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Kiwi expats on what’s changed in New York over the past two years.
Air New Zealand crew share their top tips for nailing the first direct flight from Auckland to New York, and other long-haul journeys.
When passengers board the first direct flight from Auckland to New York on Saturday, they’ll be in for a 16 hour journey.
For those who haven’t flown internationally since the pandemic, the thought of sitting on a plane for so long can seem daunting.
Fortunately, there are some tried and tested ways to make the time more comfortable.
We talk to two cabin crew about their best tips and tricks for nailing a long-haul flight.
1. Drink up
“The main thing on a flight would be hydration,” said Debbie, an in-flight service manager and trainer checker who has been with Air New Zealand since 1986.
“We get 1.5 litre bottles of water each and we’ve got to go through at least one of those,” she said, adding that for the New York flight, they’d probably drink even more.
Regan, a cabin crew manager who first started with Air New Zealand in 2001, agreed.
“The key thing is to keep the fluids up,” he said, and suggested lots of water as well as the odd juice for additional energy.
2. Move around
When they aren’t sleeping, crew are often on their feet and moving around the plane. This may seem tiring but is how flight attendants stay fresh and feeling good according to Debbie and Regan.
“We’ve got the ability to walk around the cabin and keep our legs moving,” Debbie explained, which keeps the blood moving and stretches muscles that grow stiff when sitting for hours at a time.
“For passengers I’d say, get up, come to the galley and come say ‘hi’.”
Regan added that conversations with passengers were one of the perks of the job.
“We’re doing the journey with you,” he said.
“We don’t mind having a bit of a kōrero with the passengers at 2am in the morning.”
3. Pack a little luxury
Aside from the essentials, the travel veterans said they weren’t above packing the odd luxury item to make the flight more comfortable.
For Debbie, this was a silk pillowcase.
“Sounds a little bit luxurious,” she admitted, but it is a treat to place over the crew’s usual disposable pillow cases.
Not only does it feel good but it is less irritating on skin and hair, which is a big advantage on long flights.
Due to a plane’s low humidity level and high altitude, things get dry on a long flight.
So, aside from drinking lots of water, both Regan and Debbie said a nice hand cream or moisturiser was something they kept in their carry-on.
4. Keep coffee for breakfast
It may be tempting to make the most of free coffee, but Debbie said she kept the caffeine for the mornings.
“I save the coffee for the breakfast service when we’re going to be landing somewhere,” she said, noting that the drink makes it hard to sleep at night and can worsen dehydration.
5. Beat jetlag by…
While we hoped they’d have a universal secret for beating jetlag, the experienced crew said it’s about doing what works for you.
After arriving into a new city like New York, Debbie said, after grabbing some healthy snacks, she’ll catch some sleep at the hotel.
“In the old days I would shower and be out the door, but these days I have a wee nap, so it takes the edge off that tiredness,” she said.
“Then I get out and hit the pavements and just walk.”
Regan said his best tactic for dodging jetlag was staying awake until the local night time.
“I’ll have a quick shower, put on a pack with a bottle of water and I’m off,” he said.
“Get out in the sunshine, get that vitamin D and try to get into the time zone as fast as possible.”
When Kiwis fly home from New York, Regan said they will land in the morning, and he recommended staying awake until the evening.
“You’ll feel a bit average at about 3 or 4 in the afternoon,” he laughed, “but then you don’t have those two or three days where you’re up in the middle of the night”.
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