Being confined in an aeroplane with up to 241 other passengers for 15 long hours calls for a coping mechanism.
That is the reality people will have to contend with from tonight when Kenya Airways debuts its longest trip ever — a flight from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi to the John F Kennedy International Airport in New York.
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The world’s longest non-stop flight, according to airfarewatchdog.com, lasts 17 hours and 40 minutes and is from Auckland in New Zealand to Doha, Qatar.
The Nairobi-New York flight is under three hours short, and how people cope with the flight will be a learning curve.
For lessons on how to adapt, the Sunday Nation spoke with two athletes who have been in numerous long-haul flights.
Volleyball star Janet Wanja said she whiles away time by making use of the entertainment features in a plane.
“I am a fan of the arts and what better way than to catch up on the latest shows than when on a long flight? By the time we land, I will have watched some two to three movies which will get me inspired for the tournament at hand,” said Wanja.
Wanja’s volleyball career spans almost a decade. She was at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece and has also represented her club and the country in a number of international competitions.
MUSIC
Another frequent flyer is Beatrice Chepkoech, the 3,000m steeplechase world record holder. For the 27-year-old, a long flight offers a chance for introspection.
“I just enjoy listening to soft music as I meditate during the long trips. I also catch up on sleep,” she said.
Chepkoech has enjoyed exceptional success in the 2018 season, chalking up victories including breaking the world steeplechase record by eight seconds in Monaco Diamond League along the way.
Aviation consultant Michael Otieno told the Sunday Nation that his formula for killing time on a long flight is “work, read, walk around at intervals, sleep and of course finish off my crosswords backlog”.