Many airlines happily serve alcohol...

As a passenger I'd be very worried to find someone stumbling about the aeroplane while munching on a bread roll and yelling about how the cabin crew are all lizards and the pilot has turned into a jellyfish.Whatever you think you need this for, I'd find another way.

It is of course a long flight, but a dozen tablets (in total? Of each?) sounds a lot in the context of what is probably around about a 24 hour trip. Have you checked the airline’s rules? And Australian Border Force rules, if you land with a supply abf.gov.au/entering-and-leaving-australia/can-you-bring-it-i‌​n/…

@Jon Custer True, but to protect the safety of the crew and other passengers they also have regulations about passengers who become disruptive as a result of alcohol or drug intoxication. Airlines have a right to refuse to carry passengers that they consider to be a potential risk to the safety of the aircraft, its crew or its passengers, and fines/prison sentences can be imposed for disruption, depending on the severity. Disruptive passengers may also be asked to reimburse the airline with the cost of a diversion, should one be deemed necessary.

@Traveller - it is certainly incumbent on the OP to be sure how the medication will affect them in advance of getting on the plane. As an example, friends of ours were going to fly with their young son, and heard from other parents that a little benadryl would calm the child for the flight. They had never used benadryl on their child. Well, it turns out that some people (including children) are actually made hyperactive by benadryl. Including their son, but they had not tested before taking off.

If I may, my first question would be why do you need that medication? Is it because you want something to help you sleep? Is it because you are nervous/afraid of flying? Is it because you have an existing condition? Is this a treatment you already use or is it just something new for this specific trip?

@jcaron Why is any of that (a) relevant, or (b) your business?

A dozen tablets, though? Of both Xanax and Ambien? Are you sure your doctor is a real doctor? 🤣😬

@AsteroidsWithWings As you see, many comments and answers talk a lot about having tried those beforehand. Someone who usually takes this kind of medication is probably more aware of how they react to it than someone who never uses them. And if it's just to sleep or deal with jet lag, I believe there are less potent medications (with less side effects), which could be a better alternative, though I have personally never tried either.

@jcaron The question is about legality, not about medical reactions. There is no on-topic reason to query the OP's private medical details.

I might note that this combination and dosing sounds like a wild and heavy-handed guess when airplanes make you nervous than a solution you would repeat after having done it. Everything I've heard about Xanax is that if you take a 10 pill prescription, you can get addicted within 5 pills. I would not want to face the aftermath of this prescription.

Also, have you explored non-pharmaceutical solutions like asking the help of a good counselor? I personally do not use the "Calm" phone app, but I've heard it's the happiest app on the app store.

@Traveller the flip side of passengers becoming disruptive during flights is passengers drugging themselves out during the flight. This actually makes them a safety hazard as they are no longer able to respond to requests/commands from the flight crew, which is an issue, mores during an emergency.

I've also used Ambien, and while my doctor has told me basically to tolerate its side effects for one night, I would not want to make airline stewardesses deal with me when facing some of the worse effects of a single dose.

@Traveller General strategy note: Don't ask your doctor for the most they would be willing to prescribe to medicate you. Explain the situation and then ask your doctor what the best approach you can get would be. You might not be attracted by a lower dose or not combining Xanax and Ambien, but doctors have dealt with stressed-out people before and may know how to give you "just what the doctor ordered."

@Christos Hayward Thanks for the tip, not something I foresee ever wanting or needing to ask my doctor for. The OP’s earlier questions indicate some familiarity with getting a prescription of this nature.

@JonCuster +1 Yes. Been there, done that. Luckily, I gave the kid Benadryl at home. He was hyper for a few hours. Unfortunately, his dad didn't see it and I kept having to tell him that Benadryl was contra-indicated.

More important is whether you have adverse reaction to those, some people do to Ambien. Did you mean combining both Xanax and Ambien? I certainly wouldn't wait until a flight to find out.

@Studoku LOL!, but seriously I hope he's not renting a car at the airport.