A former flight attendant who spent almost ten years working in the skies has explained how to make long-haul economy flights more comfortable. Now, travelling as a passenger, she follows her own system that helps her cope more easily with many hours on board.
Before departure she arrives at the airport well in advance, so she can calmly deal with all the formalities and make use of lounge access via her bank card perks. Just before boarding she changes into a soft, breathable tracksuit, and shortly before landing she changes back into her usual going-out outfit. This kind of “double” change of clothes, she says, helps her mentally switch first to flight mode and then to arrival mode.
To avoid turning her seat area into a pile of rubbish, she always brings a small plastic bag for waste. She keeps her main belongings in a suitcase in the overhead locker, and under the seat she only has a small bag with the bare essentials: earplugs, snacks, charging cables, a change of clothes and a moisturiser.
When choosing a seat, the former flight attendant usually opts for an aisle seat near an emergency exit — a professional habit that has stayed with her after numerous safety drills. She advises using the call button only when it is really necessary, and asking for water or extras when the crew are not busy serving meals or carrying out safety checks. In her experience, the most convenient time to go to the loo is just before the service starts or roughly halfway through the rubbish collection — that is when the queues are shorter and it is cleaner.
For sleeping in economy, she has given up sleeping pills and travel pillows. As soon as she boards, she sets her watch to the destination time and tries to rest in line with local night-time. Instead of a special pillow she uses the hood of her hoodie and the airline’s standard pillow, reclines her seat slightly, puts a rolled-up jumper in the small of her back and always fastens her seatbelt so the crew do not have to wake her during turbulence. She also warns against trying popular social media “hacks” such as footrests that attach to the tray table: some airlines ban them on safety grounds.
When it comes to food and drink, the former airline employee prefers bottled water and light snacks. She avoids tap water on board, as well as coffee and tea, and instead brings a sealed bottle of water and adds electrolytes to it to better cope with the dry cabin air. She turns down hot meals on night flights, as heavy food while sitting, she says, makes you feel worse and interferes with sleep. Instead, she brings nutritious, high-protein snacks from home — nuts, seeds and berries.
After landing she does not rush to stand up as soon as the “fasten seatbelt” sign is switched off. If she does not have a tight connection or urgent business, she stays seated until most passengers have disembarked. She uses this time to carefully check the seat pocket, the space under the seat and the overhead locker above her. Over her years in the cabin she repeatedly came across forgotten phones, documents and other items, the return of which via lost property services took a long time. She therefore recommends spending a few extra minutes checking, to avoid lengthy bureaucratic procedures when trying to recover lost belongings.