Of course, the plane can take off and land on time, but we know how often there are all sorts of delays. There's nothing you can do about it, but you can take a kit with you that will help you not get bored while waiting, not get hungry and generally feel great.
Of course, being stuck on a plane for a few hours is not the worst thing that can happen to you, but nevertheless, it is not the most pleasant. We will look at a few common troubles that can happen, and things that will help you feel comfortable in any case.
If your flight is delayed, you can be in two places: in the terminal and on the plane. While you haven't boarded the plane yet, you have access to food and water, you can wander around to keep yourself busy. In addition, many airports have sockets and USB chargers, so you don't have to worry about your gadgets and keep yourself busy with something.
Delays in terminals do not require any special means to survive, but you'd better ask an airline representative for a receipt if the flight is delayed for a long time. Airlines are not required to provide them, but sometimes they can do so upon request.
If the flight is delayed for more than two hours, the air carrier must offer you free meals and soft drinks in the amount corresponding to the waiting time, as well as the opportunity to make two phone calls, send two messages to a fax or two emails.
When the flight is delayed for five or more hours, you have the right to cancel the flight and demand payment of the money, and if you still decide to wait for the next flight, the air carrier is obliged to offer you free accommodation and transport to the hotel.
Let's say you do everything right and get your compensation, but that will be later, and first you have to go through a tedious wait, especially painful if you are on board the plane.
So, in order to make your stay on board as comfortable as possible, first of all you should take care of entertainment. You may be presented with an entertainment system for the duration of the delay, but do not count on it too much.
Here's what you should take with you in case of a delay:
In fact, you don't have to think long to understand what exactly you need to choose. just imagine that you are locked in a room with people you may or may not want to talk to. Then you will definitely take with you what you need for an interesting pastime.
It's easier to have fun now than a few years ago — a laptop or tablet is guaranteed to take your attention (especially if you take care of it in advance), but what if the battery runs out?
Most airlines do not equip every seat or even every line with sockets. Some companies in advertising claim that they have an outlet in every seat, but in fact it's good if they have one for three seats.
In order not to guess and not rely on Fortune, you can immediately take backup power with you. For example, you can buy a portable battery for Apple smartphones and tablets, or a universal battery for charging a laptop, netbook, camera and smartphone. If you don't need a lot of energy, you can save money and buy a thinner and lighter power supply for regular phones, smartphones, mp3 players and Bluetooth headsets.
The laptop battery will take up more space in your bag, but it also has more resources, for example, enough for 8 hours of netbook operation). Windows and Linux laptops often have replaceable batteries, so you can buy another one and change it as needed.
Mac fans can use HyperJuice external battery series to charge their gadgets. Whatever battery you buy, be sure to check it before packing and charge it completely. Also, put the battery in the far end of the bag and pack it well so as not to damage it. The last thing you need on an airplane is leaking batteries.
There is always a limited amount of food and drinks on the plane. Not all passengers buy food, so they don't take much. As a rule, drinks stay longer than food, but they can also run out if the plane is delayed somewhere. Therefore, you do not need to rely on the airline and it is worth taking with you:
You can take anything you want to eat, you can even make a sandwich, the main thing is to make sure that everything is well packed in a container, and it closes tightly so as not to make a mess in the bag.
Airplane seats are really uncomfortable, no one will ever put an airplane seat at home, because the discomfort in them is off the scale. There is nothing you can do to change this rule, but a few special pillows will help brighten up the flight.
You can buy these in advance, in any online store. In the best there is a filler with a memory effect, thanks to which the pillow remembers the contours of the body. If you have not taken care of the pillow in advance, you can buy it right at the airport or even make it yourself.
For example, if you put a hoodie in a laptop case and use it as a pillow. It's certainly better than no pillow. In addition, such a pillow, unlike the purchased one, will not take up space in your luggage.
Such pillows can also correct the situation with uncomfortable sitting on an airplane. To do this, you just need something to put under your back, and a laptop case with a hoodie is also quite suitable.
You can also ask the flight attendant if they have small pillows on board, or, as an alternative to a pillow, pack a few tennis balls before the flight and put them under your back. They will not only help you get comfortable, but also provide massage for the back muscles.
But the last tip should not be used for long flights, because it is still a load on the back, and too much load will have the opposite effect.
If you are completely uncomfortable, so as not to suffer, you can take several pills, for example, painkillers or sleeping pills. Just read the instructions — the side effect in the form of nausea is unlikely to please you.
So, an approximate list of things that you need to take with you on the plane is ready. If you have something to entertain yourself with, what to eat and drink, and how to get comfortable, delays will not seem like such hell.
