Travelling comfortably by air

FLYING

British Airways’ Business Class is well worth the extra, especially now they have special deals on to encourage passengers to upgrade.  If you spend time on the Internet you often find flight bookers have attractive options to offer for Business and First Class fares.

Make sure you pay by credit card (just in case…..).

If you collect Air Miles don’t forget you can buy a lot of things via their website (John Lewis, The White Company, Bodens, etc) and collect more points.  However, a word of warning if using Air Miles for a BA Business Class flight.  I used mine for a trip, and found that even though I had booked five weeks in advance, when I went to check in I had been downgraded – and only given £30 compensation for no leg room, no food, nothing to read, etc.  Not good – BA – and when they are desperately losing money, be warned by my example and make sure you have everything checked and double checked.

British Airways senior staff who look after you in Business Class are generally some of the best in the air, and their lounges are a calm oasis.  On board you get bottles of the necessary water, rather than having to keep asking (and often not getting) it doled out cup by cup. Luggage allowance is more generous, which means you can pack two suitcases if you have problems carting one large one.

Other airlines also offer comfortable Business Class fares across Europe – Finnair
has given me lovely flights, so has KLM and Lufthansa, and you arrive relaxed and refreshed,
not all squashed up.

Another benefit of flying Business Class is automatic entry to Lounges, and where there is a Fast
Track option, you by-pass that awful queue through security.  Sitting in the private lounges, if there
is a flight delay you just help yourself to another drink  or snack and read the glossy magazines.

Long Haul Flights are to be avoided at all costs.  Specialist doctors who deal with flying and travel warn that it takes on average one day to get over jet lag per hour spent flying.  I’ll never forget the Marketing Director of one of the world’s biggest hotel chains addressing a conference of travel professionals in London.  He had just stepped of the plane from Washington to tell us about next year’s plans – and to announce the room rates.  There was a gasp when he told us – then a mad rush to get outside and tell booking clerks to grab every room going for next summer.

His jet lag made him so dis-oriented he gave us rates that were half of what they should be.  That afternoon a very smart PR girl had to come and address the conference, apologise for her boss, and explain he was suffering from jet lag – and no, they wouldn’t be honouring the bookings made after his announcement.

So if it can happen to the professionals who are travelling all the time – think what it does to you.

VTE The Lancet review recently looked at many studies that research the health risks of flying and found an overall association between air travel and venous thromboembolism (VTE), which occurs when a blood clot in a leg vein travels through the body to the lung.

Smart PR: to co-incide with the review, Activa Healthcare said people  can  protect  themselves against VTE and deep vein thrombosis  (DVT)  by using  correctly fitted compression hosiery.  Activa has Unisex Socks (Class 1) that they say prevent  blood clots  from forming by applying a gentle graduated massaging effect on the ankle and  calf.   This  improves  circulation by assisting  the  body’s  own  natural
mechanism of returning blood back to the heart.  Some pilots have already started to wear these, and female cabin crew often wear support hose.

The Lancet review concluded that the risk was at its highest in flights  of eight  hours or more, but one specific study found the risk started to climb  at four  hours,  the  Lahey Clinic Medical Center team, led by  Dr  Mark  Gendreau, found.

You are also at risk of DVT if:
– You are over 40
– You smoke, are very tall, very small or obese
– You have any previous or current leg swelling
– You have a recent minor leg injury
– You have extensive varicose veins
– You are pregnant
– You take any hormone medication (Pill, HRT)
– You have suffered a DVT before
– You have suffered a stroke, or have had recent major surgery
– You are undergoing chemotherapy
– You have paralysed lower limbs

For these socks to have the desired effect, you should  be measured  by a trained pharmacist to ensure the  right size  and getting the right compression level (Class I which  is  14-17  mmHg).
For more information please ring Activa Healthcare on 08450 606 707 or visit
www.activahealthcare.co.uk.

Watch out for Terminal 5 at Heathrow  If your flight leaves from or arrives at Terminal 5, and you have just had an operation, ASK FOR ASSISTANCE.  What is it about our architects?  They are hopeless at designing buildings that work for people – they design them just to win trendy prizes.  After the debacle with luggage during the opening, now when you arrive they claim that your luggage will be on the carrousel before you arrive in the luggage hall.  What they forget to tell you is that there are no walkways that I have ever found, and it can be a good 20 minute walk from the aircraft before you get into the hall.  So if you can’t walk far, ask for a buggy to meet the plane or take you out.  It’s free.