There are few things in life that I enjoy more than flying. That being said, some long haul flight schedules at least temporarily make me dread getting on a flight. With that in mind, I thought it would be fun to share my least favorite kinds of long haul flight schedules. I’m curious how my preferences compare to those of others.
We all have different flight time preferences
Long haul travel can be exhausting, including under the best of circumstances, when traveling in comfort. Even experienced travelers struggle with jetlag, and some of us are also bad at sleeping on planes. We all have our preferred times and schedules with which we like to fly. That probably reflects our patterns at home.
For example, I’m a morning person, and it’s kind of problematic. I’m not talking about getting up at 6AM or 7AM, but rather I typically get up at 4AM without an alarm, or often even earlier. Like, when someone tells me “I had to get up at the crack of dawn,” my real question is “well why did you sleep in so late?” 😉
Now, let’s not even talk about when I go to sleep, because it’s not compatible with living in Miami. So anyway, I love morning flights. If I have a 6AM flight, that means I can sleep in like I usually would, with time to spare. Meanwhile if you put me on a flight departing at night? Ugh. Nothing good happens after 8PM!
When it comes to transatlantic flights from the US East Coast to Europe, I know a lot of people hate flights that leave at 5PM, because they depart too early for many people to get any real sleep. I totally get that. However, it’s not a problem I have, because those flights allow me to go to sleep at my usual time, and I probably arrive more well rested than most others (despite being a bad airplane sleeper).
Along those lines, I’d like to share the two types of long haul flight schedules I really don’t enjoy…
The long haul flight schedules I often take but dread
I always look forward to flying, because I’m a huge aviation geek. Furthermore, I’m lucky that I get to travel in comfort on long haul flights, thanks to miles & points. I don’t mind most long haul flight schedules, with two notable exceptions, which I’d like to share, as I’m curious if any others feel the same…
Late night North America to Asia flights
Probably somewhere around half of flights from North America to Asia leave very late at night and arrive very early in the morning. For example, take an EVA Air flight from Houston to Taipei, which is blocked at 16hr50min, departing at 11:30PM and arriving at 6:20AM two days later:
- Taking these flights requires staying up way past my bedtime, and it’s not like you actually go to sleep at 11:30PM, as it’ll realistically be at least 1:30AM (accounting for taxi time, the meal service, etc.)
- I almost never get more than six hours of sleep on a flight, no matter how long it is, so then I wake up roughly halfway to Asia; given that I’m waking up around nine hours before the 6:20AM arrival, that’s really late at night in Taipei, so then it’s another very long day
- Never mind that these flight schedules are not at all ideal in terms of hotels, because it doesn’t conform to standard check-in and check-out times
- These flights aren’t so bad if you’re a night owl and you can force yourself to stay up for the first half of the flight and sleep for the second half of the flight, but the odds of that happening for me are roughly zero
Ultimately these flights are pretty efficient, since you do have two full days on each end. They’re also great for connectivity on both ends, for those connecting.
Personally I prefer the alternative, which is usually a midday departure that arrives in Asia the following evening. I find that I always arrive feeling much better rested that way, though admittedly it’s not ideal for those with limited days off.
Early morning flights from the Middle East
At the hubs of the Middle Eastern carriers, 3AM is basically rush hour, as it’s when many long haul flights depart. That’s perfectly logical, since route networks are largely based around serving connecting passengers, and about timing flights so that they arrive and depart foreign destinations at a reasonable hour.
So as logical as it is, it’s not fun for those actually originating in the Middle East. For example, take Etihad’s 14hr20min flight form Abu Dhabi to New York, departing at 3:10AM and arriving at 9:30AM.
As much as I’m a very early morning person, that’s too early even for me. Realistically, you’re probably going to be at the airport by 1AM, and probably have to wake up well before midnight. I suspect a vast majority of people simply don’t sleep before taking these flights, and that’s not fun. I don’t know how crews at the Gulf carriers do it.
Now, I don’t mind these flights quite as much as the North America to Asia late night flights, simply because they arrive in the United States at a more reasonable hour. If I took the above Etihad flight, I’d realistically probably have a meal after takeoff, sleep for six hours, and then wake a little before 4AM New York time… that’s basically my normal schedule!
Bottom line
Airlines operate flights with all kinds of schedules, catering to different kinds of travelers. I think we all have our preferences, and as a morning person, I’m not a fan of flights that depart really late in the day.
In terms of schedule, my least favorite kinds of long haul flights are late night flights from North America to Asia, which typically leave really late, arrive really early, and are very hard to beat in terms of jetlag. I’m also not a fan of the 3AM bank of flights when departing the Middle East, assuming I’m actually originating there. They’re just too early to get any real sleep the night before.
I totally understand why these flights exist, and they’re super efficient… but I just don’t love them.
I’m curious to hear from OMAAT readers — what are your favorite/least favorite kind of long haul flight schedules?
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