@danstw13 – any top tips for dealing with the general discomfort of being wedged into a small seat in long haul economy?

Well done, it’s good to hear stories like this.

Also 2017 was the safest year ever for commercial jets. No passenger jet crashes. Let that sink in. That’s crazy stats.

I’ve started to embrace flying now as I do it more but was never that happy about it.

I will add one tip. One two occasions to the USA it’s been cheaper to fly premiere economy than economy with Thomas Cook from Manchester.

Bigger seats, less people, better meal and movies and first off.

ElShalimo – try a website called seatguru – it tells you the best seats on any airline/aircraft.

When choosing your seats online, look for where the number of seats in a block decreases (normally at the back as the aircraft narrows) the first row of the decreased number usually has slightly more space.

Other than that I’d always pay extra for an exit row seat with more legroom. Remember headrests normally have “wings” you can fold out to support your head when sleeping.

Row 31 for us to Vancouver.  Pretty normal seat.   We couldn’t upgrade as this flight is Economy and Business with no Premium in the middle.  Upgrades were £3k each although this won’t stop me mentioning our 10th Wedding anniversary at check in 🙂 You never know your luck…

Upgrades were £3k each although this won’t stop me mentioning our 10th Wedding anniversary at check in  You never know your luck…

Just wear the special shoes and have a paperclip in your lapel.

You’ll have your feet up  sipping champagne in no time.

You never know your luck…

Go expecting not to be upgraded. That way you won’t be disappointed! Dressing smartly (shoes included), asking nicely, claiming an anniversary, all useless, I’m afraid.

Upgrades are either paid for out of your own pocket, or paid for by having spent too long flying! OpUps are almost always given on a priority basis. So, for example, economy is overbooked. They’ll see if they have any Gold card holders who they can bump up to premium. If not, any silver, etc.

Which reminds me, Dan, your lot must owe me one by now! 🙂

Oh, and SeatGuru, as above. Even for the comfy seats up front it can make a huge difference.  I also thought that BA had premium on all 747s.

@dantsw13 – thanks

Kryton57

I flew around Essex today completely un-medicated,

If I had to do it on the ground I suspect medication might be required

Well done for facing your fear. I went through a few years of being a nervous flyer after one horrible flight, but getting back on the horse, as it were, to normalise things worked for me. Lucky I travel alot with work so got over it pretty quickly.

As to economy seat advice, I always go for an isle seat towards the centre of the aircraft if you can, right over the wing box if possible. That is where you get less movement, especially in turbulence and weather.

Rather than the exit seats I prefer bulkhead seats. Exit seats can be a PITA – they can be cold and a bit more noisy and draughty if the seals around the doors are not perfect. Also if you get one against the side of the aircraft (i.e. opposite to the isle) then the escape slide cover can encroach into your legroom meaning you have to sit at a slight slant. And you often don’t get the benefit of a window either due to the additional structure around the edge of the door. And during the times in the flight when the toilets get busy you sometimes get people standing in and around the area where your feet are. Also the screens sometimes come out from the arm of the seat so have to be stowed for take off and landing and inevitably means missing the last 10 or so minutes of the movie as you come into land.

But unfortunately 10 hours on a plane in economy is a bind, there is no easy way around it. As others have said try to get up and walk around a few times through the flight if you can. Or just crash out if you can, sleeping for half the flight really reduces the perceived flight length. The only other thing you can do to improve your comfort is fly A380. By far and away THE most comfortable plane to fly on. So quiet, airy, and smooth. Even though the seats are just as packed in as with any other plane, it somehow feels more spacious.

Just thought I’d post an update here, as some my find it quite useful.  So, returned yesterday from a med free trip to Vancouver 🙂  Second time – and first time long haul – I’ve flown unmedicated for 15 years.

Dantsw- I rejected your kind offer (Thankyou again) for reasons as posted below.   It’s important for me to learn trust in the pilots, learn to live and trust in uncertainty and not continue seek safety valves and validation in everything I do – although visiting the cockpit would have been awesome, the subsequent reassurance recieved is a safety mechanism.

The journey out was easier than the way back for reasons unknown although I’ll discuss that with my CBT councillor.  However, I used all the techniques we’ve been discussing, and certainly there was no traumatic build up pre-flight for me or Mrs K.  It wasn’t easy though.  Of course I had to avoid all the “Safety behaviours” I’d usually exhibit – asking for help, reaching for the arms of the chairs, constantly staring at the flight map/countdown, getting up & down, catastrophising, negative thoughts and so on.   As the councillor mentioned, its no magic bullet and I need to practise these techniques on an ongoing basis as well as “exposure therapy” of more flying where possible, rather than than avoidance.  The hardest part for me, was to sit still trying to be calm with my hands on my lap whilst strapped in my chair during the landing phase last night in a very bumpy 15 minutes holding pattern inside yesterdays storm clouds over Heathrow – that’s 15 minutes of exposure therapy teaching me that although I was quite uncomfortable, it was safe.

For anyone considering CBT <i>for any reason</i> I’d encourage you to go for it.  What its taught me is that life’s habits, situations and more obvious remedies are often quite destructive and although offer potential “quick fixes”, the real effort is to work on yourself, and allow someone to teach you how to improve, or revert your learned tendencies back to a positive conclusion.  For me, its not just flying – the techniques I’ve learned can be applied to a lot of the thought processes and decision making I need to do in my life, and I now catch myself applying them to daily situations.   Some people don’t need that, and for them they may not “get” why people like us have fallen into spirals of negativity, depression, or “entrapped” life cycles but for those that have please try CBT – there are no magic bullets but you will recieve a box of tools to improve your way of life.

Oh and BTW, Vancouver is a very awesome place in the world, I’d encourage anyone to visit, and an extremely grateful that I’ve been afforded the help which has provided me the opportunity to do so – I’m very lucky.

Well done Kryton!!

Kryton – great news! I completely understand your reasons for doing it the way you did.

If you do fancy a cockpit visit on a future flight (sadly only on the ground these days post 9/11) drop me a line & I’ll see what I can do.

Ive stopped flying Longhaul now – currently in the middle of my Shorthaul Captains course, so if you are blasting around Europe it could be me!

Much appreciated!   If I get on the right plane I’ll take you up on that offer – are you still BA?

One thing totally unrelated to my issues I was shocked at is how old the 747 we were in looked.   Bits of trim falling off, misaligned carpet, shoddy overhead locker catches…  I know BA are retiring them and I guess maximising any returns but its not a good look.

Yes, still BA.

The 747s are definately showing their age, but still a solid old beast – a bit like an old Mercedes Taxi with 200k on the clock!

The BA 747’s are knackered. I did Vancouver last month (premium economy is up front by the way between business and first) and San Diego last year.

ps. Should have done a seaplane in Vancouver. They are awesome.

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Now this is my kind of airport… #canada #vancouver #seaplane

A post shared by Less Bikes, More Stuff (@jim_gardiner) on Mar 26, 2018 at 11:36am PDT

A good news story for a Sunday morning.

Well done Kryters.

@dantsw13 – do you know which 747s were refurbished? I think half of them were spruced up a bit. I’m going to Dallas on one soon and it’d be good to fly on one and not a tatty old taxi

😉

Jam bo – I stood in that same place – albeit a lot sunnier – and watched the seaplanes.  I could have gone on one as the reason I was in Vancouver was a work reward trip, including one of a choice of excursions – I chose a boat trip instead.  A colleague went on the Seaplane trip and although he’s fine with flying said he was alarmed by the manual pumping of fuel and other processes, and “cockpit which appeared to be held together by gaffer tape”.   I’m sure it’s all quite normal, they are impressive to watch.

My 747 flew fine and although we booked the front of economy we got offered to be bumped to premium bulkhead seat on the way back.  I took the offer mostly because Mrs K struggled with a stiff post ACL leg outbound, it was nicer but not Virgin nicer.  It basically cost me the wheels I’d ordered last week (now cancelled) but to be fair she deserved the trip and the treat anyway after putting up with my selfish cycling habits.

I had to get from Vancouver to Victoria for work. Quickest way. They are pretty agricultural though.

Well I’ve just completed my 9th unmedicated and final flight of the year – that’s the same amount of flights across the entire 6 years before that whilst using diazepam and tamazepam.   I’m impressed with the CBT but as i was told “…it’s a box of tools with which you need to keep practising…”   This weeks flights were a good reminder of how I’ve let “life” distract me from the techniques on a regular basis, although I was able use them during the process of flying back and forth this week.

Im not instantly at ease with flying, but – and this may be trivial to some – I’m able to manage myself through these the whole process from leaving the house to arriving back again without refusals, booze, drugs, or emotional out bursts and have curtailed those “triggers” I’d normally use to “calm” myself – now known as “continuing the spiral”

Especially poignant this week was that the girl next to me on the way out was shitting herself during take off and I was able to empathise and help her a little. She doesn’t know my history, but I bet she’d be surprised at my demeanour!

Well done Kryton!

I still struggle with flying. My last trip to Zürich was a bit too bouncy for my liking but I didn’t die. At least it was only 2 hrs

Where’s that LIKE button?

FWIW, I’m flying to Barra tomorrow.

Especially poignant this week was that the girl next to me on the way out was shitting herself during take off and I was able to empathise and help her a little. She doesn’t know my history, but I bet she’d be surprised at my demeanour!

*applause*

I’m sitting on the runway now and it’s late. Again. Going to miss question time.

Nice work Kryton.

Great to hear this, Kryters.  Very pleased for you!

Cheers all.  Have a good flight ScotRoutes, that looks “interesting”…

ElShalimo – three things in my mantra to get over the nervousness during the bumps;  repeat  “I might find turbulence uncomfortable, but I know that flying is safe” and “Although <i>I</i> feel nervous it doesn’t mean the situation is dangerous”.  And from the CBT, if it isn’t happening now it isn’t happening – throw it – the throughts/worry – away.

Nice one Kryton! I can remember your previous posts about your flying fear & the stress it was heaping on your work life etc.

Great news that you have managed to overcome those issues! You should feel pretty proud of yourself.

Forget all the flying business, I just want to work for somewhere that gives Canadian holidays as bonuses!!!!

Well done with the flying anyway,

👏👏😀💪

I just want to work for somewhere that gives Canadian holidays as bonuses!!!!

Ha Ha – its Lisbon next April for this years reward – I’m qualified, but need to see how far I get up the league table to see if I get there, theres only 30 allocated places available.

It does involve selling your soul though!