How to Ride on an Airplane: Comfortably.

As I sit in my room in Tokyo, once again on a 12 day trip that will have me in the air on the way to Osaka about the time you all sit down to turkey, I thought I would add a few thoughts and hints about how to travel on an aircraft under present day circumstances. There is a lot of information on the internet in addition to the suggestions in this entry but this advice comes straight from my own experience.

Let me start with the simple fact that if I did not fly airliners for a living I would be ever so reluctant to go to any airport in the United States to fly on an airliner regardless of the airline. That is not said from a safety standpoint. Not at all. I make that statement from the standpoint of someone who would rather drive an RV than go through the tremendous hassle involved with comtemporaneous air travel. All of that clearly stated, let's move on. Please keep in mind that air travel is the safest form of travel in the world. But, man, it can be tough of a man's (or woman's) patience.

1. Get to the airport earlier than you think you should. If you have a clock in your head that tells you that one and one half hours is adequate then make it two hours. The traffic congestion and confusing signs at most of todays airports is more than enough to create a high level of anxiety when you are trying to park, unload, get to the gate and get on the plane. So get to the airport early. Keep in mind that there are some entertaining things to see and do at most airports now that allow you to keep busy if you arrive early. I enjoy the people watching. Most excellent!

2. Check in 24 hours before the scheduled departure and while at home using the internet. You can move your seat to another available seat, check in and pay for bags before you leave the house. When you are done checking in, print your boarding pass and you are ready to go when you arrive. Speaking of seats, here is some "increase your comfort" ideas for selecting your seat.

a. If you are not riding in First Class try to select (on you home computer) an "exit row, isle" seat. Actualy, the best way to get one of these seats is to arrive at the gate at least one hour and fifteen minutes before departure and stand like a big lump right in front of the agent. The agent is the person that will assign the exit row seat. They hold these seats for assignment at the airport and they are the best seats on the airplane, sometimes rivaling First Class. Ask the agent for an "exit row seat, on the isle, that reclines". Some of these seats do not recline and if that matters to you then not having the seat recline will drive you nuts. Remember, with the exit row comes some responsibility. You must be willing to be the first one out of the aircraft if it becomes necessary to evacuate over the wing. Heck, who would not want to be the first one out during an evac? I recommend wherever you are sitting on any aircraft take a quick look around you while boarding. Look for the emergency rows and mentally plan your escape in the very unlikely event there is trouble.

b. If the exit row is taken (by the way, do not accept the exit row window seat. It is like sitting in a bucket and it rarely reclines) then ask for a seat that is behind the wing anywhere on the plane. Isle seats are always desirable. They give you a little room to breathe and they help in the event of an evac. Seats aft of the wing are statsically the safest on the plane. Not by much but statictics show that being in a seat behind the trailing edge of the wing is safer.

3. As you board look in the overhead as you walk to your seat. There may be a few pillows and blankets in the overhead. Grab a pillow and a blanket if they are there. It does not matter if it is not in the area where your seat is. These items are fair game and are there for the taking but there are few of them available so scarf them if you can. I always use one of these two items to stuff in the lower lumbar region of my back. This gives me added back support.

4. Do not put you things in an overhead bin unless it is near your seat. That said, do not hesitate to take any overhead space if you are one of the last folks on the airplane and the is simply nowhere else to put your bag. I have seen people come completely unglued because they believed someone had swiped "their" space in the overhead.

5. Make some sandwiches at home to take to the airport. I usually get quite hungry on the longer flights and the food they offer is "garbagio". And take a plastc water bottle, empty, through security. When you get on the other side fill it with water from the fountain. This saves money and allows you to hydrate on the plane if you are unable to get enough water from the flight attendants. All planes dehydrate you, except the 787. It will be great when it arrives.

6. Last suggestion: take it easy on the booze. Your body feels like it is at 8,000 feet on any typical flight. Because you are flying at, say, 37,000 feet the pressurization system keeps the cabin at a comfortable 8,000 feet. But that is like going to the top of an 8,000 moountain. Booze will get you drunk faster and if you are unfortunate enough to be flying when the hangover hits (LA to Tokyo) it will hurt just that much more.

That is it for this episode of "Tim knows a whole bunch of stuff about planes and stuff". I hope it makes your flying a little less onerous.

ps I do not think I know a Brian Mathesson. One of our Captains is Eric Mathisson.

ps I don't have my draft card either. I went for the physical in crutches at Lake Union and promptly flunked for having had multiple surgeries on the left knee. Then I subsequently joined the Navy to fly planes. Ah, but I do have my dad's draft card from WW2, "The Big One".

Everyone's travel stories are great. It is obvious that we all have a tale to tell when it comes to travel. Next entry: What do I do to survive the TSA (take your hand out of my waist band, sir, thank you very much!) and other related topics.