General Travel Tips

Be friendly to the flight attendants, make jokes with them... They will always take care of you if you are nice to them... This sort of goes without saying, I mean, anyone in the service industry you should always be nice to and take care of them...

Always try and sit as far forward in the plane as possible. You will get off the plane much faster and on most aircraft, the farther back you go the louder/rougher the ride gets.

Never get ice in your drinks on airplanes and only drink bottled water on airplanes. The water and ice on most airlines is full of bacteria and germs, it's very bad for you. (Note: I know it's hard to have a mixed drink without ice, so it's OK to do it then. Even I will have ice in my drink when I got a VT, I figure the alcohol helps kill some of the bacteria. Plus I drink the drinks fast so the ice doesn't have much of a chance to melt.)

In first class, they always begin the food service in the front on even numbered flights, and in the back on odd numbered flights. Try and sit closer to the front or back depending on your flight number and you'll be almost certain to get the meal of your choice as they almost always run out of the better selection for the people who get to choose last.

Domestic:

Exit Rows are great for the extra leg room, but, the overhead lights above the are always lit, so it's hard to sleep with the bright light. Also, only the last row in the exit row section typically reclines, so keep that in mind as well.

In domestic first class, always avoid the first and last rows. First row usually has less leg room because of the bulkhead and no under seat storage. The last row typically doesn't recline all the way.

If you are on a 2-cabin domestic flight and want to sleep for most of the time, remember that laying down across 3 empty seats in coach is more comfortable than a single seat in first class as you are fully flat. Just make sure that the flight is empty enough that you can guarantee a seat on the aircraft with at least 2 free seats next to you.

International:

Check my review of the two different configurations available on American Airlines 777 aircraft here.

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