How to pass the time on a long-haul flight? These travellers share their stories

Passengers on long-haul flights have different ways to beat the boredom. — Unsplash

Many travellers would happily agree that the journey to a destination is part of the whole travel experience. But throw an hours-long plane flight into the mix, and most would likely rethink this.

Worsening the situation would be if one were flying long haul, which could get tiring fast, especially in a cramped economy cabin. (Business, first class and suite passengers generally fare better thanks to more comfortable seats and other perks.)

A long-haul flight is defined as an air journey with a duration of more than eight hours – though some say over six hours – from take-off to landing.

When it comes to surviving such a flight, it’s a case of different strokes for different folks. Passengers would have their own habits and preferences to ensure a comfortable, if not relaxing, flight.

Nadia Elina Jasmi, 47, whose longest flight was a roughly 23-hour service from Kuala Lumpur to New York in the United States, opts for the window seat when she travels solo.

“I like having that little bit of privacy and being able to lean on the wall,” she explains.

However, she prefers the aisle seat when travelling with her children, as this allows her to easily care for them or call for the flight attendant if she requires assistance. This is also her preferred seat when flying for over 10 hours, as she is able to move around without having to “climb over anyone”, as she puts it.

Similarly, Dr Loo Say Yee, 36, also chooses the window seat when travelling alone, and the aisle seat when her children are with her on the flight.

“It’s much easier to get things from the overhead compartment, and more importantly, I become the ‘gatekeeper’ to make sure the kids don’t wander off,” she says.

Dr Loo’s long flights include one she took from Adelaide, Australia to Xi’an, China which was for about 20 hours.

Meanwhile, Bibi Nurshuhada Ramli, 40, used to prefer the window seat, but she later realised – after going on several solo trips – that the aisle seat was better suited to her. She explains that she likes the freedom to go to the lavatory at any time without having to “inconvenience” other passengers seated in the same row.

Virata Gamany, 42, and Adelle Lim, 23, are also fans of the aisle seat. Virata, too, prefers not to disturb other passengers in the same row whenever he needs to go to the toilet or galley.

Beat the boredom

Virata, who frequently flies long-haul from KL to destinations like New York, London (England), Doha (Qatar) and South Africa, says that he usually sleeps on these flights. He even skips the main meal on board – but will have a small snack sometimes – to maximise his sleeping time.

If he opts to stay awake, he will watch some movies or listen to music while working.

Perusing the onboard media is a popular option for most passengers, Bibi Nurshuhada included. “I look forward to checking out the in-flight entertainment for movies or series that I haven’t watched,” she shares.

Lim usually chooses to either watch movies or sleep, though she admits she often does the latter even when she intends to finish a movie.

Watching movies is one of the preferred ways to pass the time on long flights. — Unsplash

Dr Loo also picks the two activities as her favourites. She explains that long flights give her the rare chance to “enjoy a movie without interruptions”. Catching forty winks comes easy for her, too, when it is time for some rest.

Nadia isn’t so lucky, though. She admits she can’t easily fall asleep on planes, but she will try to squeeze in a power nap or two.

Failing that, she will keep herself occupied with, of course, watching movies. Periodically, she will switch between that and other activities like listening to music, reading a book and scrolling online if there’s onboard WiFi.

“Free WiFi, of course,” she clarifies.

When it comes to meals, Nadia says she feels bloated when flying on an empty stomach, so she will eat something even if she can’t finish everything. She doesn’t typically bring snacks of her own, but if she did, she’d bring popcorn or salted chips.

Lim, too, usually packs only salted lemon sweets as snacks on board. Both she and Bibi Nurshuhada agree that it would be a waste to skip the meals as these have been paid for (unless they’re flying with a budget airline).

“Plus, it saves me from having to spend extra money for meals once I land,” says Bibi Nurshuhada. She appreciates the free snacks in between meals as well, such as the ones served on her long flights from KL to London, New York and Los Angeles, US.

As for Dr Loo, she only takes the main meal if it is served during the day; at night she prefers to just sleep through the service.

Steps to surviving

“Don’t overeat,” Dr Loo cautions. This is an all too familiar scenario: When boredom sets in, suddenly one’s mouth becomes “lonely”.

The Japanese call this kuchisabishii (which translates to “lonely mouth”). It’s the act of eating due to boredom rather than hunger. Snacking for hours might sound tempting, but having stomach discomfort from doing just that is far from ideal on a long flight.

What Dr Loo does recommend is staying hydrated and keeping active. “Do some simple leg stretches, ankle exercises and get up for a short walk every one to two hours when you’re awake,” she says.

She also recommends wearing knee-length compression stockings to assist blood flow, using a neck pillow to prevent awkward neck positioning while sleeping, and wearing a mask to reduce the risk of respiratory infections.

Bring a beauty pouch containing either a small hand lotion or moisturiser, or a hydrating face mask to prevent dry skin. Cabin air really isn’t the best, especially for folks with sensitive skin issues.

Dr Loo always abides by her number one rule: Comfort over fashion. “Dress comfortably in loose, breathable clothing,” she advises.

Lim, who has been on long flights from KL to London and Germany, agrees with this rule, especially because seats in economy class may not be the most comfortable to sit in for hours.

“You are seated for a long time, so wearing comfortable clothes means that you can stretch freely and not feel restricted,” she explains.

“Definitely get up once in a while and stretch,” says Nadia, who additionally recommends having one’s own personalised in-flight entertainment.

She suggests investing in an e-reader or downloading some shows on streaming apps like Netflix, which you can then watch offline.

For people who prefer to keep their eyes shut, Virata and Bibi Nurshuhada share the same tip: Time your sleep to adjust to the destination’s time zone.

“If it’s nighttime there, sleep,” says Bibi Nurshuhada. “I use this trick to avoid getting jetlag when I land.”

For insomniacs who find any sleep tip inapplicable, the onboard WiFi can be a saving grace, Nadia points out.

“You can chat with friends and family and break up the journey that way,” she says.

She also suggests using the free time to fine-tune travel itineraries. Watch travelogues, read reviews and research restaurants, attractions or activities. Finalising plans during a flight has its perks – the thrill of being en route to a holiday can fuel travellers’ determination to build the “perfect” itinerary.

“There’s quite a lot to think about when you’re excited about a trip,” says Nadia.

The excitement can certainly help pass the time faster. As the saying goes, time flies when you’re having fun.