• Hydrate. The air inside the plane is horribly dry. At least you need to drink, it does not hurt to use moisturizer (I use Aveeno Daily Moisturizing Lotion, 2.5 oz -- small enough to carry onboard and it was recommended to me by my pharmacist) and saline nose drops. And you need to drink a real lot -- one glass (about 8oz) every hour. That means on a ten hour transatlantic flight a two liter water bottle should empty out. Buy water at the airport, it can get a bit difficult to ask an FA (Flight Attendant) hourly for water. Avoid AMS (Schiphol, Amsterdam) if you can because they moved the security screening to the gate and you can't buy water after (not to mention that the security guards are one of most impolite I ever met, I only filed written complains re security people at Ben Gurion and Schiphol. Go figure.).
• Have emergency food. One of my flights was a super short Boston-New York flight (I was connecting to something else, that's why I was flying) and it got diverted and it became a four hour flight and Continental have not had any food on board. Another time, on a Chicago - Vancouver flight I barely catched and had no time to stack up at the airport, there was again no food, not even for money. So make very sure you have your own supply. I usually have a bunch of Zone Bars.
• Sleep. The Skyrest pillow looks goofy, but practical beats goofy. I love the thing. These collars just do not work for me. Others say that the Komfort Kollar works. Do not take a sleeping pill! That's extremely dangerous, if there is a problem and you need to get out of the plane quick then you do not want to be groggy.
• Have comfy clothing. Once again, practical beats goofy. You sit ten hours on a plane, better be in your most comfy clothing.
• Understand the reasons behind security rules. Why do you think they demand putting away all electronics when taking off and touching down? Because these are the dangerous moments of the flight and they want you to be attentive and not scramble with your precious gadget if there is trouble. Not to mention that they do not want laptops flying around like artillery shells inside (same reason for tucking every baggage away)... So, while taking off and touching down, indeed put everything away and be attentive. In case of trouble, assume one of the two brace safe positions. It saves lives, I have read that teaching passengers these caused a huge drop in the fatalities after a crash. The reason behind fastening your seatbelt? When airborne, if the plane drops your body will adhere to the laws of physics you will crash with the ceiling of the plane. It happened just this summer on a United plane. Someone banged her head on the wall of the plane hard enough that the plastic cracked. Just keep your belt on. Finally before sitting down count the number of rows to the nearest exit so that you can find it even when the plane is filled with smoke. More on wikihow.

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