So, kids, here's what you do if you
DON'T want your legs to fall off after a particularly long flight in an economy-class
ANA seat that was designed for an anorexic midget:
- Get up during the flight. They tell you to stay in your seat when the seat belt light is on. When they turn it off, they tell you that you can move around. Take their advice! Ideally, you shouldn't endure an eight to fifteen-hour flight without at least getting up to sprinkle frozen urine on the Marshall Islands. Even if you don't have to pee, take a stroll around the airplane after the flight attendants' carts are put away. Check out the creepy foreign people lit up by their little seatback televisions. See if you can get the Sexy Stews' phone numbers.
- When you're seated, move your legs around from time to time. JAL has advised its passengers to rotate their feet in circles, stretching the calf muscles and the ligaments around the ankle. This is a really simple exercise, and it works to relieve the tension you get from a lack of legroom.
- If you're too big for the seat, consider a larger seat. If you have frequent flyer miles or spare cash, get an upgrade. A big buttery leather business class seat will not screw over your circulatory system like a cramped hunk of carpet and aluminum will. Plus, you get caviar and booze with the deal.
- If you're prone to blood clotting for whatever reason, take your damn anticoagulants. And if you don't have the common sense to do this, I wonder how you can afford a long-distance air ticket. (Then again, you might be a congressman.)