At the time of writing this article, I am somewhere over the Northern Territory near Darwin at 38000 feet with another 4620km to go before reaching Hong Kong. Since there is no in-flight access to the Internet this article would have been published some time after I landed. That’s not such a big deal for me though as I have plenty of games, podcasts and university lecture notes to keep me occupied.
One thing that has been vital is access to in-flight power. Sure, my iPad once put into flight mode should be able to last the entire flight with a single charge but nevertheless keeping the battery topped up on both my iPhone and iPad gives me one less thing to worry about when I land.
In-Flight Charging
The Cathay Pacific flight I am on (which is CX110 if you’re interested) has power available in every seat (including economy) but you will need an adapter to convert power for your device. At the moment, I am using a 4USB charger with a UK duck head (as I wasn’t sure if the Australian duck head would fit) to charge both my devices. Power is delivered at 110V which is within the acceptable range for this charger. As the name might suggest, the 4USB charger can charge four devices over USB simultaneously from one socket. Of course, as you add devices the amperage does drop off and charging may take a little longer as a result.
4USB charger with duck heads
4USB Output Ratings
Nonetheless, some power is better than none. I managed to pickup a few of the 4USB chargers on Zazz earlier in the week and they already proven to be very handy.
So if you are on a long-haul flight and you prefer your own entertainment devices over what the airline provides then check if they have in-flight power and get yourself a universal charger. It might stop you going stir-crazy!
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