Long flight. No power outlet. How do you pass the time?

[mswas]

No power outlets ye Gods! You might have to read or something! My condolences, I know it’s going to be tough, but I think you’ve got the fortitude for this mission. You can get the new hot Bourne Vinci and the Children of the Phoenix, read it cover to cover in the time you’re flying and still have an hour for a nice refreshing nap!

If that doesn’t work, bake some pot cookies but make sure you either eat them all or toss them out in the lavatory before you get off the plane.

[Valgard]

@Valgard

In a scene somewhat reminiscent of “Mister Rogers” they cobbled together a close attempt using whatever was in the drink assortment.

And of course I meant “Mister Roberts”, the WW2 flick starring Henry Fonda.

I’m pretty sure that Mister Rogers never got all liquored up courtesy of a bevy of flight attendants.

Although that’d make a long flight funnier than hell.

[ForumBot]

@Martini Enfield

Having gone to and come back from the US via Auckland recently, I can assure you that you probably won’t even get through one book. The airline (Air New Zealand, FWIW) had LCDs in the headrests, and a huge selection of films- everything from Casino Royale to Night At The Museum to The Wind That Shakes The Barley to Tenacious D In The Pick Of Destiny. Add to that the TV shows, sleep, meals, and staring out the window (I love the view of the earth and the clouds from 30,000 feet), and I hardly touched my copy of Lawrence of Arabia: The Authorised Biography.

:mad: I spent 12 hours on a plane from Amsterdam and got to see some movie about a white lady who rescues black kids from the inner city. Praise be to the white savior! But it cost $5 for their proprietary headphones, so instead I read. Fucking United Airlines.

My flight three years earlier on Delta let me watch Cheaper by the Dozen and Stuck on You.

You really don’t realize how abysmal American air travel really is.

[Rick]

@Duckster

This cannot be overstated. Be nice to the flight crew from the start. Engage them in conversation when you can. Empathize with them. In the middle of the night when they come thru with 2am snacks (they always did when I flew between Oz and the States), stand up, walk to the kitchen and try and start a polite conversation.

I did that on every flight and it pays dividends. On one flight I ended up next to a screaming infant and its parents oblivious to mayhem their child was causing. I did not complain but endured. The flight attendants couldn’t move me because cattle car class on that flight was packed. So I got extra attention - blankets, pillows, food, etc. And since I didn’t whine about it, at flight’s end I was presented with full bottles of one red and one white wine from first class. It was the best they had aboard.

Ever since that flight, I still purchased cattle car class tickets but used my frequent flyer miles to upgrade to business class, with its extra room and more toys. I continued to be polite to the flight crews on those flights and always had fun. There really never were any long flights as a result.

I agree. If you can get a flight attendant talking ask them to tell you some stories of passengers they have had. You could laugh your way all the way across the Pacific. One thing I have said that breaks the ice, is after the food service, if you are in the galley, tell them you would like to complement them on serving dinner to 250 of their closest personal friends.
Many times just shooting the shit like this is good for a bottle of champagne, or wine.

[Argent_Towers]

@kanicbird

I don’t know how practical this option is but if your DVD player has a DC power in plug with a voltage close multiple to a standard multiple 1.5V battery, you may try to construct a battery pack using standard D cells Alkakine batteries.

I suggest creating a large battery pack wrapped in black electrical tape with random, unnecessary wires protruding from it. And maybe even a small digital timer attached to it so you can tell how much time you have left before the batteries run out.

[Jayn_Newell]

@gfloyd

They aren’t supposed to do that on flights originating in the US. When I worked in a yarn store, I always advised wooden or plastic needs, generally circulars if possible. I never heard anyone getting them taken and that was post 9/11. Small nail clippers also work for cutting thread and aren’t confiscated, normally.

You could also see if your local craft store has something like this. Works great and difficult to hurt someone with without a considerable amount of momentum behind it.

[Maastricht]

@gfloyd

They aren’t supposed to do that on flights originating in the US. When I worked in a yarn store, I always advised wooden or plastic needs, generally circulars if possible. I never heard anyone getting them taken and that was post 9/11. Small nail clippers also work for cutting thread and aren’t confiscated, normally.

I just giggled myself silly at the mental image of Osama the Terrorist threatening the board crew with a wooden knitting needle, a set of plastic blunt-tipped embroidery scissors, a 0ne-inch nailclipper and a toothpick: “Turn zis plane around, or <brings nailclipper closer to the stewardess’ neck> this infidel gets it!”

[mswas]

Steve Wozniak gets onto planes with his metal business cards. If you want to hijack a plane just make some metal business cards.

[D_Odds]

@Waverly

You don’t know how to entertain yourself without power? If you aren’t old enough to drink yourself silly, you can masturbate like crazy.

Are these mutually exclusive?

That said, I thought the same smartypants answer, but got to the thread too late. Some of us are old enough to have been on many flights sans electronic devices. Surprisingly, we survived (personally, I think they just drugged the airline food. Must’ve, as it couldn’t taste that nasty on its own. Now that one is lucky to get a 1/2 bag of stale, non-nut-containing snack mix for every 24 hours flown along with water left over from cooling the engines, less options to slip in the drugs)

[kanicbird]

@Argent Towers

I suggest creating a large battery pack wrapped in black electrical tape with random, unnecessary wires protruding from it. And maybe even a small digital timer attached to it so you can tell how much time you have left before the batteries run out.

While I believe that may be totally legal to bring on a US based aircraft you may want to check if that’s the case in your country.