Hey everyone.
Somehow, I have been roped into a business trip to Abu Dhabi the weekend of the weekend of the Duke game. (Rest assured, I will see the film.) I have not flown internationally (except for Canada) since I was a small child flying back and forth to Colombia when people were still smoking on planes.
It appears that my best option is to fly Ethiad direct from Dulles to Abu Dhabi. This is a 14 hour flight. Ethiad is either economy or first class, and I can't imagine that my company will pay $8000+ for the first class flight. The width of the economy seat is 17.2 inches, which seems like about the standard for economy on a typical United domestic flight.
Has anyone made this trip? What advice would you give for booking? How much recovery time will I need? I appreciate your guidance!
Comments
In my experience, biggest thing for a big timezone shift like that is just to try and sleep as much as you can on the plane. Eye shades, good neck pillow, earplugs, drugs, whatever gets you asleep is worth it. Melatonin helps me upon arrival too, to help get you sleeping at the proper time.
Other than that, Etihad (and realistically most other options to Abu Dhabi) is supposed to be a very nice airline. Should be nice food and in-flight entertainment options even in economy. Are you sure Etihad doesn't also have a business class? Might also be worth checking other airline options (Emirates maybe?) to the region that could give you a more reasonably priced business or economy plus booking that your company might be more willing to pay for.
The 787 only has business class and economy. To upgrade jumps it from $1800 to nearly $8000. I work at a non-profit.
The bad news is despite economy looking very nice, I am a well over 300 pound dude. I would really prefer not to be miserable. I just can't cover the difference.
Should I consider an alternative like Turkish Airlines where I would connect in Istanbul? That drives business class down to $4000.
If business class seats are unsold you can actually bid to upgrade on coach to business class...say bid an extra $500 either online or at the gate...there are websites (smartflyer) that tell you exactly how many seats have been sold/unsold for 1st/business class on every international flight. At worst you'll get your original seat (book the aisle of you're bigger or go the loo a lot like me). Good luck!
Edit: I flew through Istanbul in January...not recommended...avoid at all costs. Yeah, its modern but fly through an actual European hub...its worth it from my experience.
I flew through Istanbul last year while in Greece and found that airport to be a very easy to navigate and compact. Given the size of that city I was expecting way worse.
Ha wow given the size of Istanbul I was expecting much better...exhibit A: couldn't find a water fountain in the entire place and customs were a sheaux. Respect for representing WYO.
Do you have any credit card/frequent flier points? Might be best to use points to fly first class, and see if your employer will reimburse you the $1800. I used awardhacker.com - you're looking at between 80k and 140k points for business class, varying by airline.
I've flown Turkish through Istanbul. Nice airline and airport, but my preference is always to fly direct. I've had too many cases of lost bags when I've flown overseas. You probably don't want to hear this, but one such loss of bags was flying to Abu Dhabi. Luckily UAE has a shopping mall on every other street corner.
Yeah, I was going to suggest checking business class or economy plus. I take a golf ball with me. I find rolling out my feet when I get to the hotel helps with recovery. One minute each foot, the whole foot. Might hurt a little, but definitely helps.
I'd also recommend the Mobile Pass app if you don't have Trusted Traveler status. I found it useful. I also prefer the aisle seat for international flights. You can get up whenever you want & stick a leg in the aisle to stretch.
Duty free Bourbon.
Tell them at the check-in desk that you are French. Of TKP fame.
BOOM! UPGRADE!
It is amazing- the last two times I have spoken at conferences, there have been TKP readers in the audience.
Not surprising to me - your fame and TKP's are rapidly rising!
I'd look into booking one of the European carriers such as Lufthansa or British Airways and buying a premium economy seat if possible. Usually premium economy seats are larger and have greater legroom.
Will I need to go through customs at each connection?
You go through customs at your destination....unless you choose to leave the airport at a connection.
Shewwwwwwwww thank goodness.
I've flown internationally a few times, with layovers in places like London, Paris, and Tokyo, and I've never had to go through customs except at my final destination.
Interesting tidbit I once learned from a Canadian seated next to me on one of my inbound flights from Europe: in the USA, you always have to go through customs upon arrival, even if you are immediately catching another international flight. Said Canadian was about to go through customs in New York just prior to catching a flight to Toronto.
Interesting tidbit: I have gone through US Customs in an international terminal prior to boarding my US-bound flight.
Interesting indeed. Did you have to go through Customs again upon arrival, or did it land at a domestic gate?
Landed at the primarily international terminal at EWR, but a domestic gate with no customs post-flight. The officers at the departing terminal at YVR were US Customs and Border Protection.
That's called preclearance. Its available at a certain airports in certain countries. One of those is Abu Dhabi as mentioned by someone else. Its convenient, especially if you are connecting once you land in the US but you need to make sure you give yourself enough time to get through another line.
https://www.cbp.gov/border-security/ports-entry/operations/preclearance
I learned something new today, thanks
A short layover will provide a welcome chance to stretch your legs. Book an aisle seat so that you can get up whenever you want without feeling like you're bothering others. Walk the aisle at least once every two hours to circulate blood back to your legs. Regardless of your assigned seat, check with the departure gate desk and see if they can put you anywhere with an empty adjacent seat. Don't drink booze on the plane.. it's hard enough to stay hydrated even after pounding water. Bring your own earbuds/headphones. Ideally, book something that has you arriving mid afternoon/evening so that you don't have to stay awake for too many hours before going to bed at a reasonable time. Don't shut the blackout curtains at the hotel. The sun is your friend when it comes to resetting your internal clock.
Noise-cancelling headphones, even the cheaper ones.
The acclimation strategy depends on how long you'll be there, but my usual strategy is to stay up the first day until a as-close-as possible to a normal bed time. I recommend NOT napping during the day in the new location on your first day, even if tired.
I'd go for business class, even if it adds a connection, but it's personal preference. Another option is upgrading to economy+, if that gives you enough room. I'm a light sleeper, so business is the only place I can actually sleep.
Wouldn't it cheaper to buy 2 economy seats together vs. first class?
The airline will let you buy two, but you can only check into one, so they can then sell the other one you bought and put another body it. Its in the fine print when you check that you agree - there have been law-suits over it.
buy two tickets, bring a friend to check in. Friend doesn't get on the plane. Boom.
Still not gonna work if someone doesn't scan that pass at the gate. Just had this happen in Vegas. They held the plane for 30 minutes looking for that person/getting the dog to go through the luggage.
So yeah, "boom" is why that's not gonna work.
I usually do the whole sleep deprivation thing. Then by the time it's bedtime there, I'm ready to pass out.
Stay on the local time zone once you get on the plane and don't go to bed until night time there. Use over the ear noise cancelling headphones. Suck it up in economy, transferring in Europe and waiting around trying to stay awake for a few hours doing nothing in an airport is awful. 14 hours is long, but you won't die, I promise, I used to fly to Brazil, Argentina, and China regularly in economy and it's not life ending.
I did this flight from Chicago to Abu Dhabi. Definitely try to sleep as much as you can. All beverages, alcohol and non alcoholic, are included. You will have at least 2 meals and one snack if I recall correctly. Their eye masks, depending on which way you wear it notify the attendant if you would like to be woken for food.
To ensure I got the most space I looked at the seating through the airline app and switched seats to an empty row the night before the flight. I had 4 seats to myself. That was the best and easiest way for me to get space in economy. Etihad is definitely nicer than all of the Domestic airlines with service and food quality. Again get your sleep on the plane and you will be fine when you land. Just try to adjust to the time zone as soon as possible.
Can you drink for 14 hrs or do they cut you off?
When my rugby team flew to England, we determined that they keep serving until the plane is dry.
Last time I went to Abu Dhabi it was by ship.
Story, can't help you with the plane thing.
I've never flown to the uae but I have flown From Doha to Dulles and back. I've also flown non stop from Kuwait to Dulles. They are loooong flights. I was in economy and after 8 or so hours it's uncomfortable. Not quite unbearable but it sucked. Someone above pointed out upgrading to unsold seats. I would spring for it if you can. The 7 hour time (or 8 depending on the time of year) difference takes a few days to get used to.
I did Doha to Philly once. I had an unplanned emergency landing in a tiny airport in Turkey. 5 hours on the runway waiting for the mechanic to show up to work that day to go through the preflight checklist. A woman thought she was going into labor. The funny part was she didn't get off the plane. Another dude left for a different medical emergency after we landed and caused us to delay the last 2 hours.
Currently work for an airline. Flying in a 787 really does help with the jet lag. The cabin pressure makes a big difference. Flying Etihad (usually better food and entertainment) is almost always better than a domestic, big
three carrier. Like everyone else has said, just make sure you plan accordingly. Whether that means drinking a little too much alcohol on the plane, or cracking a few Tylenol PM's. Eye masks, blankets, and a neck pillow. The essentials.
I would keep an eye out for Premium Economy options as well. They're a nice go-between for the cramped coach seat and the lie-flat business/first class. Those few extra inches of leg room could definitely be worth it.
I'm excited for you. Flying internationally is a lot of fun. Different airlines, higher levels of service, and beautiful, state of the art planes.
Here's one of the best travel blogs comparing the coach classes of Emirates, Etihad, and Qatar.
One Mile at a Time
I've flown Qatar to the Middle East non stop, the seats were comfortable, the service was world class. My mom who is a bigger woman had no problem. I would definitely go non stop over a layover just to keep your sanity with flight delays, missed connections or a hotel stay because of whatever. Also, if you need help walking long terminals they'll wheel chair your ass wherever you want to go.
As others have said, long flights require moving around, and getting some cabin walking time, do so liberally.
I've flown back and forth from Tokyo to Chicago/DC several times over the past 3 years. That's also roughly 14 hours. Honestly, it takes me about a week to become fully adjusted to a 13-hour time difference so you're going to have to do the best you can. From my experiences, no matter how much or how little sleep you get ahead of time, your circadian rhythm simply cannot fully adjust within a couple of days. Right after I've traveled from the States to Japan, I find that I'm the most productive in the mornings, and tend to hit a wall early/mid-afternoon. When I'm traveling from Japan to the States, I'm spent in the mornings and throughout the afternoon and become awake and alert later in the afternoon and into the night.
Aisle seats are my preference because you can stand up and stretch (big plus), use the restroom, etc. whenever you like. The only trade-off is the people sitting next to you will be stepping over you all flight to do the same. I'm a skinny guy so they can do so relatively unobtrusively, but if you're a bigger dude, you may be awaken several times from your (not so easily attained) slumber to let them out. Aisle vs window is certainly a debate up for discussion and could probably substantiate its own OT thread. It goes without saying that the middle seat is the worst of the 3.
Ok. good suggestions here.
I was just in Abu Dhabi last month and have made the trip from Dulles before on several occasions. If you can't afford the upgrade you will be snug but comfortable. They have some big boys there and they ride economy. You'll be alright, unless you absolutely can't stand economy. Etihad is good, Emirates better (though I think they just go to Dubai from Dulles). My recommendation is to fly direct if you can. It really isn't that bad of a flight and if you are on business trip layovers are clock killers stopping your adjustment.
My rule for travel is if I am going east, like this, I get as little sleep the two days before travel as I can. When you get to the plane you'll be sleeping quickly and most of the journey will be a breeze. (Hence why you don't want a layover) I slept for almost the entire 17 hour journey from Sydney to Los Angeles before. When you arrive you'll have plenty of energy to stay up all day and crash out, depending on your constitution, around 10 pm or 11 pm. In June I had a 30 hour trek to Key West from Shanghai and I arrived fresh ready to go for all day work. This will keep you on the local clock as well while you are there.
On the way back, the night before try to stay awake and get 3 to 4 hours sleep. Typically these flights leave midday so you want to wait as long as possible to sleep on the plane. Watch some movies, walk around and don't sleep until well after you have your dinner. By the time you get home you'll be ready to crash. Just go ahead and sleep when you walk in. Usually you sleep well through the rest of the day and night and wake up around 4 or 5am. You'll readjust your clock in a few days from there going to sleep at regular time.
Other tips, this is going to Middle East so be sure to select your meal option. And my suggestion is to get an aisle seat. You can request exit row or first row in a section if you want more room.
Any questions just ask.
how long will you be there? any free time or all business?
enjoy the food. It is VERY good.
I've flown to Australia before with a layover in Abu Dhabi (12 + 13 hr), and go to Europe frequently. I usually try to "upgrade" to one of the seats at the front of the section break - i.e. I can stretch my legs all the way out - for about $300 extra. I'm 6'2" so it's worth every penny. There's enough legroom that the window/middle seats can just stand up and walk around me, which is vital if you're actually asleep to not be disturbed.
As for sleeping, I try to not sleep much 2 nights before, then watch a movie or two on the IFE and drink all the wine they'll give me. That usually is enough to put me out for 5-6 hrs, which is good enough.
Good Luck!!
If you can afford business class, it will make life WAY easier as a big guy (and helps a little w sleeping as you can lie down, though having legs up is actually more important to me). Big issue is getting best price you can, so be creative & flexible (e.g., also consider European carrier or even US carrier through European gateway like London or Paris, and even consider flying to Dubai & taking a Taxi to Abu Dhabi - $70 and 2 hours). Most importantly, use a broker- you will be amazed how much you can save. Call my contact Daniel @ LuxFlight 703-737-9434 & see what he can offer- you will thank me later. Realistically, you should be sub $4k.To get really cheap, you could dip down to Royal Jordanian (not bad) or Egypt air (but I wouldn't). Also, though they are excellent, you can't fly Qatar (through Doha) to UAE because they aren't good friends right now. As others mentioned, embrace the trip- it should be a great experience, and if you go business class, be warned, because once you do, you can't go back. Good luck.
Wear compression socks. For the cost of a couple bucks, you avoid a lot of painful foot swelling. And then still get up and move around every hour or two if able.
As others have said, sleep on the plane if you can, even if it's only a couple hours. Arrive as early in the day as possible and get outside in the sun for the rest of the day. Don't sleep until night time. Sunlight is the best aid for timezone adjustment.
I came here to give this tip. It's weird but it's no joke. My wife went to Germany last month with a school trip and it was her first trip overseas. An experienced traveler in her group recommended the compression socks and she picked up a pair and they worked wonders. It helped with swelling and jet lag. She isn't what I would call a very "durable" person when it comes to sleep adjustments, dehydration, and that sort of thing and she did great on the trip.
If you do get a layover, I think it depends on the airport what experience you'll have. Had to fly back from Crete via Athens, then Rome, then Atlanta. My 2 hrs in Athens consisted of walking to the Aegean Airlines lounge and then hanging out with a nice breakfast buffet. My two hours in Rome consisted of 30 minutes trying to figure out where I was & where I was supposed to go, an hour in line to show my passport to someone, then barely making it to the terminal.
(side note, only then did I have time to turn on Pokémon Go and realize Mr. Mime was back on the concourse on the other side of that line and not where I was)
If my memory serves me correctly you take off from Dulles in the late afternoon/evening and land sometime in the early evening right around sunset. My best advice for you would be to set your clock immediately after takeoff to the time zone you are going to. Then try and get some sleep during the hours you would normally sleep at home and be up during normal daylight hours. Once you land you will be exhausted from the flight, the worst thing you can do is to go to the hotel and go immediately to sleep. Your body is going to think this is an afternoon nap and you will wake up in the early AM hours wide awake and won't be able to go back to sleep. Stay up as long as you can and as close to midnight as possible. You should wake up feeling slightly refreshed in the morning. This usually works for me when I go to the East Coast from out here in Guam. You'll be a jet lagged for sure for probably about two days (at least I usually am after these flights) but the key is no naps! Fight through as much as you can and sleep at night.
Oh, and be ready to sweat! It's blazing hot over there. I spent 4 days in Dubai in July 2013 and boy was it miserably hot. This was also during Ramadan, so no eating or drinking during the day. I thought I was going to die. On the plus side, the parties after sunset during Ramadan are amazing, tons of food and booze to go around!
were you only with people that celebrate Ramadan during the time? there are plenty of places to eat during Ramadan.
No, just respecting the culture. It also makes the night time parties that much more enjoyable if you've fasted all day as well.
When you get there, do your best to eat meals at normal mealtimes and stay up to a normal bedtime. Also, try not to nap. If you absolutely need to, set an alarm and keep it short. Enjoy the food, it's fantastic!
I do this trip at least once a year. And I almost always use Etihad because it has better connection time to my final destination.
Another reason I pick Etihad is that Abu Dhabi is one of the few US Preclearance facility - meaning you will do your immigration and customs in Abu Dhabi instead of US. So you would land in US like you are taking a domestic flight. So after a long flight back home, I can come in and crash as fast as possible.
Even though I don't travel for work, I know a lot of people who travel for work. and most companies have policies which states that if you are flying over x number of hours (in one leg of a flight or a whole journey), you can book a business class ticket. 14 hour journey will 100% qualify for that benefit. Double check with your HR for this policy.
If you get the business class or first class tickets approved, then you can chill out in the Etihad lounge in Dulles and in Abu Dhabi (before and after US customs) and I know in Dulles you can board flight straight from the lounge.
When coming back - I would recommend getting to Abu Dhabi airport two hours before your flight because 1) there is so much chaos in that part of the world that security lines take so long to clear and 2) There may be a line at US customs and immigration.
Let me know if you have any more questions!
French,
My brother, thanks to his '86 Aerospace and Ocean Engineering degree from VT, has an job with a company that designs and produces interior components (e.g. seats, food carts, etc.) for airlines and flies all over the world. I posed your question to him and he replied,
"Never made it in Economy. The trip in BC is one of my favorites. Just long enough to enjoy and great customer service. Don't know about Economy though. He may find cheaper flights to Dubai. Both Etihad and Emirates offer an airport exchange limo between the cities (2hr drive if I recall). Dubai is much bigger with many more flights. "
I think "BC" is business class. I sent an email this morning but he is at work and may not have seen it yet.
I traveled to Abu Dabhi on the Ethihad flight. The isles are not wide enough for someone to walk around. It was hard to sleep and even the wine/liquor is diluted. I would recommend Emirates instead or Qatar if you can do a short connection which is not bad in Qatar.
I would recommend the long flight over the transfers which take too long. Potentially you can try to find a seat in the first row (Exit) for more space or in the back where there are less seats in each row.
First row of economy would be preferable and an aisle seat is probably a must. I've been on two flights that long, and they can be really tough. I struggle to sleep on planes, but if you have solid methods for sleeping on planes, I'd utilize them to your best ability.
I can't speak personally to the quality of an Etihad flight, as I have never been on one. I do find it strange that they only have first class and economy though. I'm used to there being a "mid level" option like Delta Comfort+.
As mentioned, Etihad is excellent, but not quite as good as Qatar or Emirates (but heads and shoulders above the American / European airlines; middle east ones are the way to go). Great movie selections, and the 14 hour flight is a breeze compared to stopping with a layover and having your trip actually be more like 24 hours.
Get a window seat IMO instead of aisle (though I prefer aisle myself) as you can use a pillow against the side of the airplane to sleep. I also adjust my watch to the destinations time as soon as I get on so I can start sleeping / being awake to that schedule (so I use melotonin to pass out if needed to adjust my sleep schedule on board).
Overall you can't go too wrong with the experienced travelers input on the post so far. Enjoy the trip too! It's an experience!
I took a similar flight (Dulles to Dubai) on Qatar Airlines a couple of years ago. For a 14-hour flight it really wasn't too bad. That one did have business class, and the upgrade from economy was only like $250. I'd fully agree with the advice to get a window seat if possible to help sleep.
I'd check what foreign flag partners your primary domestic FF program has and think about a connection on a partner airline if the layover isn't too bad-
One Jet lag tip I've used is the Argonne Lab Diet- you adjust your meal timing and circadian rhythms it seemed to help.
http://www.netlib.org/misc/jet-lag-diet