In limited circumstances, travel time may be considered hours of work. The rules on travel hours of work depend on whether an employee is covered by or exempt from the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

Whether flight time counts as work depends on whether you are the crew or a business passenger. For pilots and flight attendants, flight time is strictly regulated as "duty time" and "block time," which directly counts toward their legal work limits and pay. For regular employees traveling for business, the rules vary by country and contract. Under U.S. Department of Labor guidelines, time spent as a passenger on a flight outside of regular work hours (e.g., flying on a Sunday for a Monday meeting) is generally not considered compensable "hours worked" unless the employee is actually performing work on the plane, such as answering emails or preparing a presentation. However, if the travel occurs during the employee's standard working hours (e.g., 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM), it is usually considered work time even if they are just sitting on the plane. In 2026, many progressive European labor laws are shifting toward counting all "compulsory travel time" as work, recognizing that the employee is not free to use that time for personal purposes, but this remains a matter of specific local employment law and individual company policy.