regards sleep etc..

This is a top tip ,I've never had jet lag doing this.

Alun · 21-10-2019 2:01pm

I'm in the same boat in 2 weeks time heading to NZ with Emirates. 7.5h to Dubai, 13.5h to Sydney and then 3.5h to Christchurch. Not looking forward to it at all. I'm a nervous flyer at the best of times, so am thinking of asking my doctor for something to relax me. Does anyone have any experiences of going down that route?

The Nal · 21-10-2019 2:03pm

Alun wrote: »

I'm in the same boat in 2 weeks time heading to NZ with Emirates. 7.5h to Dubai, 13.5h to Sydney and then 3.5h to Christchurch. Not looking forward to it at all. I'm a nervous flyer at the best of times, so am thinking of asking my doctor for something to relax me. Does anyone have any experiences of going down that route?

I took a sleeping tablet before and felt like shít. Never again.

Doctor will give you Xanax or Valium or something yeah.

Alun · 21-10-2019 2:07pm

The Nal wrote: »

I took a sleeping tablet before and felt like shít. Never again.

Doctor will give you Xanax or Valium or something yeah.

That's what I was thinking of. Had a couple of valium a few years ago when I went for a job interview a few days after a family bereavement. I can't remember much about the interview, but I did get the job

Tefral · 21-10-2019 2:16pm

+1 on what everyone is saying here.

I would advise on bringing a pack of baby wipes with you and spare socks, undies and teeshirt.

Nothing nicer than going into the toilets and giving yourself a bit of a "shower" with the baby wipes and putting on clean clothes. 5mins and you feel as fresh as a daisy.

Water John · 21-10-2019 2:26pm

Yes, did similar in April, but Dubai-Auckland. Again not a lover of planes but it went ok. Flight from Dubai was delayed, on the plane sitting for 2 hours then flew 4 hours later. Think that actually helped. The Dubai-Auckland jet was an A380, really lovely if that what you get.
All flights had entertainment module and screens. Time passed without a bother.
Had a bad cough on return and only slept less than 2 hours in total.
Time now to apologise to those near me.
You'll think afterwards a 6-7 hour flight is a short hop.

If you are a reader, bring a Kindle.

Rowley Birkin QC · 21-10-2019 2:38pm

Tefral wrote: »

+1 on what everyone is saying here.

I would advise on bringing a pack of baby wipes with you and spare socks, undies and teeshirt.

Nothing nicer than going into the toilets and giving yourself a bit of a "shower" with the baby wipes and putting on clean clothes. 5mins and you feel as fresh as a daisy.

spurious wrote: »

I like to set my watch to the time zone of my destination as soon as I get onto the plane and then behave accordingly as regards sleep etc..

Kevin Irving wrote: »

Noise cancelling headphones are worth their weight in gold.

These are the three essentials.

mlem123 · 21-10-2019 2:40pm

1. Headphones
2. Neck Pillow (I have an inflatable one so it packs up small)
3. Hand sanitiser (planes are gross)
4. Baby wipes/cleansing wipes (because planes are gross AND you can freshen your face/body)
5. Toothbrush and toothpaste
6. FLIGHT SOCKS (imo the most important item - your ankles/feet will swell and can become quite uncomfortable)
7. Downloads movies or series or music
8. Book/magazines
9. Hand cream/moisturiser (flying can dehydrate you - I even sometimes put on a creme face mask on long haul flights lol)
10. Reusable water bottle (fill up before boarding)
11. Sucky sweets (I'm partial to werthers)
12. Scarf (it can be a light summer one but you can throw it over your head or around your shoulders if you get chilly)
13. Eye mask

Homelander · 21-10-2019 3:09pm

I can never sleep on planes so I just break the flight up into distinct stages - like read for an hour, then watch a movie, then play the 3DS for an hour or two, and keep the cycle going until the flight's over. If you can't sleep though it is extremely painful on long haul. I wouldn't drink if I was arriving at my destination in the afternoon or early evening, but if it's a night arrival I'll knock back a fair whack of drinks while watching movies on the second half of the flight to pass the time. Finally I would absolutely advise against sleeping pills. You will feel like absolute crap after waking up and barely functional.

Snow Garden · 21-10-2019 3:43pm

Get those farts out too. Do not try and hold them in or you will have bad stomach pains.

On stopovers, have a nice meal if possible but also walk around as much as possible (this is why I bring a small light rucksack).

Poly · 21-10-2019 3:49pm

Pick your seat in the aft cabin. people don't often select seats here for some reason. Best chance of getting two or more seats to yourself

grogi · 21-10-2019 3:50pm

Cushtie wrote: »

Hi Folks. I have a long Haul flight coming up in a few weeks. 17 hours London to Perth with Qantas on 787.

Longest flight I've ever been on was about 4 hours.

Any advice from the seasoned travellers on anything I should bring m do to make the flight more bearable.

Thanks

a) change all your watches (phone, laptop etc) to destination time before the boarding. Plan your activities on the plane according to the destination time - try to sleep during night hours, wake up during morning hours. This will cut the jet-lag...

b) get a pair of ANC headphones. Bose and Sony have best noise cancellation, but I have found MPow (got H12 and love them - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mpow-Cancelling-Headphones-Bluetooth-playtime-Black/dp/B07X53FNKF) and Anker (SoundCore Space NC) are not that far behind for a fraction of price. You'd be surprised how much difference the noise makes.

c) get out of the seat as much as possible. I try to be out of the seat for at least 25% time of the flight. Stretch etc.

d) drink. water. don't be shy asking for more.

raglan · 21-10-2019 5:00pm

Hi,

Flew with Emirates earlier this year to Dubai then onto Auckland. I am not the best flyer as I do be thinking of what could happen and listen to every noise and any sign of turbulence my heart rate goes up

But this journey I was making with 3 young kids, husband and mother so it added to my thoughts. Obviously hindsight is great and I wish now that I didn't get as stressed thinking about the whole journey but I was thinking of all sorts of things as you do when you travel with others. I don't sleep on planes, just can't but I have to say the journey was much better than I expected travelling long haul with kids. A lot of time kids slept, or were busy munching on snacks and looking at films /cartoons, staff were great with them and they got a gift on each journey. It was no bother to them. I myself found it great and time didn't feel as long , I simply counted down the time with films....as I don't sleep. Plenty of legroom, some flights had empty rows which was great, a few were completely full. Only annoyance was passenger in front pushes her seat way back ....I don't know but I think its just good manners to check with passenger behind as I could have had a drink on my tray etc....To counteract this I would have to push my seat back but didn't. I would do the trip again no bother personally but my Mum found it hard going coming home. We all had the dvt socks and walked up and down occassionally. Hope this helps. The entertainment screens are great, something for everyone.

ELM327 · 21-10-2019 5:06pm

Snow Garden wrote: »

Get those farts out too. Do not try and hold them in or you will have bad stomach pains.

.

Great advice for life in general.

Snow Garden · 21-10-2019 5:22pm

ELM327 wrote: »

Great advice for life in general.

It's no joke on a long haul flight :P

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/fart-on-planes_n_58e7d466e4b05413bfe2bb2b?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAACZSy9NwIqeyzhdXH_9DUhs1MmVpGVFhgmNWRD5FSLGy97aar6cDuLKqpqgshhfsfwMDQLVXXJ0VahTvJrCrHbGTaABzNoAe0M16I0-wsOOHCjlvwVBs4FbGNv0FRG4MVhBTuCr2Jpq-uwWj3MjxXqz7bGkwPFh8ew9dyzNe5jPC

In a 2013 paper on in-flight flatulence, researchers from the University of Copenhagen noted that holding back a fart can lead to discomfort, pain and more bloating.

Cushtie · 09-11-2019 7:58am

Hi all. Just wanted to come back to say thanks for all the advice given on this thread.

I took most of it and I must say because of that the long flight and the return flight was not as half as bad as I expected.

Major takeaways for me were.

1. The noise cancelling headphones. Worth their weight in gold.

2. Comfy clothes. Wore a tracksuit bottoms and comfy trainers plus flight socks.

3. Aisle seat. Could get up and down as much as I liked without bothering other people in row.

4. Was with Qantas. Lovely staff. Down the back near the galley they had plenty of snacks, drinks, water and encouraged passengers to help themselves. They also had no problems with passengers hanging about to stretch the legs.

I was really lucky with Jet Lag. Did what others suggested and put myself in destination time as soon as got on board. Arrived around mid day local time and stayed up till about 9pm that evening. Woke following day fresh as a daisy.

Other people I was travelling with were wrecked for a few days after.

Was lucky on the return flight. Had picked aisle seat and middle seat was empty. Lovely Australian girl was sitting in inside seat. Had lovely chats and it certainly helped pass the time.

Cheers again everyone for your helpful advice.

Gael23 · 29-12-2019 8:09pm

Would you choose to travel this flight rather than through Dubai?

Cushtie · 30-12-2019 3:40pm

Gael23 wrote: »

Would you choose to travel this flight rather than through Dubai?

Hi, I sent you a PM but for the benefit of other posters. I have never gone to AUS before this so can't say if the stop off would be better or not. I think for a solo traveller or couple without kids the non stop is a good option. It's a bit of a slog with kids I'd say

However, My sister was on the same trip with her kids but had a stop over in Singapore I think.They left Perth about 8 or 10 hours before me but we ended up on the same flight back from Heathrow to Ireland. So I suppose there is a bit of time saved both ways without the stop over.

Rodin · 30-12-2019 3:42pm

Cushtie wrote: »

Hi Folks. I have a long Haul flight coming up in a few weeks. 17 hours London to Perth with Qantas on 787.

Longest flight I've ever been on was about 4 hours.

Any advice from the seasoned travellers on anything I should bring m do to make the flight more bearable.

Thanks

Emergency seats at a bare minimum.
Worth paying the extra.

JohnCleary · 31-12-2019 5:54am

Rodin wrote: »

Emergency seats at a bare minimum.
Worth paying the extra.

Some airlines won't sell them and keep them for passengers with infants.

If you can purchase them, this is a must and will be the best money you spend.

Failing That, business. Seriously, worth every penny. We don't even consider long haul economy anymore. There are fair deals to be had if you shop around. This year we got return Dub - Bkk. Turkish was almost half the price if Qatar business class (but eek booked 8 months in advance)

grogi · 31-12-2019 9:56am

JohnCleary wrote: »

Some airlines won't sell them and keep them for passengers with infants.

If you can purchase them, this is a must and will be the best money you spend.

Failing That, business. Seriously, worth every penny. We don't even consider long haul economy anymore. There are fair deals to be had if you shop around. This year we got return Dub - Bkk. Turkish was almost half the price if Qatar business class (but eek booked 8 months in advance)

No Airline ever will put infants, children or people with disabilities at the emergency exits.

Caranica · 31-12-2019 1:16pm

grogi wrote: »

No Airline ever will put infants, children or people with disabilities at the emergency exits.

Think they might have been thinking of bulkhead seats?

17 hour Long Haul flight. Any advice

Comments