Ultra long-haul flights: how airlines make them more comfortable – free pyjamas, gel pillows, lighting tweaks
- Mealtimes, cabin temperature and lighting are tweaked on journeys that can last nearly 19 hours, and passengers are encouraged to move around the plane
- The biggest thing passengers can do is to stop worrying about trying to sleep, and focus on rest, expert says – easier said than done in cattle class, perhaps
It will take all six of the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit films to fill the 17 hours and 20 minutes on Qantas’ new flight from Chicago to Brisbane, Australia.
The 8,901-mile (14,325-kilometre) flight, which begins operating next spring, will become the longest non-stop flight operating out of O’Hare International Airport, nudging aside an Air Zealand flight to Auckland that covers 8,181 miles. The longest flight in the world is from Singapore to New York, at nearly 19 hours and covering a distance of 9,534 miles (15,343km).
Lighter, more fuel-efficient planes are making it possible for airlines to offer longer flights that cross more time zones. But for many travellers, spending half a day or more in the air is a recipe for stiff muscles and serious jet lag.
To make those flights a little more comfortable, airlines are trying to help travellers adjust to new time zones by playing with cabin lighting and meal timing, passing out cooling gel pillows and pyjamas for better rest, and encouraging passengers to move around.
“It’s not just about making it a comfortable flight, but making sure that when you get to your destination, you feel as good as you can,” says Phil Capps, Qantas’ head of customer product and service.