A red-eye flight is a flight that flies at night and usually departs at midnight and lands early the next morning. With red-eye flights, you don’t have to stay at a hotel because the hotel flies at night. Red-eye flights are not suitable for all travelers and may be cheaper than day trips. In this article, I’ll reveal five strategies I employ to handle and improve the comfort of red-eye flights.
Before doing so, let’s look at the benefits and drawbacks of red-eye flights in case you’re unsure whether to take one or not.
The Advantages and Disadvantages of Red-Eye Flights
The drawbacks of red-eye flights are pretty obvious, so let’s look at the advantages first.
For me, the biggest advantage of a red-eye flight is that I can maximize time both at the origin and at the destination. Day trips may require you to sacrifice productive time, but with red eyes, you can work (or enjoy) a day before boarding the flight. Then you can spend the day with both at your destination.
Another advantage of red-eye flights is that you spend the night by plane instead of a hotel, which saves you money on accommodation.
This is not always the case, but red-eye flights are often cheaper than day trips on the same date and route.
On the other hand, these night flights can put a strain on your body, even if you sleep well. Also, no matter how many time zones you cross, your schedule can get confused. Especially if you don’t follow the first of the five tips below.
5 Tips for Coping with Red-Eye Flights
While red-eye flights will never – regardless of whether you are traveling in the economy or first class – be as comfortable as nights in your own bed, here are some tips to make them slightly easier to get through.
1. Have a Commitment Shortly After Your Red-Eye Arrives
I frequently feel sleepy soon after a red-eye flight, so it’s nothing new for me. To prevent disrupting my routine, I do my best to avoid doing it as much as feasible (and wasting time at my destination).
I think it’s pretty easy to resist the temptation to sleep at your destination in the morning. Of course, I’m looking forward to going out and seeing the city and the planes. However, in most cases, there is also a “logistic barrier” given that hotel check-in times are in the afternoon. The more difficult case is when your own bed arrives at the house waiting for you.
In any case, however, I think the best way to stay awake on the first day at the time you should wake up is the most important when dealing with red-eye flight, but it imposes a duty. That is. On the calendar.
It can be as easy as choosing a restaurant to have breakfast and deciding to go shopping. Or, if possible, an early lunch with a friend, a business meeting, a tour, or something else that makes you responsible.
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2. Skip the Meal Service to Maximize Sleep
Don’t be afraid to give up your free meal when you fly on a low cost carrier. However, if you are on a full-service airline, meal service may be provided even on 5-hour flights departing after midnight.
Eating late at night is generally not a good idea, but it’s even worse on a red-eye flight because it’s not intended for puns. It consumes your precious sleep time. The same is true if breakfast is served on board instead of dinner-skip it, maximize sleep, and eat on the ground instead.
Given how slow the in-flight service is, it can give you an extra hour (or more) of sleep. It’s a good idea to bring one or two treats in case you’re hungry during the flight. And be sure to bring a bottle of water.
Depending on how well you sleep in a bright and noisy environment, you can also pack a set of headphones (or earplugs) and an eye mask.
3. Keep Your Seatbelt Fastened At All Times
It should go without saying that you should always wear your seatbelt when sitting, regardless of whether the seatbelt sign is on or off, in case there is unanticipated turbulence.
When it comes to overnight flights and sleeping on them, though, it’s also a matter of comfort.
Put your seatbelt on properly before sleeping. Alternatively, attach it over your blanket rather than under it. In this method, you won’t have to be awakened each time the cabin crew checks seatbelts when the pilot turns on the seatbelt sign.
This holds true even if you’re fortunate enough to get a whole seat to yourself. Make careful to buckle your seatbelt in addition to lying down and drifting off to sleep. If you’re using a blanket, simply wrap it around your waist and fasten the center seat.
4. Choose a Window or a Middle-Section Aisle Seat
Choosing the proper seat is another approach to improve the comfort of your overnight flight, especially if you’re traveling in economy.
By all means, choose a window seat if you don’t mind doing so.
You won’t be disturbed by someone getting up from their seat to use the restroom if they do it that way. Additionally, you will be able to lean against the side of the airplane, which may aid in improving your quality of sleep.
In case you prefer to sit in an aisle seat – whether because of the easy access to an aisle or the slightly better ability to stretch out than in a window seat – go for a middle section aisle seat towards the back of the aircraft.
Aisle seats by the window wake you up each time your neighbor leaves your seat, but if your neighbor has the opportunity to escape twice, this is less likely to happen. Also, planes tend to fill up from front to back, so you may be lucky enough to have an empty seat next to you.
On addition to the aforementioned, you may naturally want to think about selecting a seat in the emergency exit row, which typically has a lot of legroom. Remember that even if many seats are available on your flight, you won’t be able to stretch across them because the armrests in those seats are typically immovable.
5. Choose an “Ungodly Hour” Departure Over a Late Evening Departure
Lastly, if you have the choice between a flight departing at, say 10 PM and arriving at 4 AM, and a flight departing at 1 AM and arriving at 7 AM, I recommend going for the latter.
It also means that you’re ready to fall asleep as soon as you board, even if you’re having a hard time staying up to departure. In addition, you can take a nap in the gate area or lounge before boarding.
An additional benefit of using public transport to and from the airport is that it is much easier to catch a bus or train after 7:00 am arrival than after 4:00 am arrival. And you can have breakfast right away and do whatever you need to do instead of waiting the next morning.
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