Bruce McCaffrey: Surviving long-distance flights

Bruce McCaffrey Image credit: travellingloves.com

The strain that comes with long-haul flights is something that Bruce McCaffrey and other airline executives are very familiar with. That is why major airlines these days are making sure that passengers enjoy transatlantic journeys by providing them with good entertainment options, varied snack choices, overflowing beverages, and soft pillows and warm blankets. However, no matter how comfy the airplane ambience is, there will always come a point in the 18-hour non-stop flight from Newark, New Jersey, to Singapore when air travel becomes unbearable. Below are some tips to help passengers survive long-distance flights.

Carrying layers
Onboard temperature can vary, thus, bringing a sweater or a coat will be useful when the mercury drops to an almost unforgiving level. In addition, seasoned travelers like Bruce McCaffrey note that large sweaters and coats can function as blankets and pillows.


Bruce McCaffrey Image credit: thesummerlad.com

Wearing appropriate shoes
Feet tend to swell at high elevation, making shoes uncomfortable to wear. There are several ways to relieve the pressure:

• Wearing relaxed-fit or slip-on shoes
• Hydrating before and during flight
• Walking down the aisle
• Avoiding crossing legs

Seasoned travelers advise against removing shoes while walking down the aisle or when going to the lavatory. This exposes the feet to bacteria not only from the floor but also from fellow travelers.

Getting some z’s
Passengers who are on a plane for over 10 hours and hopping time zones are advised to schedule six to eight hours of rest that align with their destination’s nighttime. Sleeping will make the flight seem shorter and will keep the body in sync with the destination’s time zone.


Bruce McCaffrey Image credit: watblog.com

For more airline travel tips from Bruce McCaffrey, follow this Twitter account.

Bruce McCaffrey: Flying toward a greener airline industry

This Bruce McCaffrey blog entry discusses the notion of making the aviation industry environment-friendly.

Bruce McCaffrey Image Credit: siegfriedlaw.com

The concept of carbon emissions is never far from the airline industry. This is not a surprise as in a typical flight, CO2 is inevitably discharged. But while it is simple for governments to analyze and account for emissions from fixed sources, it is an arduous task to do so with international aviation. With planes, CO2 is released over international waters, even spanning different continents. This difficulty is one of the many hindrances to “greening” the airline industry since various governments treat aviation emissions differently, resulting to conflicting and overlapping national and regional policies.

Villanova University alumnus Bruce McCaffrey worked as an airline executive for three decades.

For the International Air Transport Association (IATA), aviation is a global industry and should be treated as such. According to the organization, the airline industry should be addressed as a global sector, meaning its emissions should be accounted for at an international level.

Bruce McCaffrey Image Credit: a57.foxnews.com

Governments should have a unified, simple, and straightforward understanding of how to handle emissions from aircrafts. They should create a body that will develop and implement global measures to address aviation emissions. These measures can include emissions trading and raising carbon funds.

It is also important for governments to agree on where emission revenues would go. In this case, IATA advises that proceeds should be reserved for environmental purposes, from which a portion will be invested for the development of fuel-efficient and sustainable aviation equipment and devices.

Bruce McCaffrey Image Credit: media.npr.org

Learn more about Bruce McCaffrey by visiting this Twitter page.