What do you do to get comfortable in coach?
 

I will be taking an overnight trans-atlantic flight soon on BA. I don't travel very often, so I'm wondering what tips anyone might have to make the flight tolerable as best I can barring yelling babies and too wide seat mates. Can't strech to business class I'm afraid, but wish I could.

Two things make long flights nicer for me - an inflatable neck pillow and a pashmina. The pashmina can be used as a blanket and also to be draped around my head to provide some privacy when you sleep.

I am never comfortable in coach. I only endure!

Wear comfy non-restrictive clothing, use noise cancelling headphones and take drugs. Really, take whatever relaxes you, whether it be an Ambien or Tylenol PM.

In addition to using the neck pillow and pashmina as november_moon recommends, I take Ambien.

What LEANNA said!

If you don't have noise-cancelling headphones, I find that good foam earplugs are a lifesaver. Even with a bunch of screaming babies around, I can put them in and tune everything out.

Also, some of it is attitude: I tend to get stressed and exhausted on long flights, but I recall talking to a colleague who traveled a LOT. He said, "What's so exhausting about it? You're just sitting in a chair for a few hours." Whenever I find myself getting too unhappy about flying, I remind myself of his words.

Fly with a family member and lift the arm rest between seats, in a row of two. Spread out on each other. Seriously. It provides much more space and make sleeping easier. Plus trying hard to sleep.

pain killers/Gravol and hope I sleep.

Ativan,
Neck pillow, which I find works best if you DON'T recline your seat
A pashmina- for warmth or privacy
A music player with your favorite songs, and
Comfortable ear buds or headphones. Try them out in bed one night before you go.

What they said -- pashmina, noise canceling headphones, drugs.

For while you are awake -- this may be a stretch but what really helped me on my last long haul was the Ipad -- loaded with a good new mystery book, travel guides, music, and videos/films.

Noise canceling headphones....spring for the Bose QT15! You won't regret it! Neck pillow, sleep mask and lots of water to keep hydrated. Ipod with recorded books. People magazine...good for about 2 hours. And last but not least, Zanax! ZZZZZZZZ

BA has the video on demand; at least on the 747-400 I flew on from Miami. If you can't sleep, try to get into a movie.

I have a carry-on bag inside a larger carry-on bag when I fly. When I arrive at my seat, I take the smaller carry-on bag out of the larger bag and put it under the seat in front of me. It has everything I need for the flight--reading glasses, notebook computer, pen, water bottle. The bigger bag goes in the overhead bin.

BA still gives free eyeshades, toothbrush/paste and socks. After take-off, remove your shoes and put on the socks and take a sleeping pill over dinner is served.

BA does offer Premium Economy which I found much better than coach. If you can't do biz class this might be a good compromise.

An eye mask, booze, and benadryl is about all I need. Not the best night's sleep, bit works well enough.

I don't drink, I don't take drugs, and my neck is too short for those travel pillows, but I seldom complain about longhauls in coach. Besides the obvious - noise cancellation headphones, entertainment material, etc; here are a couple of things nobody has mentioned it yet, though may not apply to BA.

First is to pick your seats carefully, and check back often enough, including sometimes up to the kiosk at airport, to change to a better seat. Aisle is a must to start with for longhauls, and then EVEN on airlines I have no status, I have been able to get exit rows and bulkheads by simply checking often and early. Especially at the start of online check-in.

For example, just for the past 1.5 years, I had sat in a bulkhead row on Singapore Airlines SIN-HKG on a refurbished 777-200 with like 5 feet of legroom. Or the first of the 2-2 rows in the back of DL's 744 HKG-NRT. Or exit rows on All Nippon between LAX and NRT. No status for in those cases.

Second, if I have a fairly long connection before or after a longhaul, I'll try to get into an airline lounge. Especially if I know there's a shower there. Never cheap, but it can make the subsequent longhaul a lot more tolerable; or if after a fairly uncomfortable longhaul, at least I can get a hot shower to refresh myself.

You can see the flights I've taken at: http://my.flightmemory.com/rkkwan and http://openflights.org/user/rkkwan

Aisle seat! Comfortable clothes (like cotton knits, in layers), something to put on your feet besides shoes. BA gives out earphones, eye mask, pillow, blanket, I just use those. Earplugs or noise cancelling headphones would be nice to have. I also take Valium by doctors prescription and a glass of wine now and then during the flight.

Usually go for an exit seat for more legroom

www.seatguru.com www.seatexpert.com for best

seats on each carrier.

Take natural Melatonin for jet lag/sleep www.mayoclinic.com

Try to sleep as mucch as I can avoid alcohol pills big meals.

Has worked pretty well for me over the years still

good deals on premiere economy or business class preferred.

www.airawards.com gets me good deals on those sometimes.

Good luck!

Thanks for all the great tips! Drugs it is then!! :)

Am flying from Vancouver to Nairobi with BA via London. Altho I'd prefer to skip Heathrow, connecting with friends there outweighed that airport's negatives.

Talked myself into World Traveller Plus by breaking down the added cost per segment so at an extra $250 per 9 hr flight, it seemed worth it. Hope I don't regret it. :)

Heathrow Terminal 5 is probably the best connecting point in Europe. I think you will have a good trip.

tengo hambre is right!!! A traveling pal next to you is the greatest. Unfortunately I always travel alone.

However...my best seat mate ever was a German lady who was slightly pudgy like me. We lifted up that divider and mixed our surpluses and had a fairly comfy trip!!!!! I still think of her fondly!!!!

I recently purchased (from Magellan) an inflatable back support pillow. It folds into a little bag, a couple of puffs and instant support for your lower back. It works wonders on those horrible airline seats.

Although it appears that many people prefer the aisle seat on a long trans ocean flight, I am more in favor of a window. Since I don't have to run to the bathroom too often, I like being next to something I can lean on for sleeping. I don't take any sort of pillow, but I do bring a pashmina, and find that I can almost always fall asleep leaning against the window or the panel, whichever I am seated next to, with my pashmina as a pillow. And I don't have to worry about my seatmates getting up and down and having to wake me up to crowd past my seat.

I always bring along a pair of socks that I don't care about - I take off my shoes as soon as I'm seated, put on the socks, and then toss them after the flight.

Ambien is good, too, but I don't indulge in much wine, as I find it dehydrates me, especially in the cabin air.

I don't like bulkhead as that is where they usually put the kiddies. It also seems colder and I'm always cold on flights. I always book a window seat so I can lean against the window. I take a neck pillow that has mircobeads and weighs very little. I also take a quilted down pillowcase which folds into a travel pillow. I put my carryon under the seat in front of me for a footrest. Ambien (the old kind that is not time released and only lasts 4 hours, not the new Ambien CR).

No drugs and no earphones - - that way I can make it down the aisle and out the exit before the rest of you even know anything's wrong! :-))

When I want to sleep or zone out on a plane, I use earbuds that are top-quality (both for comfort and to block outside sounds), and I make sure that I have a long recording of rain or breaking waves on my IPod. I set the rain or waves tune to repeat endlessly, and that proves to be a surefire way (for me, anyway) to drift off. [Disclaimer: I'm not a coach traveler for long-hauls, but I'd use the same strategy if I were.]

Travelnut~ Hate to ruin your fantasy but if the plane's going down, getting down the aisle to the exit isn't gonna save you.

Most long-haul planes now have headrests with side pieces that can be angled out, so your head is better supported in terms of side-to-side motion. With those kinds of headrests, I find that I don't need a neck pillow.

Those headrests with side pieces only work for people of a certain height. My husband loves them, I find them useless.

Those winged headrests also slide up, so should be useful to quite a number of people. For those who may not know what we're talking about, here's a photo:

http://rkkwan.zenfolio.com/p436125581/e38b3a3c7

I swear by this silly thing: http://www.1stclasssleeper.com/

but my 6-foot-2 husband says it doesn't work for him.

I like a neck pillow as well, though I can squish up pretty much anything to use as support. The winged headrests are nice but it's more important for me to support my neck. I also like to have a little easy to access supply of goods like lotion and lip balm, pens, ear plugs, hand wipes, xanax, et. al. and I keep them in a little zippered bag with a hook that hangs on the seat back in front of me. The little comforts help alleviate cabin fever.

Leanna, loved your comment-it made me laugh!!
I bring a neck pillow, Pashmina,a pair of warm
fuzzy socks (my feet always get cold). I have never tried
the noise cancelling headphones but it sounds like a good
idea.

I bought a box of those ugly disposable medical "scrub footies" and now take some to use over my regular socks when I fly on long trips. They keep my feet warmer and cleaner (I hope!). Definitely not attractive however.

I am going to have to start packing my carryon now. I have decided on the pashmina, noise cancelling headphones, and a sleep aid called, I think, Mid-night. If anyone has used it, tell me if it works ok and that if you don't feel too dozy afterwards. Maybe a small bottle of wine with dinner. It is a 9 hour flight, so I chose a aisle seat, as I have to get up and use the bathroom fairly often because I drink loads of water on a flight, and I don't want to scramble over other people and wake them up. Thanks for all your helpful suggestions. I'll try and get back to you to report if it works.

"<i>a sleep aid called, I think, Mid-night. If anyone has used it, tell me if it works ok and that if you don't feel too dozy afterwards.</i>"

I would never ever <B>EVER</B> take any OTC (or prescription) sleep aid for the first time on a flight. What if you have a bad reaction. Or what if it keeps you awake instead of helping you sleep. Not everyone has the same experience w/ the same drugs. And drinking after taking a sleep aid you've not used before could cause problems too.

If I'm thinking of taking a drug or supplement --I make sure I can use it for at least a few days ahead just to be sure.

Definitely pre-test any drugs. Last thing you want is to have a bad experience with it on your flight.

I have a really short neck too, which is why the inflatable neck pillow is so important - I inflate it only part way and it works. Those fold out head rests are worthless for me though - yeah, they slide UP but who cares? No help for the shorties.

New Chapter makes a natural supplement called Tranquilnite. Two of those and you are pretty drowsy, with really no side affects that I have noticed. I use it at night if I wake up in the middle of the night and can't get back to sleep. Many people I know have used it and I have heard no complaints. However, I am a Xanax long haul traveler.

To seeksocean-Never heard of Tranquilnite but would like to get it for my husband. Is it an OTC available at the local pharmacy? Thanks.

I have found that in order to get any decent sleep I need to support my head. I'm also a side-sleeper. Leaning against the bulkhead doesn't work well for me. I bought a couple plastic popcorn cups at Target, put them on the armrest upside down and made myself a high armrest. Doing this allows me to put my arm on the cups and support my head. For the last flight I was out for six full hours and actually felt fairly rested. My wife thinks its pretty dorky and wouldn't be caught dead with my popcorn cups. It works for me.