Sydney to la

[sonja]

Hi, i am just wondering if anyone has done this flight and what there experiences were?? i would love to know about them..

its a really long way and i am quite nervous about going. we are thinking of going in December and then eventually head to New York, i have heard December is a bad time of the year to cross the pacific:!::!:

 

[SnowYeti]

I have done this flight like 5 times in the last 2 years.

There are a couple, recent was QF107 which is SYD-LAX-New York
It stops in LA for refuel and to let people off / on. I've also been on the ones that don't go onto JFK too! Can't remember the flight no.

Whenever I'm on a plane, I will stay up for the first meal, and then change my time to the timezone I'm headed to (Pacific Time in LAX instance), and then sleep or using sleeping tablets to force me to sleep, and then wake up so when I land I don't have too much jetlag (or try to help it at least)

I myself have never worried about what happens outside the plane, the fact I'm flying over the ocean...

Remember not to stand at the back of the aircraft with your friend if you are travelling with one and look out the window. You will get told off and sent back to your seat as this is against US law to congregate:!: :shock: lol I got busted twice. Went for a walk to the toilet, was talking to my mate and got sent away, was told if we did it again there would be possible consequences upon landing..... :shock::shock:

Sonja don't worry it will be a pleasant flight! I usually amuse myself with a magazine, iPod, don't bother with laptop in Y, not enough room. I love flying, and enjoy the flight time. Some people hate boarding or hate the fact sitting there for so long, but I can never get bored for some reason

 

[vet]

I have done this flight like 5 times in the last 2 years.
Remember not to stand at the back of the aircraft with your friend if you are travelling with one and look out the window. You will get told off and sent back to your seat as this is against US law to congregate:!: :shock: lol I got busted twice. :shock::shock:

Maybe they thought you were Mormons

 

[Blackadder]

Hi, i am just wondering if anyone has done this flight and what there experiences were?? i would love to know about them..

its a really long way and i am quite nervous about going. we are thinking of going in December and then eventually head to New York, i have heard December is a bad time of the year to cross the pacific:!::!:

Generally speaking no problems either direct from Sydney to Los Angeles or via stop over in Japan from my experiences, only problem you may have is that it is peak season so book early or be flexible in the dates you want.

 

[dundas]

I fly Melbourne to LAX once a year - at different times of the year, always on 747s (United, Air NZ, Qantas) and I've never had a bad (ie, rough) flight yet.

If you're tall, and you're flying economy Air NZ is the best option, they offer 34" leg room in and out of LAX, which is 10% more than Qantas, and thus a lot more comfortable. Plus you get to stop in Aukland, not necessarily a disadvantage in my opinion, especially coming back to Oz, as there are showers in the airport which if you're quick you can use to arrive back in Sydney a whole lot fresher than you do on a non-stop flight (up to 15 hours ...).

I had one flight on United, a long time ago. The plane was old, the service was indifferent, and the seats were uncomfortable. Avoid them, if you can.

I have not experienced Delta, but I'm not keen on any US legacy carrier.

From Sydney, V Australia might be a good bet, they have new planes, and slightly better legroom than Qantas but as has been noted on this site, if a plane becomes unavailable, you might be waiting for a long time before they can put a replacement into service. They don't have a lot of aircraft.

 

[jgm]

We flew QF MEL-LAX in March, & it was the roughest flight I've ever had. +1 nearly had a hole in her wrist from pressing on the nausea pressure point, & neither of us managed any sleep. The return flight 2 weeks later was as smooth as silk in comparison.

I've done this trip many times in the past with a variety of airlines, & this was the only bad one.

 

[JohnK]

I have done this flight a couple of times the most recent 2 years ago. It is a long time to be in an aircraft cabin but if you find something to do the time does pass. I am doing this flight again in 2 months and looking forward to the holiday.

My routine these days involves having a few drinks in the lounge to relax, then have a meal after take-off which should just about take care of the first 2-3 hours of the flight. I then watch 2-3 movies, play some games and try to sleep for 4-6 hours. I also find it helpful to fast forward and focus on the landing at the destination and what I will be doing during the holiday.

 

[harvyk]

Did Syd to SFO (did LAX - SYD on the way back) a couple of weeks ago. thanks to QF's IFE on the B747's \ A380 (Thought very highly of the A380 IFE) it kept me entertained. Tried to sleep on the way there (skybed in J ) but couldn't, so spent the night watching movies. Found jetlag kicked in something shocking on second day about 11am local time, so had good sleep that day, coming back in Y was good, the A380 seats had a serious recline to them which was both nice but slightly annoying when I wanted to go to the snack bar \ toilets (I was in a window seat).

Sleeping on the way back was far easier as the flight was during a pacific time night time.

Also just on the no congregating rule, it's the weirdst rule I'd ever heard of, I'd have thought that terrorists would have done their planning well before the flight, and the words "meet me outside the toilets at 11" is not part of it.

 

[raphsta]

I've done Syd -> LAX quite a bit over the past few years!
I don't think there is any particular time which is a bad time to be flying over there - except for the fact LA is awesome in summer, so I don't know why you're going in December!

It is quite a long flight, but it's actually quite easy... Watch a couple of movies, have a bite to eat, have a few hours sleep - and you're there!