Is it better to fly long-haul day or night?

Time your sleep and drinks Assuming you're adjusted to the time zone the flight departs from, daytime flights will make sleep on board much harder, whereas nighttime flights make sleep easier. All humans have a circadian (24-hour) time-keeping system, which programs us for sleep at night and wakefulness during the day.



Choosing between a day or night flight for long-haul travel involves a trade-off between comfort and jet lag management. Night flights (often called "red-eyes") are generally preferred for eastbound travel (e.g., USA to Europe) because they allow you to sleep during the journey and arrive in the morning, theoretically helping you sync with the new time zone immediately. The cabin is typically quieter, and the perceived flight time feels shorter. However, if you cannot sleep well on planes, you may arrive "exhausted" and lose your first day. Day flights are often better for westbound travel (e.g., Europe to USA) because they keep you awake during the daylight hours, making it easier to stay up until a normal local bedtime upon arrival, which is a proven way to beat jet lag. Day flights also offer better meal service and more opportunities to move around the cabin, reducing the risk of stiffness. Ultimately, if you are a "pro sleeper," take the night flight; if you are sensitive to sleep disruption, the day flight is the safer bet.

People Also Ask

Just like us after a night of good sleep, airline circulation is freshest in the morning. If your flight departs in the morning, you are less likely to be affected by delays that stack up during the day and push back or cancel departure times.

MORE DETAILS

The process is largely controlled by computer software and is increasingly being bolstered by AI, so price changes can happen at any second. That's why there's no specific time of day — or even a specific day of the week, for that matter — that's best for booking cheap flights.

MORE DETAILS

Statistics say that flights during the early morning or night are less turbulent than day-time flights. These red-eye flights mean you can worry less and catch up on much-needed sleep due to a smoother flight and less worrying about turbulence.

MORE DETAILS

It might be surprising to learn that turbulence is actually worse in the daytime. In the early morning and night time, wind speeds typically reduce, and thunderstorms clear up. Avoid turbulence and catch up on some sleep by choosing flights with an early morning or red-eye departure!

MORE DETAILS

The airlines use the last hours of the day and the first hours of the night to catch up on delays and ensure their aircraft are in the right place for the next day. Night Flights allow the budget airlines and the non-scheduled airlines (usually operating holiday charter flights) to make full use of their aircraft.

MORE DETAILS

Nighttime is one of the best times to fly. The winds die down, and the thermal turbulence dissipates, leaving a sky full of stars and a smooth ride. Night flying can be an absolute pleasure, but for many people, especially those that don't do it often, it can also be a source of anxiety.

MORE DETAILS

The benefit of a red-eye flight is that it maximizes your time both at home and at your destination — you're flying through the night rather than losing a day to travel. That often saves you the cost of an extra night in a hotel. Red-eyes are often cheaper than day flights, too, helping travelers save money.

MORE DETAILS

As daylight heating gives way to nighttime cooling, the air generally becomes smoother and convective weather dissipates, providing a better ride for passengers and less work for pilots.

MORE DETAILS

For easier leisure travel, consider Wednesday and Thursday, excludes Thanksgiving Weekend. Saturdays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays also come in as the cheapest days to fly, because they're not popular travel days.

MORE DETAILS

TSA is projecting to screen 2.6 million passengers on Tuesday, Nov. 21; 2.7 million passengers on Wednesday, Nov. 22 and 2.9 million passengers on Sunday, Nov. 26, which will likely be the busiest travel day.

MORE DETAILS

Mid-morning and early evening flights are often more expensive – though this trend isn't quite as set in stone as the cheapest days to fly. If you're looking to save, early morning, midday, or late-night flights can often be the cheapest time to fly.

MORE DETAILS

The more unusual the color is, the more the person is looking for attention and to be noticed — especially red, Meyers said. On the other hand, people who wear dark and muted colors like black, gray and brown are trying consciously or subconsciously not to stick out.

MORE DETAILS

Accident statistics suggest that flying by night accounts for about 10% of the general aviation accidents, but 30% of the fatalities.

MORE DETAILS

It might be surprising to learn that turbulence is actually worse in the daytime. In the early morning and night time, wind speeds typically reduce, and thunderstorms clear up. Avoid turbulence and catch up on some sleep by choosing flights with an early morning or red-eye departure!

MORE DETAILS

Take the red eye for a less crowded airport and flight Then again, most red-eye fans know that you often have more room to spread out on a late night flight. When you're flying solo, it's not unheard of to end up with a row entirely to yourself! The airports also clear out later at night.

MORE DETAILS

The simple answer is yes, pilots do, and are allowed to sleep during flight but there are strict rules controlling this practice. Pilots would only normally sleep on long haul flights, although sleep on short haul flights is permitted to avoid the effects of fatigue.

MORE DETAILS

Some pilots prefer night flights because they find it more peaceful and calming. The stars in the sky, the lack of other aircraft around, and a sense of solitude can be quite enjoyable for some.

MORE DETAILS

Those irregular motions in the atmosphere create air currents that can cause passengers on an airplane to experience annoying bumps during a flight, or it can be severe enough to throw an airplane out of control. (The pilots) aren't scared at all.

MORE DETAILS

What is the safest seat on an airplane? According to a TIME investigation from 2015 that examined 35 years of aircraft accident data, the middle seats at the back of the plane had the lowest fatality rate at 28%.

MORE DETAILS