Most of my longest flights I did as a seaman going on board or coming back home.

My somewhat painful record was Ezeiza (Buenos Aires) to Inchon. From the first take off to the last landing, 39 hours and 40 minutes, via Los Angeles with just two hours, IIRC, in Tokio, waiting my last connecting flight. Seeing the Kurils and the Aleuthians from so high was an strange experience given the unavoidable doze at that stage of the voyage. It took some time to recognize the orthodromy concept at work.

After quitting vessels, I soon learnt to become usefully obsessive with where each of my belongings is (in pockets, in the carry on or in my laptop nowadays). Frenzy search of something that I have "lost" (usually misplaced) doesn't add to peace of mind. I never change their distribution so I feel sure where to look for each item at any moment. Maniac you say? no, simply practical.

Carrying one or two books of different subjects was my solution to use my free time. I hardly could sleep unless feeling exhausted. In one trip to Europe, I spent some three useful hours writing code in the middle of the night when everybody else was sleeping.

Safety precautions? I accept them simply because I have no chance of doing something else. Just questioning them is useless, no matter what. Better you also accept that there is lot of people that enjoy excercising power on people, even if claiming they do it in the name of whatever.

Comfortable cloths and footwear is a must. Thinking of the nice things waiting for me ahead, helped me a lot like wife and children (it also worked when in the middle of horrible bad weather at sea). Oh sí.

 

Adding to my previous post, you could take a red-eye, sit down with a relaxing drink or two boom you'er out till you land.

kv

 

Any help here with ideas how people do this kind of thing?

Check this thread for some good ideas.

 

Wow that is a way to make points.

They hadn't morphed into 'flight attendants' the last time I did one of those flights.

 

Another idea: fly a 737 Max. It'll all be over before you know it.

 

Hello guys and gals,

I have flown to various places in the US and Canada, but generally it's been a one or two hour flight out of Newark.

Now i am thinking about taking a flight out to California to see a friend i knew a long time ago and recently reconnected with that lives in the LA area so that means i'd have to fly from Newark to LAX and that is a flight that takes around 6 hours. 6 hours is not only a lot longer than i ever had to stay in the air, but it's a longgggggg time to be in one place for that long, in one seat! Geeze i dread to think of it but it's an important trip for a very important person in my life.

Question is, how the heck do people do this? I know they do because i've read about various people doing these trips and even longer to other countries. So how the heck do you do it? Anyone here do that much or even once?

I've considered a train trip, but that takes around 5 days! Yikes, 5 days on a train, i dont think so

Any help here with ideas how people do this kind of thing? Keep in mind, i'd probably have to fly back too ... another 6 hour trip!
HELP!

I tend to be the kind of person that does not like to get out of my seat on a plane once I'm in it. In fact, I have never once been in an airline lavatory.

The flights that really pushed this were when I flew to Taiwan and back. The flight from Detroit to Narita was 14 hours and I didn't get out of the seat once in either direction. Not the best thing, given the potential for deep vein thrombosis, but it is what it is. Sadly, I also have a real hard time sleeping in a seated position, so I got very little sleep. I spent a fair amount of that time switching between working sudoku puzzles, reading a novel, or coming up with math problems and trying to work them out. I'd also spend time just leaning back with my eyes closed and trying to relax. Since I have absolutely no fear of flying, that's pretty easy for me to do on a plane -- other people aren't so fortunate.

 

6 hours in the air?? What are you flying on a DC3? Are you sure that is not with layover time? It should not take much longer than 3 hours. I would think you xhould be able to get a direct out of JFK or Laguardia.

I just checked Travelocity and the quickest non-stop flight they had was 5 hr 48 min and the longest was 6 hr 11 min.

Going the other way it's shorter -- 5 hr 2 min to 5 hr 30 -- thanks to the prevailing winds.

 

I tend to be the kind of person that does not like to get out of my seat on a plane once I'm in it. In fact, I have never once been in an airline lavatory.

The flights that really pushed this were when I flew to Taiwan and back. The flight from Detroit to Narita was 14 hours and I didn't get out of the seat once in either direction. Not the best thing, given the potential for deep vein thrombosis, but it is what it is. Sadly, I also have a real hard time sleeping in a seated position, so I got very little sleep. I spent a fair amount of that time switching between working sudoku puzzles, reading a novel, or coming up with math problems and trying to work them out. I'd also spend time just leaning back with my eyes closed and trying to relax. Since I have absolutely no fear of flying, that's pretty easy for me to do on a plane -- other people aren't so fortunate.

I used to go out like a light the moment the pilot reved up the engines. I would need to fly on business several times a month and loved it because it meant more sleep. Now I am older I can no longer fall asleep on the plane. Or even a train. I had an overnight in coach from Eugene to Sacramento and another from hicago to Pittsburgh last year. Even with the nice roomy train seats, it was brutal. I don't think I got a wink on either leg.

What is your age? Even back when I was a young pup I could not go more than 4 or 5 hours without using the head.

Why do want to stay seated for so long? As you mentioned it just isn't healthy. I hope you have a window seat any time you might be seated next to me.

 

I just checked Travelocity and the quickest non-stop flight they had was 5 hr 48 min and the longest was 6 hr 11 min.

Going the other way it's shorter -- 5 hr 2 min to 5 hr 30 -- thanks to the prevailing winds.

Already covered.

 

Consider upgrading to an exit row - wing exit on a Boeing or door exits on an Airbus. The seats are a bit narrower but more legroom and the seat ahead of you doesn’t recline.. Look up the aircraft that your flight uses and check the seating on one of the ‘best seat’ websites. Airbus seats are more comfortable than Boeing IMO.

Trying to pick the seat has been extremely hit and miss (mostly miss) for me. I've selected exit row seats only to discover that it was THOSE seats that didn't recline on that particular model aircraft. A "best seat" website might help, but there's enough variation in the configuration from plane to plane even within the same model that it's a crapshoot. Something as simple as a slightly different galley can shift all of the seats by just enough to change which seats recline and which don't.

 

I used to go out like a light the moment the pilot reved up the engines. I would need to fly on business several times a month and loved it because it meant more sleep. Now I am older I can no longer fall asleep on the plane. Or even a train. I had an overnight in coach from Eugene to Sacramento and another from hicago to Pittsburgh last year. Even with the nice roomy train seats, it was brutal. I don't think I got a wink on either leg.

What is your age? Even back when I was a young pup I could not go more than 4 or 5 hours without using the head.

Why do want to stay seated for so long? As you mentioned it just isn't healthy. I hope you have a window seat any time you might be seated next to me.

I'm currently 54, but I've been like that my entire life.

It's not so much wanting to stay seated as it is avoiding the hassle of getting up and moving around, particularly since so many other people are so often crowing the aisles. So I just stay were I am. When possible I definitely DO take a window seat precisely so that I don't have people disturbing me getting in and out -- with the side benefit for them that I don't do it to them, either.

 

Already covered.

Yeah, I didn't realize how long this thread had already gotten when I responded.

 

Trying to pick the seat has been extremely hit and miss (mostly miss) for me. I've selected exit row seats only to discover that it was THOSE seats that didn't recline on that particular model aircraft. A "best seat" website might help, but there's enough variation in the configuration from plane to plane even within the same model that it's a crapshoot. Something as simple as a slightly different galley can shift all of the seats by just enough to change which seats recline and which don't.

In my experience, there are usually two exit rows over the wings. The ones in front usually don’t recline (if they did, they’d block the exit path), so I pick the one or two seats nearest the aisle. The window seat passenger doesn’t bother me because the exit path is do wide. And for that reason as well, they are the roomiest seats in the plane (I think they even have more room than 1st class. And the up charge is the same as for bulkhead seats. I’ve never got a non-reclining seat.

 

In my experience, there are usually two exit rows over the wings. The ones in front usually don’t recline (if they did, they’d block the exit path), so I pick the one or two seats nearest the aisle. The window seat passenger doesn’t bother me because the exit path is do wide. And for that reason as well, they are the roomiest seats in the plane (I think they even have more room than 1st class. And the up charge is the same as for bulkhead seats. I’ve never got a non-reclining seat.

When is the last time you have flown? Those seats are usually blocked or you need to pay for the privilege.

 

When is the last time you have flown? Those seats are usually blocked or you need to pay for the privilege.

I’ve previously said I pay $50 for those seats. And the last time I flew was Jan. 25 of this year. I log on to the airlines web site as soon as advance check-in is opened the day before the flight. I get the seats I want and download my boarding pass so I can go directly to security when I get to the airport.

 

I’ve previously said I pay $50 for those seats. And the last time I flew was Jan. 25 of this year. I log on to the airlines web site as soon as advance check-in is opened the day before the flight. I get the seats I want and download my boarding pass so I can go directly to security when I get to the airport.

How far out in advance to you buy? And have you tried buying really early in the morning? I understand you get a better price then though I have not tried it.

 

Buying early in the morning is not real. I usually buy 3-6 months in advance. This has nothing to do with seat selection though. The earliest you can get a seat is 24 hours in advance. Most of those Internet tips aren’t true. I just check a few times over a week. Expedia and Orbitz have been very good. I am satisfied with the deals I’ve gotten. The only time I didn’t get what I wanted was an overseas flight, Boston to Rome on AirItalia (I think).

 

Pardon me for the "Gallows Humor", but if you were flying on a Boeing 737 Max, your flight time might be reduced to only about 15 minutes.

 

Wow lots and lots of replies, thanks so much to everyone here so kind! I hate travel to begin with so this is very hard for me.
I'll try to reply to all the replies.

6 hours in the air?? What are you flying on a DC3? Are you sure that is not with layover time? It should not take much longer than 3 hours. I would think you xhould be able to get a direct out of JFK or Laguardia.

View attachment 172106

You should reconsider a train. Get a roomette. I have gone cross country twice and will be doing it again. The only way to fly IMHO.

And it isn't 5 days on the train. A trip on the Southwest Chief would be about 3 days. Capital Limited into Chicago less than a day from NYC. Do the Southwest Chiedf now as it will be one of the first long distance trains to get the axe if rumors are true.

That was actually my first thought, but when i found out how long it was i didnt think it was good. But now that you mention it i have to reconsider esp since i found out that security on flights is so difficult and i would not be able to take much with me.

But what is a "roomette" dont think i've heard of that before? Thanks.

 

Pardon me for the "Gallows Humor", but if you were flying on a Boeing 737 Max, your flight time might be reduced to only about 15 minutes.

Hi,

Yeah i saw that. Very sad. As long as i get to where i am going i will be happy