Noise canceling headphones. I swear by the Bose Quiet Comfort series. Personally I still have the 25 model (with a third party Bluetooth dongle), that way when the battery dies I can simply swap it out, takes simple AAA ones.
Else I’d recommend to bring slippers to wear during the flight. Feet tend to swell up a bit, so wearing shoes is uncomfortable, and walking in socks as many people do is not exactly hygienic, especially in the bathroom (seriously, who does that???).
I’m also freezing easily, so I’ll bring a thin scarf to protect my neck from the long exposure to low temperatures.
Lastly, have a set of fresh underwear, t-shirt and wet towels in your hand luggage, along with a toothbrush & paste and deodorant (make sure the volume is hand luggage capable). Then about 1.5h before landing, lock yourself in a bathroom (ideally the ones in the middle, they are a bit more spacious), strip naked, give yourself a through wash, change of clothes etc., and land arrive somewhat refreshed.
I swear by my WH-1000XM4’s. I don’t even usually play anything, just turn the noise-cancellation on. Makes flying so much more chill.
These are what I have and use every flight… and to mow the lawn.
I love how good they are at noise cancelation.
I can’t quite get myself to subject them to the amount of sweat generated during mowing the lawn. I’ve got some cheap nasty DeWalt cans for that. No ANC, but they muffle the sound outside pretty good, and as a bonus still have Bluetooth. Lawn mowing is prime podcast time.
Loved my QC25s until they broke. The new versions are a pain to keep charged…
Yeah that’s what I heard, especially for longer flights that’s super annoying. And the 25s can at least still play mono sound even with dead batteries, I heard that the newer models are simply dead.
On my 25s the left speaker died after 5 years, I contacted Amazon and they swapped them out for a new one, no questions asked, way out of warranty. That was pretty awesome, and the ear pads are cheap and easy to swap out.
I’ll ride them to the end and then see what happens after…
I feel like a shill for compression socks, but they help with that foot swelling and makes things infinitely comfier
This is good advice, though honestly I would advise waiting till you arrive and doing your washup at your destination.
If your airport is only 30min from the hotel, I say forgo his and just endure. If you land and the. Have 2+ hours more to your final destination, the I’d do it in the much larger and more accomodating airport bathrooms.
Unless on a very tight schedule or travelling in a big group, just ask your partners to wait and give you 10 to 15 to manage business. Be quick, but it shouldn’t take too long to strip down and hit your body with some body wipes. When you come out refreshed and in different clothes they will understand.
I used to have some of those but found them not awesome on planes. I use Shure earbuds now, not even ‘noise canceling”, and they are better than the Bose QCs ever were. Can’t hear a damn thing in the plane except my music.
Bose were great for the office though!
Years ago I flew transatlantic and just before landing I got up and brushed my teeth with a tiny travel set. I still remember all the people looking at me with my toothpaste and brush in hand thinking “why didn’t I think of that?”
Noise cancellation headset
This. Cutting out a lot of the noise also cuts out a lot of the fatigue.
Noise-canceling headphones. Eye mask (some planes might provide one, but get a nice one that fits you). A good mask (planes can be very low-humidity so even if you aren’t worried about anything else, this can help keep you more comfortable).
Wear loose-fitting clothing (except compression socks if that’s something you want to do) or otherwise comfy clothing.
Other than that, get up and stretch every couple of hours if you can and are not sleeping.
I have flown from NY to Tokyo multiple times (which is like 15 hours depending upon weather).
This is a great list.
I wear loose athletic pants for long flights. Not bedtime sweatpants, but Adidas style pants. I wear comfy shoes, that I unlace once I start napping.
I bring a sweatshirt so it becomes a pillow and something to pull over my eyes if it’s needed.
I also have a couple of airplane blankets and I bring my own. It comes in handy on flights where we cheap seats people don’t get blankets, and in airports when it’s nap time. I roll it up tight and strap it on the bottom of my backpack.
I also bring Sudoku puzzles. It’s a nice diversion from watching videos the whole way.
I got a Manta Sleep mask on the recommendation of a friend last year and it is so, so good. I take it everywhere with me now, and use it on any flight where I need to get some rest. That and good earbuds make a huge difference if you’re a light sleeper like me.
Which type of Manta did you go with. They apparently have quite a few variants, and I might invest in one for my next flight.
I have the Pro version because I’m a side sleeper and their site said it was great for that. They were right! Other sleep masks I tried would come off by morning but this thing stays put. It’s really comfy.
I sound like an ad but I usually wake up as soon as sunlight creeps into the room, and this thing helps me get an extra 1-2 hours during summer, which is huge. I really love it.
I’ve had the basic one (not the slim - parts of the band on the slim are bare elastic and it’s not comfortable) for years and I love it. I’m a side sleeper and I don’t have much trouble with the mask getting pushed off, but I do dream about getting the pro version.
Ear plugs or noise canceling headphones
As an alternative, IEM style earbuds or circumaural headphones. Both can offer a lot of isolation from exterior noise without active electronics.
I’m not getting a circumcision for a flight!
But, the coupon says, “half off”!
Well if they’re taking it off, they’d best take it all off! I’m not coming in for a second session.
Don’t worry. We’ll make sure you get to see Loraina Bobbitt.
Just googled that. Well … thats a story
Elastomeric respirator like 3M 6200. It will be more comfortable than an N95 if worn for a long time. But wear an N95 (maybe change them every few hours as they get damp) if you have to. Plane rides are super spreaders and so are airports.
Absolutely this. I went on a trip recently with my coworker for a conference overseas. I wore a N95 and he didn’t. And he has 'bad coughs" after the flight and was coughing up a storm for the whole trip and even lost a few days being sick.
Maybe it’s Covid. Or maybe just nasty air.
I picked up a set of AR glasses for my last flight and was surprised how much of a game changer they were. I plugged them into an older Samsung phone and the Samsung Dex software let me switch the main phone screen off. This gave me something like 9 hours of video time on a larger screen that I could watch in any head position, with shows I brought myself.
What brand/model did you get? How much was it?
I got a Viture One on sale last Prime Days for $300. I also have an Xreal Air 2. The Viture One has a better case for traveling - it has a separate compartment for the cord - and it’s better if you want to share it because it has focus controls on the glasses. But I’m still trying to get the nosepieces into the right place to get full top to bottom clarity. The Xreals need a prescription lens insert, but that means they’re better if you want to use them as real glasses, and the nosepiece is more comfortable and adjustable. The case can hold the cord, but there isn’t a separate compartment so there’s a risk it’ll scratch the lenses. I can’t recommend the Xreal Beam accessory, the battery life is really short.
Buy the upgraded seats.
On the flights I had, it was something like
Regular seats - $500
First class - $3000
They also had “upgraded” seats which were just regular seats but in the center of the plane for an extra $200.
As a fan of sitting in the back, I never find them worth it.
Build a flight routine:
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Screenshot your QR code to board. Crop it to just the code so your boarding zone is missing, and board in the middle of the second main group (Zone 2, Group 2, Etc. Not any of the special categories). No one will stop you.
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Pick a seat in the back of the plane. You will deplane slower, but no one fucking cares unless you have a connection
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Because of 1), you will board and head straight to the back, giving you time to sort your carry on and backpack/purse.
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Stow the carry on immediately, drop your bag into your aisle seat. Remove your seating essentials once you size up your seat.
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Bring a magnetic phone mount you can clip to the closed tray table (check amazon for one you like), plug in your charger brick, but not the cable, other passengers will kick it.
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Open the overhead air vent nozzles to full, point them at your seat. If you sit, and it’s too much, point 1 or 2 of the others away. If you like all 3… Hope the other passengers never notice.
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On a long haul you will probably be given a little pillow and blanket. Temporarily toss these in the overhead ontop of your bag. If need a neck pillow, get that out of your backpack. For lumbar support, if you think the provded pillow is enough, grab it after takeoff. You don’t want the blanket or pillow now.
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Stow your water bottle (bring a refillable 24oz or 36oz tall steel bottle). This will hold the flap of your seat back pocket open a bit. Stow any snacks you want, and gadgets. Overload this pocket, items you consume will decrease over time, so anything goes here, stuff it.
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Once you have everything out and stowed, your gadgets, headphones (I recommend over-ear noise canceling if you fly frequently) your phone mount your everything, then stow your backpack in the overhead. Again, no one will stop you. The flight attendants are helping load the plane and prep, and people do this anyways. On a long-haul it’s first come first serve, hence the seat selection toward the back.
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Raise all the arms of the seats on your asile. This will let the other passengers get in faster. Raise the aisle armrest by pushing the button in the back of the arm by the hinge.
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Wait, and fully extend your seat belt while you wait, so it’s super easy to grab and buckle later. Wipe down anything you like with a wet wipe, especially your headrest and armrest handles. Keep the armrests up though.
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Once your seat mates have shown up, lower the two arm rests closest to you, and plug in your charger cable to the charger brick. Buckle up loosely.
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After takeoff, use the rest room immediately, grab your blanket if you want to rest, and settle in. Late notice, but if you wear slip ons: slip them off now and relax in your seat. You can change socks after landing. Your feet will thank you. At this point, raise the headrest if you need to, and bend the sides, most headredts are now adjustable on the sides as well and can form a C shape to support your head. This is not as good as a neck pillow bit helps tons when combined with one.
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During flight, press the hinge button on your asile armrest again whenever you need to get up, to make getting out easy. If anyone needs out, grab your phone, and unplug your cable from the charger brick, and sidestep into the aisle, take two steps forward or back, away from the nearest restroom, and then reseat but don’t lower the armrest until they return. DO buckle again. (Freak turbulence on long hauls is no joke sometimes).
Bonus 1) Lookup and purchase a plastic shim for AC adapter prongs online. Maybe 5 bucks, infinitely reusable. US airplane plugs tend to be very very loose due to extreme overuse. This will keep you from chasing your charging brick around the floorboards.
Bonus 2) For headphones, Bose Quiet Comfort or Sony WH1000XM3 or XM4s. The XM3 and XM4s IMO are superior noise cancelling to the Bose (subjective), and both fold up and are more compact than the later Sony XM5 series. You can find either of these “renewed” on Amazon sometimes for a huge discount. Buy them and never look back.
This works on 99% of flights. You get to stretch out as much as your seating allows, should have all your stuff accessible, and be comfortable to rest if you can. Personally I am too tall to sleep comfortably on most flights so instead I listen to podcasts or read something with very low volume background orchestral music as background to avoid silence/white noise. You’ll have to adjust for what works for you, but that early start gives you tons of time to get situated and I think this makes the real difference.
Regarding your first tip, I’m not sure where you’re flying, but I fly around the US for work, and they absolutely will send you to the back of the line if you try to board in the wrong spot. Happened to me once recently by accident, got two flights and their boarding groups mixed up. They weren’t rude about it or anything, but they were not going to let me on before my group.
That’s why you crop it to just the QR code.
The ticket scanner on most devices and stands displays only Name and Seat Assignment. Not zone. If you’ve, they can’t un-scan it.
Walk up with the cropped QR code ready (try to leave some of the app background color as a border, just crop it so no text is cutoff and the zone is missing) and there is almost no chance they stop you and say “sorry I need you to reload your app so I can verify your zone”.
They just scan it and move on. Walk with confidence and try it. I’ve done this literally dozens of times this year alone.
If you walk up with a printed boarding pass, they might stop you if they see it in time. And if you use the app, same, it’s usually bold obvious text there.
Worked on Delta, United, and AA this year. Won’t dox myself getting too specific, but multiple cross country flights with each. Always the middle or middle front of the second main boarding group.
So, first, you can’t be much more confident than an honest mistake. I didn’t even know I was in the wrong group.
Second, they weren’t reading my phone. You turn your phone face down to scan the QR code. They literally can’t read it like that. The system tells them where you are supposed to be, including boarding group. If they’re not trying to put you where you’re supposed to be, they’re probably tired of dealing with people like you.
Lastly, people fucking up the system by cutting in line are a part of why it takes so long to board. If you want to board earlier, man up and pay for a premium ticket.
Dunno what to tell you, I have literally done this dozens of times this year alone, and plenty of years prior. I have seen the screen readouts, and again, the turnstile readout is seat and name. They can pull your group on the PC screen or a handheld scanner if they want, but most don’t or won’t. If you were trying to board first they might. Hence why I said second main boarding group, every time.
man up and pay for a premium ticket
With the way you are talking you seem to not understand how premium boarding works. Nothing about boarding groups is remotely about boarding efficiently. Literally not one bit of it. 0%. It is 100% point loyalty and status. They do not board back to front, nor do they board in staggered patterns to spread traffic, they board from front to back, starting with the higher status and going down. Zones are assigned again based on status of the flyer and seat position. You can be in Zone 1 while in sest 35F if you are right status and sometimes still get pushed to Zone 4 or 5 when sitting in Premium/comfort+.
What I’m doing actually is less traffic overall. I specifically choose a seat in the rear of the plane for this reason. Zone two boards in front midsection. Again, boarding groups are not efficient, go watch a whole CGP Grey video on that if you don’t believe me, he talks about it for 20 minutes. But I’m getting situated, stowing my things, clearing aisle obstacles, and ready by the time anyone else gets to the rear, and all I have to do is let them in, which is considerably faster than the traffic jam that zone boarding causes from all passengers being in the same area at once. Everything I do happens simultaneously while the rest of the front midsection is a natural traffic disaster because everyone in one section is boarding at once. It is as inefficient as possible, and I’m playing no part in extending it. I don’t even stand in their section I blast straight through it to the back, where there is no one.
Efficient boarding, without a literal line order, would be something like waves going from back to front staggered every third or 4th row. Zone 1A, 1B, 1C, etc. No airline does this. Because they want to sell you faster boarding. I’ve been on the highest status tiers at various times on 3 of the airlines, and again, nothing is different they just seat you first because your loyalty points regardless of position in the plane.
I’ve flown millions of miles at this point across the 5 major airlines in the US (sadly still a few hundred thousand short on Delta because it’s not consolidated), and spent more than I care to think about for work travel. They will kick you back down to Zone 7 without a second thought, and none of it has to do with efficiency. And none of what I’ve said above slows anyone down. You’re buying into marketing schlock.
I haven’t been on a long-haul flight that had the air nozzles “customizbale” or at all?
In the US airlines at least, most lately let you angle them like a ball-in-socket joint. They aren’t too “customizable” but you can generally point them and adjust how open they are. Older planes are less adjustable however.
Super long haul in the US or from the US? My long hauls have all been 10+ hours and none had “personal” air nozzles.
Both. Maybe I’m not describing it right, but the air nozzles in most larger aircraft have been slightly adjustable for a long time. They are typically like a ball in joint socket you can point anywhere in its cone of motion, and that you can twist to open or close. This has been standard on flights for a really long time.
Newer flights have nicer versions of it, but some form of directional air nozzle has been around for a long time.
I’m aware of these nozzles, just saying that on the long haul flights I’ve been on these nozzles aren’t present at all… So I’m kind of surprised they are present in general, on larger planes.
Odd. There’ve been nozzles on all my flights in the past few years. Varies by partner carrier I imagine, but since most of my routes are using what are ultimately domestic US aircraft, that’s what I’ve experienced.
One example. The niches only hold lights.
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- 3D eye mask
- in ear noise cancelling headphones
- zip up travel hoodie
Most long haul flight have seats with decent head rests but for shorter flights I want to sleep on, I use a soft cervical collar. More comfortable without it on but it means you don’t wake up with your head in a weird position and sore neck.
3D eye masks mean your eye lashes aren’t brushing against the eye mask.
I prefer in ear headphones as it means you can rest your head against the window or whatever, it is more comfortable and you don’t get buzzing from the plane being carried through.
I got a great travel hoodie that has heaps of pockets, some on the inside, a big hood with a fold down flap for extra darkness, ensures a comfortable temperature etc.
For shorter trips I’d recommend a moisture wicking long sleeve top to help keep you at a comfortable temperature but not take up space in your bag.
Edit: The hoodie I got years ago and still have was a Burton Sleeper Hoodie, sadly it seems they have stopped making them?
Lots of good advice in this thread already, but I want to add a few details:
- that loose hoodie would be even better if the pockets zip up. Losing important items on a plane sucks. Also the pockets work great as a security checkpoint stash: remove your metal and empty your pants pockets all into your sweatshirt pockets, zip them, remove and put in the bin. On the other side you put it back on and have everything easily available.
- if you can’t find a zippable hoodie, go with a non-hoodie with zip pockets and a beanie that you can pull down over your eyes.
- for sleep aids, it’s a good idea to wait until after the first meal, which is usually within the first two hours of the flight, but you can ask and make sure.
- make sure your headphones have a plug, not just Bluetooth. The in-flight entertainment usually does not work with only Bluetooth, though some do.
As a frequent flier I’d say the most important thing is what you do before and after your flight, not during. Go in well hydrated (get those electrolytes!) and well rested. If you’re flying far east/west, adjust your eating and sleeping ahead of going, to make sure the adjustment is not so hard on arrival. If you’re arriving in the morning, try to sleep on the plane… if you’re arriving in the evening, don’t sleep on the plane. Additionally, when you arrive, wait until the appropriate time to sleep/eat as not to prolong jet lag.
My wife and I bring water bottles we can fill up after going through security, and packs of pedialyte powder to mix into it.
Heh, we do the same. I appreciate that Changi airport has bottle-filling fountains at every gate.
I really appreciate Haneda airport for having bottle scanners, so you can just bring your filled bottles through security. Saw this at an airport in Europe, too, but can’t remember where (domestic Athens maybe?).
The food thing really is a game changer.
Adjust your meals to match the meal time where you’re going day or two ahead of time.
Your body will respond.
try to sleep on the plane
That requires a good travel pillow to avoid a massive crick in the neck that can produce immense pain.
Drip drops. Thank me later.
Yeah, this kind of thing. We have pocari sweat powder.
Frequent long haul flier here.
This depends entirely on your seat. If you’re flying economy, a travel pillow and a large loose hoodie helps you sleep in a position that doesn’t fuck you up too much.
Bluetooth ear buds are are really nice to have. I’m tempted to say that noise cancelling isn’t that useful on a plane, as there will be plenty of brown and white noise.
Depending in how long your flight is, consider bringing a portable charging method. Also, most seats on long haul flights have an USB outlet, just keep in kind that these are pretty low wattage and won’t allow you to charge very fast.But by far the biggest comfort you can buy is a seat upgrade. Something as simple as extra leg room is worth it. But if you can defend the price tag, business class is the only way to fly really comfortably.
Active noise cancelling works well on planes.
Hard agree.
Business class is worth it, and the only affordable way to buy those seats is with points. Business saver on United often has cheaper business seat pricing than premium economy. IMO, this is the best and only way to spend credit card points. As long as there isn’t some goofy card where points expire, keep them for years and spend them this way.
3 weeks from now I’m doing a long haul and got 5 business class tickets with points (between 800k and 900k points) which is a butt load of points, but the dollar cost was over $12k EACH. That’s like 6 or 7 cents per point, which is much more generous than taking the cash payout.
Edit: the downside here is if you want to buy tickets now you should have started saving points 2 to 4 years ago lol. Unless you get some sweet introductory offers.
I fly a lot with the Star Alliance airlines, and sometimes that takes me via United. Whenever the flight is more than 4-5 hours, I start considering upgrading to business, and often I’ve racked up enough points to do this without paying.
I flew from Copenhagen to Singapore on business class last year, only using points to upgrade, and it’s by far my favorite flight experience so far.
Earplugs are number one. I also suggest compression socks since no one else has, they help with restless legs since you sit there for so many hours. If you have the money, a steam deck :)
Other than business class?
Yeah, other than an upgrade 😄
Going alone? On a wide body if the middle has 4 or 5 seats, move to an inside aisle seat next to a couple or group of three, respectively. They’re more likely to disturb each other to get up for bathroom breaks than you. If you can do this with one seat between, that seat will be one of the last to fill.
I love me some window seats, but on the long haul it sucks to have to wake peeps to go take a piss.
Do get up and walk the plane. Your legs will thank you.
Buy a little sign that sticks on your seat to let the flight attendants know to wake you for food or do not disturb.
