Heathrow - Abu Dhabi

[Vix]

Hi everyone! I'm new here and desperate for help!

I will be flying from Heathrow to Abu Dhabi on the 13th February (And it's a Friday too...:eek:) and I'm so nervous. It will be the longest flight I've ever been on (I'm 17) and I won't be with my parents either, as I'm going with my boyfriend to meet his parents for the first time.

Before, I had only flown to Greece, but I haven't flown for quite a few years now, and my confidence is a little low. I blame films such as Castaway and shows like Lost for that <_<

Basically, I'm frightened of crashing or being sucked out of the plane. You hear stories in the newspapers about drunk passengers deciding they've had enough and try and open the door or these air pockets where the plane just freefalls...if the plane does start to freefall, what can the pilots do?

And another thing, which would be safer? Crashing on the sea or on land? Another question linked to Castaway I guess lol!

And what happens if both pilots are too ill to fly the plane?

Many thanks,
Vix
xxx

[Dachiri]

Well, some cultures consider 13 to be a lucky number. And I defended my master's thesis on Friday the 13th and I have the diploma to prove that it wasn't unlucky. Friday the 13th is just another day, and the only thing that generally spikes are idiots who end up in the ER (my mom works in a hospital, and she says they get lots of drunks and druggies on days like Friday the 13th).

General turbulence is to be expected on any flight. It doesn't always materialize, but it's better to think it will and be pleasantly surprised. As far as ending up in a free fall, that seems pretty unlikely. Pilots fly around known areas of turbulence, generally. I'm sure you've heard people say their plane was in "free fall." That was part of my reallyscaryflight, but I later learned that when you get that sensation, the plane only descends slightly, maybe 50 or 100 feet. But, without any markers around you to tell you how fast or how far you are falling, it feels like you are in free fall. Kind of like one of those simulators. They tip it and you feel like you're falling very far and very fast, but you're really just pointing down.

From what I understand, those emergency doors aren't easy to open mid-flight, especially for someone who's soused. In any case, flight attendants, like bartenders, are trained to cut people off if they have any indication they might become a problem. There was actually an episode of CSI where something like this happened (someone tried to open the emergency exit, but there was no alcohol involved), and the passengers tackled him and kicked him to death. While that was fictional, I wouldn't put it past a group of passengers and flight attendants to take someone down if they were trying to open an emergency door mid-flight. Over here in the U.S., there's also a distinct chance there's an armed, undercover Air Marshall aboard many flights, though I'm not sure how common that is in the U.K.

Honestly, it sounds like you've been watching too many movies. The best chance you have for seeing a crash or someone sucked out of a plane is to bring a portable DVD player with you and watch one of those movies/TV shows during the flight (though I don't recommend that, better to watch "Airplane" instead). :lol: It makes a good story line, but it's incredibly unrealistic.

Do you know the basic statistics about flying? Less than 1 in 1,000,000 airline passengers die while flying. The most common causes of death in air travel are heart attacks followed by smoke inhalation. By my calculations (I'm an economist, so my number-crunching skills are pretty good), the average person flying 4 round-trips a year would be likely to be in a plane "accident" (including crashes and "incidents") once every 42,000 years or so. Only 30% of plane accidents result in any fatalities (most of the extremely rare "accidents" involve things like skidding off a runway where everyone is fine).

More likely, you'll be bored to death for many, many hours. Make sure to bring lots of entertainment, because after the first hour you'll be pacing with boredom if you don't. I've flown a mere few (approx. 40,000) miles in my life. Others on this board have hundreds of thousands of miles racked up. We're all still here typing about how scared we are. That's pretty crazy, isn't it? :lol: Think about it this way: how lucky are we that we live in a day and age where we can just hop on a plane and be anywhere else in the world in less than a day? How lucky are we that almost no one dies doing that? Do you know how many people died before aviation, of scurvy and shipwrecks and other nasty things? You'll be fine...and we expect a full trip report when you get back.

[Vix]

Thank you so much for your help! I think it's just the time of being on the plane (and after reading about Emirates economy...eep!) but I'm sure it will be fine.

Thousands of planes fly all the time, and none of them crash, well I hope one doesn't before or when I fly! I just hope the on board entertainment is good for a distraction :D

[MathFox]

Vix, :welcome2:

I certainly recommend that you make your personal "In Flight Entertainment" bag... You'll be sitting in a plane for about 8 hours each way (add two hours of waiting in the airport) and you'll be happy to have your mp3player, a book, magazines or puzzles... anything that helps to pass time. BTW, don't forget your camera! Put them in a small bag that easily fits under a seat, so you can grab something when you get bored.

BTW, Emirates is a good airline, Skytrax gives it four stars, which is above average; the same rating as BA, Air France or Qantas.

[Passenger Mark]

Hi Vix!

Welcome Aboard!

Well... first off.... it is not only not easy for a drunk to open the door in flight.... it is impossible. It is impossible for anyone to open the door in flight. Pressure keeps the door from being opened.

Castaway was a great movie, but the crash (like most airplane movies) was fantasy not fact. BTW... notice that Tom Hanks had no problem getting back on a plane to get back to Memphis!

A plane does not "freefall" it may bump up and down by a few feet... forward motion is still occurring at 500+ MPH. However... turbulence is not fun... it is perfectly normal and safe... but still not fun. I suggest you just ride along with it like you would in a bus on a bumpy road... it will go away eventually.

[Vix]

Thanks again for your wonderful help. I think it's just the time that bothers me, with 7 hours on the way there and 8 hours 10 on the way back.

I just think that's a long time for planes to be in the air without a break!