A common topic on this site, and this forum in particular is the dreadeded light over the pond. Especially from the west coast. I ran accross this interesting link. FWIW:

Flight Fitness

In the past SAA has provided some of those ideas to their passengers. I think it's great and printed a copy for our next flight in less than 60 days.

Personally, I think it's a great idea but you'll probably get a few strange looks from fellow pasengers who might be observing.

All the flight fitness ideas in the world won't make up for the lack of decent room on the flights over the pond. I've basically given up on Africa after five safaris because I refuse to be treated like a sardine in a can or pay enough to fund another safari to fly business class. Next year I'm off to the Arctic!

I hear Ya Sarge!! I damned near got claustrophobic on my last trip, I'm only 6'-220lb. and I was jammed in and everyone who sat in front of me wanted their seatback reclined. Now I understand why folks get sleeping pills, not for the rest, to escape the misery! Lee.

I must say on my 3 trips over, and back I did not find the SAA part of the flight bad at all.

I liked the individual "TV" sets, the service was great, the food was the best I have had on any airline, and the "booze" is free.

Of course, I will admit, to get back to Zimbabwe again I would hold on to the wing.

My first four trips to


africa were on SAA flying the 747 nonstop down and one stop back. seat room was good and storage was also. Then came the dreadful airbus and with terrible seating and stops at sal both ways. SAA still has the 747 but flies it mostly to non north American destinations. The key to the problem of blood clots forming in the legs which can be remedied by simply walking around when able or doing simple exercises. Delta thru Dakar or KLM thru Amsterdam on the 767 both have a much better seat more room and better but not great service.

I've done 10 crossings. I always go to the service area at least a couple of times and do a full set of stretches. The stewardesses don't mind at all. That stretching while seated stuff is nonsense.

S.

I do the same thing that Seq does.

I've done a hundred or so crossings, both as crew and pax. Used to ride SAA as contract crew in the back, but in business. I rode that A340 over two years ago in coach and I will say, "Never again." That airplane ride is a recipe for deep vein thrombosis, even if you do get up and walk around a bit.

I recall the time I was flying to Dar es Salaam, and was in the seat by the escape door and had plenty of leg room. I was awaken in the middle of the night and some gun wearing African bush clothing and a snake skin banded hat was practicing Judo or some weird motions in front of me, I just looked at him and went back to sleep knowing he was an internet junkie hunter!

I hate the trip to africa and return, even in business class, I don't like confinement and I don't like sleeping in the same position that one evacuates in..

I´ve made the trip six times and hate it but I´ll make it again as soon as possible!

SAA har more leg room now than five years ago, Air France and Lufthansa suck and I hope I never see a french airport again!

My new recipe for survival: Lot´s of music on my MP3 player, a good book, no alchohol and lots of water and then I wack myself semi-comatose with a combo of selected pills.

And I never speask to the person next to me because they all seem to get the strange notion that I´m somehow interested in their life histories and proceed to bore me for hours on end.

Have only made the "dreaded" trip to Africa twice, both times via SAA, and I have to admit that the most recent (this month) was by far the best. SAA has really cleaned up their act with the Airbus 340-600 and vastly improved cabin crews that provided service akin to that we had in the USA in the 1960s and 70s. Outstanding!!! FYI, we were warned to fly SAA again, rather than to try the new Delta service by South African friends who tried Delta to CONUS and were so disappointed that they canceled their Delta return and rebooked with SAA. By the way, the best way to fly transcontinental is in a military aircraft with a bedroll and a sheet of bubble wrap for a mattress, but those days are long gone for me.
LLS
Mannlicher Collector (ex P-3 driver)

quote:

Originally posted by Oldsarge:
All the flight fitness ideas in the world won't make up for the lack of decent room on the flights over the pond. I've basically given up on Africa after five safaris because I refuse to be treated like a sardine in a can or pay enough to fund another safari to fly business class. Next year I'm off to the Arctic!

Argentina for me from now on, or at least the next few years. A lot shorter flight, service on the ground equal to if not better than any camp in Africa and your in the same time zone. Not quite the variety of animals but that is a compromise I'm willing to take for a few years.

I have tried all that foot wiggleing stuff on previous flights and it did not help at all.

The best thing I have found is to break up the flight in Amsterdam for a couple hours.