Comments on: Sleeping pills for a flight? Don’t take them too early

By: Kelly

Kelly — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 22:58:19 +0000

I once took a sleeping pill right after take off for a long flight to Asia. Unfortunately the plane made an unexpected stop in Alaska due to weather and everyone had to get off the plane. My two friends were barely able to drag me off the plane and deposit me on the terminal floor where I slept blissfully face down until it was time to drag me back on! Luckily the only thing I lost was my dignity (yes, they did take pictures) but I still had my money and passport!

By: WPM

WPM — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 16:33:46 +0000

I took the pills too early once and got bumped from my flight. In all the excitement of getting a $600 voucher, upgraded to first class the following day and a free hotel room that night in Palm Springs, I forgot I took the pill and spent the rest of the day walking through paradise like a zombie. ;-)

By: Ron

Ron — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 13:21:38 +0000

If this gentleman was that groggy, it was best United didn’t put him on the plane. What if there was an emergency and this guy had to evacuate the plane? If he was incapable of maneuvering the tricky walk from the seating area to the jetway, how would he have handled the chaos of an emergency evacuation?

By: goingaway

goingaway — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 13:20:38 +0000

Actually, you should not take the pill until wheels are safely up and the flight commenced. Just because you are in a seat, does not mean the flight is a go by any means.

By: Firsts… and a couple of links | dipdewdog.com

Firsts… and a couple of links | dipdewdog.com — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 17:20:20 +0000

[...] Sleeping pills for a flight? Don’t take them too early. [...]

By: SirWired

SirWired — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 13:59:56 +0000

Well, kudos to United here. While it was just a sleeping pill, United did the right thing in not letting him board… that’s a looooonnnnngggg flight over a whole lot of ‘nuthin for some poor flight attendant to discover it was more than a sleeping pill.

I am pleasantly surprised that United booked him on the next days flight without hassle or fee. I guess that is the reasonable thing to do, but it’s a sad commentary that I find it surprising that the airline chose to do the right thing, since they seem to do the wrong things so often.

By: Matthew in NYC

Matthew in NYC — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 13:41:50 +0000

I actively discourage people from taking sleeping pills for flights. Almost all those plane rage incidents in premiums classes are from a bad mix of pills and liquor. If you’re going to drink, don’t medicate. If you’re going to medicate, don’t drink. If you’ve never taken the medication before, trying it on a plane is generally a bad idea because you don’t know how you’ll react in the planes pressurized, oxygen poor environment.