Dehyration on long flights

[TVC]

Having spent over 52 hours in the air during October going all the way round, I can say with some authority that there will be plenty to drink on offer. The problem is the food, eat well in departures then you don't have to suffer.

Which way are you going to New Zealand? If it's via LA you are in for a real treat

 

[Willow]

It's all a ploy to make you buy more at high cost when you have been through security.

 

[jay clock]

Hi Patrick... I went with ANZ in Jan via LA. They were excellent. I fly a lot and legroom was as good as it gets if not a bit better. To counter the comments above, the food was good too. A clotted cream tea before landing in LA was a big bonus

In terms of hydration they dish out glasses of water, and little bottles. They walk up and down the aisles often giving you as much as you want. You are wise being in aisle seat. I drank so much that I was off to the loo every 90-120 mins, but it seemed to help a lot.

If going west I would advise you to try and not sleep on the LA leg. You will then arrive about midnight to 2am body time, shuffle through security then back on in time to sleep hopefully on and off for 6 or more hours. Only another 6-7 hrs of reading and tv and you are there. ANZ entertainment was excellent.

Auckland airport was great. Phones with free local calls and old biddies dishing out free tea and coffee just to say welcome!

My cycling journal is here www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/nz even though I don't think you are cycling

 

[Crackle]

Bon Voyage, hope you enjoy yourself, which I'm sure you will.

 

[Abitrary]

Just drink tomato juice... the national drink of aeroplanes. Make sure to stand up and initiate a toast to the humble tomato.

 

[bonj2]

have a nice bacon sandwich to fill you up washed down with a couple of whiskies then you'll be spark out.

 

[TVC]

Hi Patrick... I went with ANZ in Jan via LA. They were excellent. I fly a lot and legroom was as good as it gets if not a bit better. To counter the comments above, the food was good too. A clotted cream tea before landing in LA was a big bonus

You could not have gone cattle class, and as for LA - Half an hour queue to get through customs, a green form where 'UK' is the only acceptable answer for where you live or you go to the back of the 30 minute line, two fingerprints and a photo in front of a humourless ahole just to earn a transfer. Then the airport, it's a building site. You cant get fresh food, it stinks of dirty chip fat, the staff are the worst of what you think America is. On my world trip it was the only place I was ripped off, we needed a drink so decided on a diet coke (nothing fresh apparently available). The sign on the fridge said $3.00 so I approached the fat, hairy faced server, 'thats $3.50' she said, I offered a $5 note, she gave $1.10 in change with her best 'wot you gonna do about it c***' face.

In the departure shed we got talking to one couple from Denver, and another fron Texas who both appologised for LAX, saying that they were embarassed about it.

Sorry Patrick if thats the way you are going. And may your Lord help you if your NZ flight is a code share with a US carrier - My Quantas to Fiji turned out to be a United Airlines plane with the worst crew, seats and food I have ever come across. The vulcanised omlette filled with processed cheese, bacon fat and sugar must be about the worst thing I have ever tried to eat.

If however you are going via Hong Kong on a southern hemispere airline then the trip will be tiring but not unpleasent.

Patrick - Enjoy your holiday and please post pictures

 

[bobbyp]

The sign on the fridge said $3.00 so I approached the fat, hairy faced server, 'thats $3.50' she said, I offered a $5 note, she gave $1.10 in change with her best 'wot you gonna do about it c***' face.

That usual in the US, prices displayed are without sales tax, which varies fromplace to place. The only thing the signs tell you is the least you'll have to pay. Rather a stupid idea I feel.

 

[jay clock]

Sorry Velvet Curtain, I am certain I had cream tea in cattle class. The cream tea was a scone, jam and little pot of Rodda's cream. The woman next to me gave me hers as well. see here for the notes about the flight http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/page/?o=3Tzut&page_id=69152&v=7r

As for LA airport it was a dump, and the usual aggressive unpleasantness from the US immigration people, but the (American) ANZ staff did their best by wheeling a trolley round with bottles of water. As for UK being the only correct answer as to where you live, people either side of me lived in France, NZ and Spain and put those answers down quite acceptably

 

[rich p]

Why do those twattish Yanks insist on doing immigration even if you're only walking over to another flight out of their country. I had to queue for an hour, have my fingerprints taken, my photo taken and forms to fill resulting in an almost missed flight and my wife's baggage missing the onward trip. Thankfully we were warned that if you put England or Great Britain instead of UK on the green form you may have to go back to the end of the queue. I was worried that UK rather than United Kingdom might result in a spell in the slammer or an orange jumpsuit and an unscheduled holiday in Guantanamo.

 

[Morrisette]

They bring water round all the time on long haul flights anyway...which means I never got any sleep because there was constantly a trolley coming past, but no risk of dehydration!

That may be true, however if you fly Lan Chile/Iberia to South America you will get NOTHING to drink without a specific request, and then it will be a plastic cup like they give you in hospital to take pills with - literally one mouthful of warm water. This happened both ways, there and back, so I don't think it was just one bad flight.

I would always try to take one bottle on the plane with you (maybe put it in your bag if it looks like they may be taking drinks from people - I've never had my bag searched at boarding - maybe I just look innocent ) I am a white woman after all. And Mr Evian wouldn't be making all those millions if you couldn't buy over-priced bottled water airside either.

 

[Flyingfox]

Who needs water when you can have tonic in your gin!

 

[Arch]

Just drink tomato juice... the national drink of aeroplanes. Make sure to stand up and initiate a toast to the humble tomato.

On Canadian Airlines, or whatever it is, I gather you can get Clamato juice. Oh, yes, it's tomato juice, with essence of clams in it. Apparently Canadians love it.

I remeber my sister saying, they came back from NZ through LA and the people were the rudest she'd ever encountered - and that was before 9/11, I'm sure...

 

[roadiewill]

Im heading off to south africa on sunday via doha... 18 hours in total flyight time :/

 

[Kirstie]

On Canadian Airlines, or whatever it is, I gather you can get Clamato juice. Oh, yes, it's tomato juice, with essence of clams in it. Apparently Canadians love it.

They also (voluntarily, and not when on an aircraft) drink something called a 'caesar'. Essentially it's a bloody mary without the booze in it, and lots more 'added flavour' - like celery salt, garlic, curry-ish flavours. Bizarre.

I still can't work out why I only ever drink tomato juice on planes. I don't like it or want it at any other time.