Beer cans
 

Maybe once in about 2 years I travel on a long haul flight and do'nt really get much sleep in a seated position and legs too start getting restless. Life does get better after a few beers. But after the first can, I am hesitant to ask. After some dilemma, one more (though I would'nt mind another 2). So, how far can I push my luck? 4 OK?

Learn to read body language.

Just keep asking for more. When you have had too many you won't get any more because they won't understand what you are mumbling about.

So you see it is a very neat self-limiting system

Simples.;)

Rule 1: don't drink more than you can handle.
Corollary 1: don't drink if you don't know your limit.
Corollary 2: if you have the habit of exceeding your limit, don't drink.

How much is reasonable depends on the time of day, the duration of the flight and your activities after the flight. On transatlantic flights I usually stick to two red wines with the first meal service and sometimes take a brandy after supper service on the red-eye. I know I am capable of coherent action and thought with that intake. However I prefer to be a bit sobered up when passing immigration. I prefer to be sober when driving an unfamiliar (rental) car on unfamiliar roads.

BTW, drink lots of water to stay hydrated during the flight.

Here's how you'll blip on CC radar...

• 1st can - No trace, stealth mode (Asking for 2 cans at once - Immediate paint and assumed hostile)
• 2nd can - Faint blip, assumed to be friendly
• 3rd can - Solid paint, assumed friendly
• 4th can - Solid paint, checked against known air traffic
• 5th can - SAM sites alerted - Your Clue "Another Beer Sir? Certainly but it may take me a few minutes to get back to you"
• 6th can - SAM radar lock-on, initial radio contact on Guard Frequency - Your Clue "Gosh, you really like Beer! I brought you some crisps and nuts to go with it"
• 7th can - Interceptors launched, DEFCON 1 - Your Clue - "Please make this one last an hour Sir, and then we'll take another look: May I make you a cup of coffee?")
• 8th can - SAM Launch - Your Clue "I'm afraid the bar is closed for a while: Have a nap and I'm sure that we'll be able to serve you when you wake up"

Requests for chasers at any point, alcohol before take-off or any kind of attitude at any point in the above process are grounds for immediate transition to 6th can level.


:E

Sadly, gone are the days when the CC on my friendly middle east carrier would invite you to the back galley and crack open a bottle of red for you while they waited for the inevitable late arrivals to board.

;)

Also long gone are the days of Aer Lingus business class, where you were always given two bottles of whatever wine/champagne you requested[even on the short LHR-DUB route], accompanied by a cheery ''There you go!''
And a request for a third bottle was never a problem [saved on the mini-bar bill later!]

The CC Radar and it's scale are more generous than I had expected. Now, if only I drank beer! Fortunately, I have a very small capacity for alcohol and the number of brandy minatures + cans of coke and wine with meal - that are needed, are always delivered. :zzz:

Not only business class! In 1994 my new wife and I flew on our wedding to our Irish honeymoon East Midlands to Dublin. The stewardess noticed some stray confetti in my wifes hair, and on finding out the occassion insisted on giving us two small bottles of champagne each - my wife wanted coffee (which she got later in the flight) - and bemoaning the fact she had no Waterford crystal on board! Slightly embarrasing on a 34 seat Saab 340 :)

The other questions you might wish to consider:

1. How long can you wait after the seat belt lights come on?

2. How quick can you move when the seat belt lights go off?

3. How well can you walk, jump, and run?

4. How long could you queue for immigration in a no-toilets area?

When I used to travel, long haul, about twice or 3 times a month on business, I tended to keep to myself, eat and drink modestly, and sleep as much as I could.
However, on one trip years ago (on some horrible Combi-sort of plane) I sat next to a guy from Pakistan and we got chatting and drinking. And drinking. And drinking. I have no idea why, it just turned out that way.
The steward/stewardesses decided that we were perfectly OK, and decided to fuel us well before we asked. Looking back, I suspect that they must have had bets on about how much we could consume, and/or which of would collapse first. Eventually I must have slept/fallen in to a stupor.
Maybe Tightslot's rules would have saved me from the resulting brain damaging hangover.

Krishan - I have the same problem but I take a sleeping pill. Is there some reason why you can't do that?

Tightslot has it right but I do not drink beer on planes. On Long haul, glass of champagne before the push back, Gin and Tonic pre meal , 2nr glass of wine with meal, and Port with Cheese then sleep, and wake up in Far East / Africa or where ever. Have found that G&T has very restorative effect when tired / Jet lagged on long over night flights about 1 hour before touch down, but depends if on working trip or holiday. Short haul 1nr G&T pre meal on the way home. Have noticed that my favourite place for G&T is FL36, some how always tastes better there.

I guess, a sleeping pill would do the job but beer is definitely more fun and frequent trips to the loo help to maintain a healthy circulation in the legs. So Mate, I'll stay with the beer. Looking at Tightslot's parameters, should'nt be difficult to stay under the CC radar for, may be up to 4 cans. Can I sell you the idea?

In a word - no! To each their own but I find alcohol on a flight adds to the dehydration effect of the air conditioning and pressurisation. But if it works for you, go for it.

I used to drink quite a bit on longhaul flights, but discovered that due to the reasons stated by sunnyjohn I'd get one hell of a hangover. Most times service continued for as much as I wanted, but then I'm quiet and fairly harmless even when drunk.
Once on an Iberia flight from Madrid to Montevideo I was told that 2 beers was the limit. On a KLM flight when I asked for my first beer was checked to see whether I was with a roudy group of people nearby who had their bar stopped. Eastern Airways limit you to two drinks on their flights as well, but then most flights are less then an hour.

Whilst I have a small capacity for alcohol, I have always found that FL39 has the reverse effect upon me, as reported by others. I can take MORE alcohol at altitude than at ground level. I've not tried to test this to the ultimate but after 45 years of paxing - well, 36 as an adult - I know how much I can have on board.

I'm always careful about drink and the last time I had a hangover was July 1976. But it was a REAL hangover. I got smashed on the Saturday night and still had a headache the following Tuesday morning ... so I decided not to repeat the event.

My general pattern now (longhaul) is a pre-departure glass of champagne. One more glass of champagne as aperitif and 1 or 2 glasses of white wine with the meal. After that it's water only all the way to destination. I feel fine at the end of the trip unlike when I was younger and drank more and mixed more (i.e. champers, white wine, red wine, cognac).

Go Emirates
 

I did a quick trip from Bangkok to Hong Kong on EK and everytime my glass was empty, or nearly so, there was the very attentive crew member with a refill from the mighty fine Dom Perignon 2002.
Never had to ask, or even hint at a top up, it just kept coming.

Bravo her !