Tips for QF11 in J or (fingers crossed) F?

[Ben174]

Hi All, i am travelling to USA for the first time in near on 10 years and curious as to what secrets or tips any of you have for dealing with the length of flight, jet lag and best use of the Services.

I currently have a booking in J with upgrade requests on.
Flights are Mel-Syd QF418 Syd-LAX QF11 and LAX-Mel Qf94 (not by choice but by way of being about $950 cheaper going via syd on way over than the direct).

Unlike asia where i travel a lot, leaving in the afternoon and landing same day in the morning has got me baffled how to best use the flight time? Have a full day of meetings from midday right through to evening on the day of arrival so trying to be fresh / but also enjoy all J or F on QF has to offer, would you not sleep the night before to get super tired?

 

[JohnPhelan]

I'd have only a few hours sleep the night before, and take a sleeping tablet with my meal on QF 11. You should then wake up in time for breakfast and arrival into LAX.

 

[Hvr]

JohnPhelan has got it right, sleep for the last 8-9 hours before landing (allow for breakfast) and you'll be in synch with the new time zone.

 

[RooFlyer]

I think the strategy would be different in J than F.

"All that J has to offer" isn't that wide a choice if you are looking for things to do. Its more a more comfortable experience (over Y), but not much different in 'experience'. Meal times aren't flexible and the IFE is the same as Y (I think). The cabin is usually darkened (window shades closed), so the timing of sleep is up to you. How well do you sleep on planes? I don't do it well, so I'm in the JohnPhelan camp, except I don't deliberately miss sleep the night before (in case I don't get much on the flight!). There is often turbulence over the equator, which affects my sleep, so I generally plan to sleep after that's finished. Even 4 or 5 hours is good for me. Note comments re SkyBed MkII elsewhere - the foot end often droops due to wear on the hinges. Put your roll-aboard under he end to keep the bed flat.

I often find the cabin gets too warm so I take a light, short sleeved T shirt to replace the top of the Qantas supplied PJs. Watch the queues at the toilets post breakfast. Can be a long wait and you wouldn't want to leave it too late to change, wash and freshen up (no arrival lounge at LAX).

The J 'lounge' at the front of the upper deck is good for a break from the monotony of your own seat.

F is a great waking experience. Meal times are flexible and you can engage more with the FAs; that is, there is actually more to the experience than simply better quality food & bev. Do the tasting menu. But sleeping strategy should be the same.

Good luck with the upgrade!

 

[harvyk]

I tend to find I can't sleep on flights to the US, no matter what class I'm in (coming back is another story). Having meetings on the day you arrive and esp one going to midnight is going to be pretty rough since you will be arriving in LAX at the equiv of midnight your body clock time...

My general strategy for "surviving" long haul flights is listen to my body. If I feel tired, I will try and get some sleep. If I'm not tired I'll tend to watch TV / Movies.

I often find that a little while after dinner I'll turn off the TV and just listen to the "radio", since that both cuts out the outside noise and it's kinda nice to fall asleep listening to music.

I've never taken any sort of sleeping pills to help me.

 

[RooFlyer]

<snip>

I've never taken any sort of sleeping pills to help me.

How about melatonin? Not available in Oz (I think) but on the 'vitamins' shelf of chemists in the US and Canada. I take them for about 4 nights after I arrive in Nth America; even if its a placebo effect, they seem to help my sleep through nights when jet lag would have me waking.

 

[Princess Fiona]

How about melatonin? Not available in Oz (I think) but on the 'vitamins' shelf of chemists in the US and Canada. I take them for about 4 nights after I arrive in Nth America; even if its a placebo effect, they seem to help my sleep through nights when jet lag would have me waking.

It is available here, both as a private prescription "Circadin" and generic through compounding chemists.

 

[harvyk]

How about melatonin? Not available in Oz (I think) but on the 'vitamins' shelf of chemists in the US and Canada. I take them for about 4 nights after I arrive in Nth America; even if its a placebo effect, they seem to help my sleep through nights when jet lag would have me waking.

Nope, never taken it. As I said, I've never taken any sort of medication prior to flying for the sole purpose of sleeping whilst on board.
The closest was I've given my daughter Phenergan a few years back...

 

[Flying mermaid]

So what do people think of the chances of an upgrade on this route (J to F)? We've picked up some sale J fares going 21 July coming back 3 August (want to visit Master FM ). With an F to Nairobi in August and an Aone4 for April next year the finances were looking a little threadbare, so booked J but have put in for 2 upgrades to F going over and coming back. I realise this is probably unrealistic and J will be fine, but just wondered if anyone had experience of that sort of upgrade on this route?

 

[Quickstatus]

So what do people think of the chances of an upgrade on this route (J to F)? We've picked up some sale J fares going 21 July coming back 3 August (want to visit Master FM ). With an F to Nairobi in August and an Aone4 for April next year the finances were looking a little threadbare, so booked J but have put in for 2 upgrades to F going over and coming back. I realise this is probably unrealistic and J will be fine, but just wondered if anyone had experience of that sort of upgrade on this route?

Very unlikely unless you are WP1 and a full fare J. A friend who is a WP1 and also CL says his upgrade from full fare J to F is about 50% in peak periods and about 75% in off peak. However his is full fare J. He got denied upgrade once when Bon jovi and friends occupied all of F.

As you seem to be WP and Jdiscount then your chances are going to be less but prob higher than SG flyers and prob higher than zero...

 

[RooFlyer]

Very unlikely unless you are WP1 and a full fare J. A friend who is a WP1 and also CL says his upgrade from full fare J to F is about 50% in peak periods and about 75% in off peak. However his is full fare J. He got denied upgrade once when Bon jovi and friends occupied all of F.

As you seem to be WP and Jdiscount then your chances are going to be less but prob higher than SG flyers and prob higher than zero...

Gee, I think your WP1 and CL friend must be a bit unlucky. As a mere WP travelling mostly D (disc J) I have been successful 3 out of 4 requests TPAC to LAX going over and 1 out of 1 coming back, in the past 2.5 years.

So, FlyingMermaid, as long as you aren't travelling across on Monday and back on Friday, which I think are the busiest days, your chances for 1 upgrade should be "not bad" but two ... less so.. I don't know ... can you (if you want to) specify "two or nothing" or "any one will do" ?

Good luck

 

[Flying mermaid]

Very unlikely unless you are WP1 and a full fare J. A friend who is a WP1 and also CL says his upgrade from full fare J to F is about 50% in peak periods and about 75% in off peak. However his is full fare J. He got denied upgrade once when Bon jovi and friends occupied all of F.

As you seem to be WP and Jdiscount then your chances are going to be less but prob higher than SG flyers and prob higher than zero...

That's what I thought. So won't anticipate but be grateful if it happens.

 

[Flying mermaid]

Gee, I think your WP1 and CL friend must be a bit unlucky. As a mere WP travelling mostly D (disc J) I have been successful 3 out of 4 requests TPAC to LAX going over and 1 out of 1 coming back, in the past 2.5 years.

So, FlyingMermaid, as long as you aren't travelling across on Monday and back on Friday, which I think are the busiest days, your chances for 1 upgrade should be "not bad" but two ... less so.. I don't know ... can you (if you want to) specify "two or nothing" or "any one will do" ?

Good luck

We are going on a Monday, but coming back on a Sunday. I know 2 is a big ask and it is 2 or nothing. I don't think I could specify that, although with 2 you can't select the gate option, so I suppose that sort of makes it harder as well. Mr FM and I have been married nearly 33 years, but I still wouldn't be comfortable leaving him behind and there is NO WAY he gets F if I don't This is the first time I have done an international upgrade request for ourselves, although I did one for Master FM a couple of months ago and that wasn't successful - it was discount Y to PE. We are going straight through from Canberra to MSP initially to visit some friends, so I think we will need to just sleep on the way over anyway - fingers crossed for on the way back

 

[Ben174]

Thanks for all the input guys, Have used melatonin before unfortunately am all out and don't have time to see my Doc before i go! Are the on the shelf ones in USA chemists as good as a prescription one from Aus? Or quite different? Fingers crossed for F for sure, if i get an upgrade a couple days out will sleep as usual night before, if not, may do the 3 or 4 hour night sleep to try and comatose after J meal service!

Seems a lot more taxing on the body this route than the business trip runs to Asia, but hey can't really complain with J minimum for it, tanks for the advice

 

[RooFlyer]

Thanks for all the input guys, Have used melatonin before unfortunately am all out and don't have time to see my Doc before i go! Are the on the shelf ones in USA chemists as good as a prescription one from Aus? Or quite different? Fingers crossed for F for sure, if i get an upgrade a couple days out will sleep as usual night before, if not, may do the 3 or 4 hour night sleep to try and comatose after J meal service!

Seems a lot more taxing on the body this route than the business trip runs to Asia, but hey can't really complain with J minimum for it, tanks for the advice

Can't help re comparison of melatonin on prescription in Oz vs shelf in Nth America.

In Canada I can get 100 x either 3mg or 5mg ("non animal, synthetic source") tablets. It has same status as vitamins over there (ie not a drug), so the Oz variety may be different. I seem to recall they were once made from the pituitary glands of horses ?

 

[QF029]

Have used melatonin before unfortunately am all out and don't have time to see my Doc before i go!

The way I read Princess Fiona's post you can get generic melatonin from a compounding pharmacist without a prescription. She would know.

 

[Princess Fiona]

The way I read Princess Fiona's post you can get generic melatonin from a compounding pharmacist without a prescription. She would know.

Melatonin is S4, so needs a prescription for either type unfortunately.
Apologies for creating confusion.

 

[RooFlyer]

Princess Fiona can you shed any light - in layman's terms - about the possible difference in "Melatonin" from Nth America (I've looked on the bottle - the only product info is what I recounted up-thread "melatonin 5mg (non animal, synthetic source)" and that required by prescription in Oz? Not looking for professional advice Just that its not like Nth America to be 'slacker' in dispensing requirements than Oz (I think).

Maybe the Oz version is a greater dose per pill?

 

[Princess Fiona]

Princess Fiona can you shed any light - in layman's terms - about the possible difference in "Melatonin" from Nth America (I've looked on the bottle - the only product info is what I recounted up-thread "melatonin 5mg (non animal, synthetic source)" and that required by prescription in Oz? Not looking for professional advice Just that its not like Nth America to be 'slacker' in dispensing requirements than Oz (I think).

Maybe the Oz version is a greater dose per pill?

Circadin is 2mg sustained release, the dose from compounding chemist varies (I have had 5 mg tabs before)
I don't think Nth America is necessarily slacker than here but it's classified as a Dietary Supplement in the US hence no need for prescription and here it is considered as a drug and approved by the TGA.
It still has no PBS listing.

 

[Comoman]

You can also get Melatonin across the counter in South Africa and other countries.

I personally use the 5mg "Nature Made" I get over the counter in the US. 90 tabs cost approx US$8 or so.

Nature Made Maximum Strength Melatonin Softgel 5 mg