Moderators: richierich, ua900, PanAm_DC10, hOMSaR
GalaxyFlyer wrote:7.5 hours in LAX, get a day hotel room. Sleep is hardly overrated, you’ll die from lack of sleep before dying from hunger. It’s a physical necessity.
I’m in Ft Myers now perfect weather!
davidjohnson6 wrote:Sleep is massively overrated. Most people can easily get by with just 3 or 4 hours in a night and function well at work the next day. I write this having flown from Sydney to London (about 22 hours) as well as multiple transatlantic red eyes, and done a proper day's work the next day each time
Plenty of caffeine will help get you through until 8 pm the next day
If you really struggle... find the disabled toilet in a quiet area of the building, wherever you will be - it usually has a big area of floor space and a lockable door in a completely separate area of its own. That means somewhere fairly quiet and enough space to lie flat on the floor and catch an hour's sleep at lunchtime
Keep your phone with you at all times and set multiple alarms on max volume AND vibrate - this should stop you missing a connecting flight. If you must sleep in a busy area, ensure your head rests on whatever cabin luggage you are carrying in the terminal - this prevents opportunistic theft
Also, look at this website - it's been going for over 20 years
https://www.sleepinginairports.net/
davidjohnson6 wrote:Sleep is massively overrated. Most people can easily get by with just 3 or 4 hours in a night and function well at work the next day. I write this having flown from Sydney to London (about 22 hours) as well as multiple transatlantic red eyes, and done a proper day's work the next day each time
Plenty of caffeine will help get you through until 8 pm the next day
If you really struggle... find the disabled toilet in a quiet area of the building, wherever you will be - it usually has a big area of floor space and a lockable door in a completely separate area of its own. That means somewhere fairly quiet and enough space to lie flat on the floor and catch an hour's sleep at lunchtime
Keep your phone with you at all times and set multiple alarms on max volume AND vibrate - this should stop you missing a connecting flight. If you must sleep in a busy area, ensure your head rests on whatever cabin luggage you are carrying in the terminal - this prevents opportunistic theft
Also, look at this website - it's been going for over 20 years
https://www.sleepinginairports.net/
UALFAson wrote:Wait, if you arrive at 11:14 a.m. and don't depart until midnight, doesn't that mean you have almost a 12 hour layover, not 7.5 hours? For that length of time, I would try to get a hotel room at one of the numerous LAX-area hotels. You'll never be able to wander airport the airport for that long without going mad--just don't even try and attempt to get a day room somewhere.
I was also going to suggest that as a Oneworld Sapphire you should be able to qualify for same-day standby on AA, but given that it's the Saturday before Christmas, there may not be any empty seats. And that doesn't help you with your CLT-RSW connection, although spending the actual night at a CLT-area airport hotel would at least get you on U.S. time.
davidjohnson6 wrote:Yes, absolutely serious.
I used to sleep in the disabled toilet area at work in my previous job - it meant you didn't get seen napping after a red-eye flight, and the security guards could turn a blind eye when they were doing their patrols of the building. The hygiene issue can be dealt with by knowing where the showers are in the building - just pull your towel and some dirty clothes out of your suitcase after the red-eye flight and use them when sleeping on the floor of the disabled toilet
Most modern commercial buildings in rich countries are required to cater for far more people with disabilities than typically use the building, so borrowing a disabled toilet for an hour after minimal sleep on an airplane, especially when the building is quiet, is rarely a problem.
davidjohnson6 wrote:Yes, absolutely serious.
I used to sleep in the disabled toilet area at work in my previous job - it meant you didn't get seen napping after a red-eye flight, and the security guards could turn a blind eye when they were doing their patrols of the building. The hygiene issue can be dealt with by knowing where the showers are in the building - just pull your towel and some dirty clothes out of your suitcase after the red-eye flight and use them when sleeping on the floor of the disabled toilet
Most modern commercial buildings in rich countries are required to cater for far more people with disabilities than typically use the building, so borrowing a disabled toilet for an hour after minimal sleep on an airplane, especially when the building is quiet, is rarely a problem.
Max Q wrote:davidjohnson6 wrote:Yes, absolutely serious.
I used to sleep in the disabled toilet area at work in my previous job - it meant you didn't get seen napping after a red-eye flight, and the security guards could turn a blind eye when they were doing their patrols of the building. The hygiene issue can be dealt with by knowing where the showers are in the building - just pull your towel and some dirty clothes out of your suitcase after the red-eye flight and use them when sleeping on the floor of the disabled toilet
Most modern commercial buildings in rich countries are required to cater for far more people with disabilities than typically use the building, so borrowing a disabled toilet for an hour after minimal sleep on an airplane, especially when the building is quiet, is rarely a problem.
Rarely a problem for you
Every public toilet I’ve gone into has one disabled stall and one only
If a disabled person wants to use that facility while you’re snoozing in their stall you’re subjecting then to a serious inconvenience and hardship
It’s very inconsiderate, selfish and probably illegal
ACDC8 wrote:BA84 YVR-LHR was my flight of choice for the very reason that it left so late (back when it left YVR around 2200). It was perfect, got to sleep in the day of, relax throughout the day, take the flight, get into LHR late afternoon with a quick connection to DUS, get into DUS right at dinner time, grab a bite and go to bed at a normal bedtime local time.
Its the shorter red eyes, like YYR-YYZ that suck. Leave around midnight and get to your destination first thing in the morning - yuck.
vhqpa wrote:I’ve only a couple of long haul red eyes.
In 2018 I flew QF with a redeye on SIN-LHR. Despite my best efforts I had no sleep at all on the flight. About an hour and a half before arrival I had two coffees and that was enough to get me through to the late afternoon when I was able to check into my hotel. I then went to bed in the early evening, got up a little earlier than usual. After that I was able to adjust to the new time zone fairly easily
GalaxyFlyer wrote:You can reserve “day rooms” at a reduced rate at most hotels. I’ve done so dozens of times in cases just like this one or when having a long day wait. Specify it’s a day room you’re looking for, not a normal overnight stay. Nothing like a shower, light bite to eat and 2-hour nap. I’ve done this in AMS, LAX, CLE, DXB, Newcastle, UK, TEB, and many small cities. But, if you’re staying longer term, you have to book the night before to check-on early.
Fatigue science says a two-hour nap is perfect to get one thru a wakeful period before your next full 8- hours rest.
GalaxyFlyer wrote:
That’s my hate on red-eyes, domestic legs that have alternatives. I’ve done loads of International flights, they’re not red-eyes, they’re long flights that require overnights. When there’s a choice—yuck. I did LAX to JFK after a flight from PPT, just miserable even first class, then arriving like a zombie. I visit my brother on the west coast—something around an 8-9 am SAN departure is perfect, arrive home with a reasonable connection by 5-ish. My admin never booked me before 9am or after 5pm—the pilot schedulers would find all sorts of bizarro flights. Recently traveled on contract business—11:55 am, arrived at the event just in time for the cocktail party. She has a good memory.
cedarjet wrote:Lots of terrible advice here. For starters, do not get a room at LAX. You do not want to board a red-eye feeling well rested. 7.5h goes fast as it will take at least an hour to clear arrival formalities and you can check in for your flight to Charlotte at least 1.5h before departure, so that only leaves 5h to kill max. A walk to the famous In-n-Out or the Proud Bird for a meal and some spotting will take care of that.
My life hack for red-eyes is change into PJs, honest-to-blog pyjamas. As well as being incredibly comfortable, it also reminds your brain of sleep. Works for me!
Don’t overthink this. Just be as comfortable as you can be, sleep when possible. Day rooms and sleeping in toilet cubicles (blee!!) won’t help.
csturdiv wrote:I would rather not leave the airport and go through security again.
AirKevin wrote:csturdiv wrote:I would rather not leave the airport and go through security again.
You would still have to clear security at LAX anyway as far as I'm aware, as your arrival from Sydney would require you to clear customs and claim your bags.