Tim_and_Liz

Ray is correct.
The A332 is 32" pitch in coach.
The extra leg room on an A330 is 33" so 32" is still pretty good.
However, the front few rows do have a power outlet. Row 12 is a good row (if you have to be stuck in coach).

rkkwan

Okay, let's think positive.

Don't use the words "stuck" or "killer". And I shouldn't have said anything about malfunctioning AVODs or babies...

roomoo

As others have said, just think positively about it. If you haven't done a long haul flight, it seems intimidating...but really they are not that bad. Usually, there are plenty of movies and they are feeding you or giving your drinks every second. Also, after you do the 11 hour flight, the 7 1/2 will feel a lot shorter.

If you have an ipod or other mp3, load it with audio books and music. Take crossword puzzles or soduku or whatever games may entertain you. Take a deck of cards.

I also don't sleep on planes--I can never get comfortable enough.

Kathie

I'm a reader, so I always read on planes. If there is a movie worth watching, I may watch it. I'm always fully awake on the Seattle to Narita flight. Sometimes I can sleep a little on the Narita to Bangkok leg.

When I get into Bangkok at midnight, I get to my hotel as soon as possible, take a melatonin and a hot shower and get a good sleep. I'm usually fine the next day until some time between 6 and 7 pm. The next day, I'm prety acclimated.

If you want to try melatonin (not everyone is a responder) find the smallest dose you can and take it about 30 minutes before you want to fall asleep in your new time zone. Take it every night for the first three nights in Thailand and for the first three nights when you return.

I don't recommend sleeping pills on the plane for a number of reasons. You won't move around as much so you will increase the chances of deep vein thrombosis and, more commonly, you may have problems from the sleeping pill. Ambien, a sleeping pill many people recommend has been associated with a number of bad reactions, including brief psychosis (more than one plane has had an unscheduled landing due to bizarre behavior by a passenger taking Ambien), amnestic problems (getting off the plane and leaving all of your belongings behind. arriving in an airport and being disoriented, etc). If you want to take a sleeping aid, take only something you have taken before and feel confident with. Unfortunately, Ambien's amnestic properties don't always appear until someone has taken it for some period of time.

Really, the long flight isn't as bad as you are worrying about. Think of it as a beginning of a true vacation: no one can contact you via phone, fax or email, it is time to get into relaxation mode.

heymo

Thanks, Kathie- this is great. Do you buy melatonin from a drug store in the vitamin section, or do you need a prescription?

SirHalberd

I have flown to Thailand and the Philippines pretty often on Northwest from Boston, usually through Detroit.

I bring several paperback novels with me, I pick them up from thrift shops or yard sales. When I finish reading them I give them away during the flight or leave them somewhere others can pick them up to read. I don't bring library books like I see some other passengers do, if you finish it soon you have to carry it with you all over Asia and then back home!

I read and sleep when I get drowsy. I don't drink (alcohol) during the flight, that seems to dehydrate me. I do drink lots of liquids during the flight. Like one of the previous posts - bring toothpaste and brush and some saline nasal spray.

Get up and stretch your legs often, I walk a bit and do some stretching at the back up the plane.

One of the best things you can do is choose your seats ahead of time! If you wait until you arrive at the airport you will end up with the seats that most of the experienced fliers ignored!

If you have seats in front of bulkhead/walls your leg room may or may not be less than a regular seat. (Depends on how they were installed - varies!) You do lose under seat storage. Often the seats with trays in the armrest are slightly narrower than the other seats without trays. Space is needed for the tray to go into - if you have a big butt don't pick these seats!

Some seats with walls behind them may not recline as much as other seats if the wall is close to the seatback. Seats with emergency windows behind them usually don't recline as much as other seats for safety reasons (they may be in the way of emergency egress.)

Seats near toilets may stink and the door open, light on, door slams shut, light off, etc. will bother your sleep. Bring blindfolds and ear plugs. Bring a neck pillow to make your sleep a little better.

If you have a silver or above frequent flier card you can get on the plane sooner when the overhead bins are still empty near your seat. When I get to the seat I take all of the junk out of the seat pocket in front of me except for the emergency card - this gives me another 3/4 inch of knee room!

I arrive in Bangkok around midnight pretty often, after cleaning up at my hotel and putting my valuables in the safe, I go out for a couple of hours to unwind before I hit the rack. I don't sleep late in the morning, I get started right away with what I need to do. I find this easier for me to adjust to the time changes.

Good luck.

travelduo

I am going to add a personal touch to what Kathie said, I am not a melatonin responder( I have tried and tried and it just doesn't work!) Then for the ambien, it made me flip out! I used it a long time ago coming back from africa and it was terrible!
I try to do what Andy said on the trip there, but it never works so good on the way home
You can get the melatonin at the drug store.
Now, my wife is the exact opposite of me. On our first trip to Thailand she fell asleep 4 hours into the flight and slept the rest of the flight to nrt! She woke up and said" jeffrey where am I?" my reply, " you are in Japan April!" then she slept most of the way from nrt to bkk! But she is also 5 foot tall and real skinny and can curl up in that little coach seat!

glorialf

The one thing I would do if you plan on taking any medication -- melatonin, ambien or anything else-- is try it a few times BEFORE the flight to make sure you don't have an adverse reaction.

Kathie

Gloria, you are absolutely right. Even over the counter meds cause probalems for some people!

Melatonin is available over the counter in the US. Go to the supplements section of your drugstore.

And travelduo, you're so right, you are either a melatonin responder or not... nothing you can do about it. About 30% of people are non-responders.

jcasale

Heymo - you asked why I don't sleep on planes and the discussion about melatonin (which I have tried at home) and finding it helpful or non-helpful sort of relates. Also the concern about not being able to move around. I actually have fibromyalgia which mostly shows up as a sleep disorder. I take low doses of elavil to regulate my sleep at home, but I really have to be comfortable and laying flat in order to get to sleep. Ince I get to sleep the elavil helps me stay asleep (I think it acts on seratonin). I have tried taking it when I flew and found it actually made things worse. I also tried melatonin as a non drug alternative and I stayed awake all night. I also found that one time when I tried not getting up and walking around (because dh was asleep and I didn't want to wake him - aren't I a nice wifey?!), after 3 hours I was in serious pain. So, I have just come to accept that my best bet is to skip the "sleepy bye" meds when I fly and get up and move around every 1-2 hours.

For some wierd reason I don't seem to suffer from jet-lag, so maybe that's the pay-off for me. When I get to where I am going I just do what I would normally do for that time of day and go to bed at what would be a normal time. Then I get up at a normal time and I'm good to go. Bangkok will be interesting since we get in at midnight, but we've planned a very low-key day the next day with minimal sightseeing. I'm used to getting in sometime in the morning and then just staying up until bedtime (including going to a show at the Sydney Opera House one time) and then getting a decent night's sleep.

I guess everyone's body reacts differently and you try different things until you find one that works.

rkkwan

See, I can sleep on a plane. So, I don't have a good excuse to spend 4x more to fly business.

My mom can't sleep unless laying down (or very close to laying down). So, she has an excuse to fly business class.

skittle

Has anyone tried hypnosis? My son,who is a very stressful young man, had hypnosis to help him control stress before his exams. He had it done by a doctor(MD)who taught him to place himself in a self-hypnotic state. He can do this at will anyplace he chooses and he always comes out of it calm and refreshed. He is still aware of what is going on around him but he is completely relaxed. It took 2 sesions for him to master the technique when he was 14 years old.

Kathie

Yes I know self hypnosis. I do use it from time to time on the plane. And meditational techniques have much the same effect. But mostly, I enjoy the hours of uninterrupted reading. Self hypnosis can be helpful for those who are anxious flyers.

By the way, behavioral strategies such as exposure to early morning sunlight, going to bed and getting up at the same time each day are helpful in adjusting to a new time zone.

Alcohol tends to disrupt sleep architecture, but I have to admit I can't resist a glass or two of good champagne in Biz class.

heymo

When we travel to Europe, sometimes I can sleep on the plane, other times not. I have never taken any kind of sleeping pill for a flight, and even here at home if I can't sleep I take a Benadryl and that usually does the trick.(My doctor told me years ago it was no different than taking Nytol or equivalent) I've had wine with my meal on those flights, and that helps. (Wine always makes me fall asleep...!) When we arrive we try to stay up as late as possible, and by the next day we're pretty much acclimated to the time difference. That isn't the case here, I'm thinking. I've never had a problem GOING somewhere...it's when we come home that I'm always screwed up.

I may try the Melatonin here and see what happens.

Thanks jscale for sharing why you don't sleep on flights. I'm sorry if it was too personal a question. It was very helpful.

The leg room and such is not a problem for me, I'm 5'2" and can easily stow my carry-on under my feet and still not be cramped.

Thankfully I've chosen all of our seats both going there and back, and we're in the same seats both ways. Seemed easier that way...

Thank you for all your suggestions...we leave two weeks from today!

DonTopaz

Age can also be a factor. God bless Bob & Karen, they fly all over the place, often in economy, and are none the worse for wear.

I'm 60, and about 5 years ago decided that I won't take an overnight flight unless it's in business or first. I find that I need a lot more rest than I did 20 or 30 years ago.

Guenmai

Sleep...rest...who needs them? I just go like the Energizer Bunny until the batteries run dead. As for being on planes, I can't sleep on anything moving...not even a water bed. So, I'm awake the whole time.
So, on the plane I pop on my Bose noise reduction headphones, plug them into the Sony Walkman, and listen to Beyonce the whole way to BKK... now that's a real jolt to the system...who needs coffee? Smiles. Happy Travels!

rhkkmk

imo, it will be a big mistake to plan on touring bkk on your first day.....you will be in a fog i fear and will also tire very quickly....lay low that day

jcasale

Don't worry about the personal question, heymo. If I didn't want to share it, I wouldn't have chosen to. I figure anything that might help someone, I don't mind sharing.

And funny you should mention the Energizer Bunny, Guenmai. DH has called me that on numerous occasions ! Although as I get older (I'm 51 - don't mind sharing that either, unlike the stereotypical woman), the bunny runs out of juice a wee bit earlier ;-).

KimJapan

I'm a bit different from most people on a long flight I think. I do break it into small chunks...house to airport, first leg, second leg, third leg, etc. Breaking it up helps me feel like something has finished along the way...know what I mean?

I have a blood condition that predisposes me to DVT...have had 4 so far and take daily medication to hopefully help prevent more. So, when flying, I wear surgical stocking, drink tons of water, and get up and walk (and use the toilet) every hour or so. Sometimes I can sleep a little, but not for very long...effect of lots of water and nerves about keeping moving probably. I use connection time for brisk walking in the terminal. Moving often is not a bad thing for anyone to do, as anyone can develop DVT when immobile for periods of 4 hours or more.

With all that awake time, I bring plenty to do. Early on, when my eyes aren't dry and tired, I can read, do sudoku. Then I move on to movies. Then I move on to the iPod books. Last trip I listened to A Thousand Splendid Suns...long, engaging, and very well read.

Generally, I arrive at my destination exhausted and definitely worse for wear, but at least not bored out of my mind. And, I can sleep when I get to a bed, no problem.

I've done both the Seattle - Tokyo and Tokyo - Bangkok on Northwest, and having the AVOD on their Airbus is WAAAYYY better than their lame cabin screen system in their 747s. They usually have plenty of choice on the AVOD system. Food is lousy IMO unless you are in World Business Class...so when in economy we bring our own bag of snacks and special order fruit plates...we've found them to be the best of the low-salt options.

You may want to sign up in Detroit for a 60 or 90 day lounge pass...last time I checked they had a trial membership for a pretty good price. The Detroit lounges are good, but the big one in Narita is excellent, with a good variety of food and drink (much better than the small choice of restaurants in the terminal) and computers for internet FOC and free WIFI if you have your own PC.

KimJapan

World Club 60 day trial membership...it will pay for itself in food and beverage. There are showers in Tokyo if I remember correctly (there are in Detroit, but you won't need them there).
http://www.nwa.com/services/bustrav/...empmember.html