The new Aer Lingus A321LR business class seat is revealed

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• Kevin C says:

  1 Feb1 February 06:38

  OT – Looking at booking Qantas flights to Dubai operated by Emirates. If I go through the Amex travel site (I have an offer) it states that bags aren’t included but Qantas don’t seem to sell hand luggage only fares. So is that a mistake or do Amex have access to a special fare? Emirates flights sold by Amex cost the same and include luggage.

  • Rob says:

    1 Feb1 February 07:40

    If Emirates does not sell HBO then it must be an error (not sure if it does) as there would be no mechanism for charging.

    • Kevin C says:

      1 Feb1 February 08:19

      Thank you.

• Shoestring says:

  1 Feb1 February 07:01

  …and will the Edinburgh Virgin get a Shag Room? We deserve to be told!

  • BJ says:

    1 Feb1 February 07:40

    Maybe you best get back to shovelling snow this morning Harry 🙂

• BJ says:

  1 Feb1 February 08:55

  @Rob, a day or two ago I think you mentioned you knew what was happening at BA today. Is it just the ad or can we look forward to something else?

  • Rob says:

    1 Feb1 February 09:44

    Just the ad I think but let’s see. I am literally sat 20 feet from Alex at a oneworld event as I type!

    • BJ says:

      1 Feb1 February 10:10

      Then what you need to do is open your ipad at a pic of that seat, leave it sitting casually beside you and hope he drops by for a quick word 🙂

  • Simon says:

    1 Feb1 February 09:50

    I think it’s just so he can post the link to the virgin ad again. He seems to *really* like that one

    • Anonymous says:

      1 Feb1 February 13:48

      Virgin ad is sexist as it is just about female beauty and comparing it to a brand to reflect ‘hotness’…

      I watched it without sound so I’m basing my opinion on visual. Virgin ad is offensive.

      • NotPerpetuallyOffended says:

        1 Feb1 February 13:59

        Yawn

      • Rob says:

        1 Feb1 February 14:38

        You need the sound on because it is the Frankie soundtrack that really makes it work.

        I agree that it wouldn’t necessarily get made today.

      • Doug M says:

        1 Feb1 February 14:49

        You can’t reasonably apply today’s values to something 25 years old.

      • Anonymous says:

        1 Feb1 February 16:50

        I’m too young I guess so I judged it for its visual message without taking into account that when this was made women were seen mostly as sex objects or were given credit based in looks…

        I gave my pov because I felt everyone was just hyping the ad. I guess you have to be of that generation to understand it.

        The commenter who only ‘yawn’ed- you could have explained the reasoning why it worked like Rob, no need to be defensive

      • Qwerty Bertie says:

        1 Feb1 February 16:52

        Doug, the Virgin ad is 10 years old, not 25. Was made in 2009 to celebrate the 25 year anniversary.

        That said, I don’t have a problem with the ad. Most women admire & would like to look like those in the ad, and most men would like to just admire them. What’s wrong with that, when it keeps the majority of viewers entertained?

• Rui N. says:

  1 Feb1 February 09:00

  OT: if I get the Amex Platinum, how long does it take for the Priority Pass to arrive?
  I’m asking because I have a bunch of trips coming up in the March-May period, so I’d like to get the Amex Plat to get lounge access and potentially cancel it after I’m done travelling.
  My first trip is on March 20. Would it be enough to apply for the card on March 1st? This way I could only pay for 3 months on the Amex Plat (my last flight to the UK is on the Spring Bank Holiday on May 27).

  • BJ says:

    1 Feb1 February 09:19

    Sometimes arrives before the plat card itself. More often the same day or one or two days later. If for any reason the priority pass does not arrive before you need it just call them and they will give you the details you need to access your account on their app. This has a virtual card barcode that you can then use to access the lounge without the physical card.

  • Dave says:

    1 Feb1 February 09:40

    Should be fine if you apply on March 1st. My Amex and PP cards arrived within 2 days of being approved last week.

    • Rui N. says:

      1 Feb1 February 09:57

      That’s awesome. Thanks to the both of you.

      • BJ says:

        1 Feb1 February 10:14

        Whenever you decide to apply don’t forget to factor in an additional 10 days to cover you if you do not get an immediate online approval.

      • Doug says:

        1 Feb1 February 10:36

        I do have similar arrangement, but I’m ordering one now as I want to benefit on referrals (best benefit after lounge and hilton gold)

  • Lost+confused says:

    2 Feb2 February 00:52

    DP I applied for platinum on 27th Jan, it arrived on Wednesday and the Priority pass arrived today (Friday morning).

    • Lost+confused says:

      2 Feb2 February 00:56

      And the email I got said that I’d not received online approval so I was amazed how quick it arrived. I guess failing online approval was due to having recently moved.

      • Blue Mountains says:

        2 Feb2 February 03:25

        I used to apply for amex cards at the weekend or after hours but actually the trick seems to be applying Monday to Friday during their office hours (9.00 till 17.00 or 20.00?) for some unknown reason (to me). I can’t remember who had mentioned it on HfP but ever since I followed that advice it’s been immediate approval every time.

• John says:

  1 Feb1 February 09:33

  Everything I heard about the CP Colchester told me to avoid it.

• Sam says:

  1 Feb1 February 09:36

  OT: Cancelled Amex platinum. The card had an outstanding balance so waited until the pro rata refund came and then paid off the remainder. Is the 6 month anniversary for reapplying based on the day I called Amex or the day the final payment clears? Thanks.

  • Mark2 says:

    1 Feb1 February 09:52

    The date on the letter that they send you (probably the day that you ring them)

• Shoestring says:

  1 Feb1 February 09:55

  O/T how to get a decent sleep on LH flights. Obvs popping a pill can work for many: but how can you get an effective sleeping pill in the UK without a prescription? I’ve tried a few as I suffer a bit from insomnia/ sleepless nights. My thoughts:

  1. Best by far is Zopiclone – but this is prescription-only. You really wouldn’t want to take this on a shorter LH flight (eg 6-7 hr TATL) if you are going straight to work afterwards as you’ll not be very alert for a few hours. Addictive & hard to get for a good reason – but in specific bad circumstances eg stress/ bereavement causing insomnia your doctor should give you a 2 week prescription. Half a pill can be pretty effective.

  2. Next best is Doxylamine Succinate tablets – not sold over the counter in the UK (which is a big warning sign about over-use) but freely available in the USA. You can get 192 tablets for £9.87 delivered from USA on Ebay UK (my trusted seller is jccecommerce & brand is Kirkland Signature Sleep Aid) – no customs duty was payable. About 5p each.

  3. Next & quite good is OTC drug Nytol, active chemical is Diphenhydramine, a powerful anti-histamine that makes you drowsy – this comes in 50g & 25g, I use 50g & get a great 7-8 hrs’ sleep with no heavy head in the morning – though those of slighter build complain they feel hungover for a few hrs in the morning so in that case 25g would be better. About £6.25 for 20 tablets, 31p each. Pharmacist cautions against overuse but this is more because it loses effectiveness over time.

  4. Not forgetting the herbal remedies, obvs OTC as well. Tesco sells a herbal Sleep Aid, 30 for £2.50 (8p each), currently 3 for 2 so 5.55p each. These work quite OK for me as well.

  One key thing to think about is the ability of these remedies not just to make you drowsy but also to keep you sleeping soundly. The first 3 have quite a long ‘half-life’ in terms of this, whereas the Tesco herbal remedy makes you drowsy easily enough but you might wake up 5 hrs later and find it hard to nod off again.

  • BJ says:

    1 Feb1 February 10:21

    Ask cabin crew for a banana and a glass of milk or buy them after security.

    You finally decided to go back to Asia?

    • Shoestring says:

      1 Feb1 February 10:24

      Counting the days, BJ – we love it out there, esp Thailand & still to explore Indonesia, Vietnam etc

      • BJ says:

        1 Feb1 February 10:31

        Goof fir you. Btw, my suggestion was serious, they stimulate production of seratonin which not only helps sleep but mkkes you happy and relaxed.

      • BJ says:

        1 Feb1 February 10:32

        *Good for

      • Cat says:

        1 Feb1 February 23:28

        Have an amazing time! My advice, FWIW, allow as long as possible for Indonesia – the different islands are wonderfully varied. Between the way belief systems change from one island to the next, the way the flora and fauna change (what with the Wallace line dividing the archipelago), the varied geology, the wonderfully friendly people, the buskers on buses (it has to be seen to be believed), the incredible biodiversity of the oceans and the stunning beaches, it really makes for quite the destination.

    • Genghis says:

      1 Feb1 February 10:51

      As soon as I step on the plane, I’m on destination time. I try to limit booze and drink plenty of water. I don’t take sleeping tablets on the plane. If heading west will have a snooze after some food. If heading east will have a good night sleep after lunch / dinner.

      When I arrive at destination, for the first couple of nights I’ll take one of the strong nytols. This works well for me heading east and is OK for me heading west though I’ll still wake up early for a few days.

      • tartan says:

        1 Feb1 February 12:29

        I’ve always relied on an antihistamine – Cetirizine is dirt cheap and if taken 3-4 hours before the flight it allows me to sleep fairly easily

  • meta says:

    1 Feb1 February 13:44

    I am a fan of 1Above tablets. If nothing else, they help with dehydration even when drinking alchohol. I feel much more refreshed. I drink about 0.5L of water for each hour I am awake and switch immediately to the normal hours at the destination.

  • @mkcol says:

    1 Feb1 February 15:44

    Get amitriptylene. Often prescribed for back pain to help you sleep at night, it’s a godsend for me when I’m working nightshifts & just not getting any unaided sleep during the day. Was easy enough for me to get from online pharmacies by just telling them I had sciatica from an injury (which ironically I did have but had never been to a UK GP about) and they quickly prescribed, sold & sent it to my home address.

  • Alan says:

    4 Feb4 February 01:04

    never used tablets – just get on to destination time when I get on board and work sleep around that, seems to do the trick!

• TripRep says:

  1 Feb1 February 10:09

  I would argue that not going OTT on taking anything, you don’t want to be too sluggish and you should wake-up to move uncomfortable limbs to avoid DVT.

  I sometimes take an antihistamine as the dry cabin can make me sneezy taking CETIRIZINE HYDROCHLORIDE has the added effect of making me snoozy too. I find with a little alcohol, it’s just enough to get me under… Zzzz

  • Shoestring says:

    1 Feb1 February 10:26

    Of course alcohol can work fine but I’m doing my best not to self-medicate with that stuff at the mo 🙂

    • mike says:

      1 Feb1 February 10:51

      fallen off the wagon again?

      • Mikeact says:

        1 Feb1 February 11:04

        I guess I’m one of the fortunate ones re time differences, sleeping etc. Whatever is going on at the other end, then I join in…if it’s breakfast in Auckland or dinner in Vancouver then that’s what I’ll do.

      • Alex Sm says:

        1 Feb1 February 13:07

        @Mikeact Me too. So happy of not having a jet lag. Probably still young and optimistic, this helps a lot. And sleeping on the plane easily as I am always ready to have a nap (my conviction is that most of insomnia derives from sleeping too much during the night, people need to limit themselves to no more than 6 hours sleep, them you will always cherish an opportunity to doze off)

  • tartan says:

    1 Feb1 February 12:30

    Another vote for Cetirizine – does the job nicely if taken 3-4 hours before the flight

    • Anna says:

      1 Feb1 February 14:13

      There’s a newish OTC one called Sominex – I only need half a tablet to knock me out for 10 hours and I am a life-long insomniac. It takes a couple of hours to kick in IME so needs to be taken early. Interestingly, I read recently that anti-histamine based sleeping remedies work by blocking the connections in your brain which keep you alert which sounds quite dramatic for a non-prescription substance!

      • Shoestring says:

        1 Feb1 February 16:02

        Yep Nytol 50g is pretty strong, I was pleasantly surprised that it’s over the counter as well. An hour or so after you take it, you feel quite dopey.

        I’ll give that Sominex you mention a go as well.

        And Cetirizene, I’ll research it, is that an OTC tablet as well?

      • Shoestring says:

        1 Feb1 February 17:38

        NHS: ‘Cetirizine is known as a non-drowsy antihistamine. It’s much less likely to make you feel sleepy than some other antihistamines.’

        Not so sure this fits what I need 🙂

      • Shoestring says:

        1 Feb1 February 20:36

        Sominex researches well, will give it a go. Also known as Avomine, Phenergan.

      • Shoestring says:

        1 Feb1 February 20:42

        Actually Phenergan sounds ideal, it is quite cheap to buy online and from FAQ:
        Can I drink alcohol when taking Phenergan?
        Alcohol should be avoided when taking this medication, as this could worsen effects of drowsiness.

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