Iberia is adjusting the schedule on one of its routes to the United States, and I’m a huge fan of this change…
Continue reading: Love: Iberia Launches Reverse Redeye Flight To United States
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Seems odd given the plane will be on the ground for what 8 hours in Dallas. I imagine that's part of the reason airlines don't do this as well. Unless they are planning some interesting 5th Freedom route to Central America it doesn't seem very effecient.
As someone who doesn't sleep on planes, this sounds like a nightmare. Red-eyes in both directions? I'd avoid at all costs.
I know the airlines will never do this for the sake of connecting efficiency, but given the flight is landing in DFW at 6:15am, I'd love to see it turn and fly back out DFW-MAD departing around 8am and arriving around midnight. The daytime flights to Europe from the east coast are amazing and there's no equivalent from mid-country.
Technically not the only Europe-US red eye. TK has a IST-MIA frequency that departs Istanbul at 2am and arrives in Miami at 7am
What about TK111 departs Instanbul 00:30 and arrives JFK 04:30? I just found about this a few weeks ago.
@ 305 -- Great point. I updated the post to clarify that I'm referring to Western Europe, because you're totally right about Turkish. Thanks!
This always adds an extra hotel night leaving MAD, even with some hotels generous checkout policies, or you're at the airport way early or schlepping your bags all over creation.
You also have to pay for an extra hotel night in DFW arriving so early in the morning, unless you live in DFW or are going straight to the office.
Personally I don't care either way, but these are some of the drawbacks I've seen when I've had these types of flights to other non-US destinations.
Aeromexico has several reverse redeye flights (ie: London to Mexico City leaving London around 11:00pm and landing around 4:00am). I loved it as it gave me another day in London before heading to US via Mexico.
You are omitting storing bags at the hotel which IME is very common. For instance, when in this situation, my go to is: check out and store bags with bell desk; lunch, afternoon activity, and perhaps early dinner (or tapas as here); then return to hotel, pick up bags, and proceed to airport. Works equally well if traveling on business and you can't bring our stuff to the client site. This doesn't cost anything extra (except tip for bell hops).
Regarding arrival, given the timing, I would assume most people taking this are either connecting or will be proceeding to a work site or to their home. But you're right that it could be tough if they did not have an arrangement for early checkin with the hotel.
I don't get why this is so special or rare. I have flown on such an Aeromexico flight from FCO. It was helpful in allowing me to easily connect from elsewhere in Europe without having to wake up at stupid o'clock, but sleeping in a bed is almost always preferable to any flat seat on a plane... and that's before one thinks about the plight of those unlucky enough to fly in Y.
Cool stuff but it kills the redeye there, which I’m very happily taking this summer. I couldn’t think of a better departure time for DFW-MAD and maximizing sleep.
Most hotels are more than happy to hold your bags for you even after you check out. And I'm not sure how you'd have an extra hotel night in Dallas? There's plenty of early morning connections out of Dallas allowing you to get most anywhere in the US by noon...
There’s nothing efficient about taking a red-eye flight out of Madrid if you’re a visitor.
Most hotels require check-out by midday, and even with elite status, the best you can usually get is a late checkout until around 4 PM. After that? You’re stuck with a huge gap of time—often eight hours or more—before your flight. What are you supposed to do? Book the room for an extra night just to kill time? Camp out at the airport for half a day? It’s a miserable experience either way.
These kinds of departure times might make sense if you live in the destination, but for travelers, they’re brutal. I avoid them whenever possible—they’re just not worth the hassle. I hate em and avoid them at all cost.
Wait, what? Lol. You leave your luggage at the hotel, go find yourself a nice place to work from with a glass of wine in the sun; join colleagues, friends, business partners for an early dinner for Spain; collect luggage, easy ride to the airport due to no traffic; check-in, lounge, off you go.
Easy-peasy.
Or you could do literally anything else with your time - see the city, have a nice dinner, go to the office, etc.
Were you seriously unable to think of other things besides staying in a hotel room or going to the airport early?
I ask genuinely: do Americans not know you can store bags at the hotel? I mean, you can rent a car to drive around in if you feel scared about walking on your two legs.
I can see how hanging out in Dallas is a problem. It's not a problem in civilized parts of the world.
I mean, you can rent a car to drive around in if you feel scared about walking on your two legs.
Iberia has operated this late night bank from Madrid for years. Up until now it's been to Mexico City, Buenos Aires, Santiago, Lima. Leaves late at night from Madrid, enabling connectivity from all of Europe, arrives early in the Americas, then leaves midday arriving Madrid early allowing connectivity to all of Europe. These Dallas schedules mirror those long standing Latin American destinations. First time in the US though. I think it's a great schedule. Great connectivity at both ends in Madrid and in DFW to AA flights. It's perfect
Or head to the airport mid-morning, check in - leaving your bags with the airline or in an airport locker if you're just doing carryon - and then go spend the day doing something in the northeast part of the city.
Bueno! This is excellent news IMO. I use the MAD-MEX redeye about 3-4x a year, with a connection back into the states. This gives me a full work day in and a business dinner and/hor drinks meeting in Madrid before flying home, plus I get home in time for a full workday on the other end.
Not a fan. Arriving anywhere at 5:30AM is never pleasurable. For me at least. My ideal for TATL is to Europe as late as possible in the evening and sleep right away avoiding all food, etc. Return to the U.S. at 5PM or so with an arrival mid-late evening. Easier to adjust, easier to manage, and you get nearly full days in both places.
There is nothing about this idea that I find attractive.
I wish there were more day frights Eastbound across the Atlantic. I know AA had a day flight from JFK to LHR, not sure if it still goes.
Flights out of Doha, Dubai, Delhi and a bunch of other cities that don't start with a D often leave at midnight or 1am. In fact that is usually the busiest time / bank of flights at those airports because those flights will get to Europe in the morning -- i.e., a westbound flight leaving at midnight for a morning arrival just like this MAD-DFW.
Yes, they can be a hassle at times, but they are very common outside of the TATL corridor.
What's all the drivel about walking on two legs?
Leaving anywhere, even if you leave your bags at the hotel, and yes I do leave my bags at the hotel for a late night flight, at just before 1am is a PITA.
Normally you've been up all day, either sightseeing, doing business, seeing friends/relatives, had a few glasses of wine (if you drink) with dinner. It's tiring, just like your snotty comments.
Just adding this tidbit; Losing a good night of sleep while travelling Westbound means poor sleep and a 6 hour longer day. Kind of the worst thing for jetlag.
If I lived in Dallas, I wouldn't like to take the MAD-DFW leaving so late. That might mean 2 red eyes for the round trip.
If I lived in Madrid, I wouidn't like to the MAD-DFW because no hotel will be ready that early. A few hotels in the US may have a room that early and they are usually nice about early checkin.
The chances of me taking the red eye to DFW is zero. If I lived in poorly served markets, like Amarillo TX or Lubbock TX, maybe.
I just like having choice. Sometimes a flight like this works for me, sometimes it doesn't.
If you live in Madrid or Dallas, it may work for you fine, same if you're on business or connecting, or simply want to maximize your time in Madrid at a cost of booking a cheap night at a hotel or using points.
Also, MAD-DFW flight time is 10h40 so plenty of time for a good night's sleep, unlike on the eastbound sector. So a pretty comfortable red-eye if in J...
If you are using MEX as a transfer point to the U.S. and claiming you get a full day of work on arrival I am left with confusion. You arrive in MEX at the ungodly hour of 3:30AM on AeroMexico and then connect to what? To where? Seems the best is you get in early to mid afternoon. Ok? That is not a full day of work and just briefly before a non-stop in the morning from MAD might leave. Makes no sense to me unless I am missing something.
Dependsn if you are in business or main cabin. A full night's rest in lie flat bed. Yes.
Dependsn if you are in business or main cabin. A full night's rest in lie flat bed. Yes.
I can see how it's a PITA, but that has nothing to do with needing extra hotel nights at BOTH ends of the trip. But thanks anyway for moving the goalposts of your original comment.
I guess I might be in the minority here but I will 100% avoid those. Having to wait late nights to get on a flight only to arrive at the crack of dawn, not having a hotel room ready, and very likely having slept poorly between turbulences, cabin announcements etc and having to be up all day after that... I won't compete with you for awards on those hah!
As I type this, there is a westbound transatlantic redeye flight in the air from the second busiest airport in Europe to the US: Turkish Airlines Flight 111 left IST at 12:45am local IST time and is scheduled to arrive in NYC at JFK at 4:40am local JFK time.
Meh.
I hate those kind of flights, whether I have a flatbed or not.
Morning or afternoon departures and an afternoon (or depending on the location, evening) arrival always works better for me.
I think people are projecting their own preferences onto the rest of humanity.
I appreciate that in the USA and some other countries, a substantial proportion of the population goes to bed at 21:30 or something like that. However, that's definitely not the case in other places, and indeed people in Spain tend to stay up until much later. For those of us who never sleep before midnight, 01:00 is an ideal departure time as it means lots of time for a nice meal in the city, followed by a few drinks in the lounge and a level of fatigue that makes it easier to fall asleep just after take off. On the other hand, a 17:00 eastbound from ORD or whatever is super inconvenient because my bedtime more or less conicides with its arrival into Europe and I then have to get through an entire day on a tiny amount of sleep.
JFK, EWR, BOS and YHZ. There used to be daylights from YYZ, IAD and ORD, but those (if I remember correctly) never came back after the pando.
Agreed. Airport terminals at 1am or hotel lobbies at 7am (when you don't have a room until 2pm) are miserable places to be.
I like it. IB has a decent arrival bank starting at around 21:30. While it’s not ideal for local MAD-DFW crowd, the connections on these hub-to-hub flights are usually more important and make up a bigger mixture of the traffic. Now someone can fly ATH-MAD-DFW-LAX, depart Athens at 20:00 and arrive in LAX the next morning at just past 09:00. Full day in Greece, full day in Los Angeles.
It’s not going to be for everyone (what in the travel world ever is?) but given the connecting power of both MAD and DFW, I think it will attract enough people to make it a success.
Avoid at all costs!
I once did this on Business trip to SAO, straight to the office an meetings after a 06:00 am arrival. Really difficult to get through the day.
Totally out of the question for leisure travel in Y.
Creates problems with check- out or check-in in hotels as well as issues with luggage storage, especially if staying in AirBnBs
Probably outweighed by the extended idle time on the ground in DFW, but this flight will also be very cheap to cater. I doubt they will even offer a full Dinner Service with that sort of departure time.
In that respect, this flight will also fail to deliver a full Business Class experience.
Does anyone know, if at least there is an AA arrival lounge, which may be used when arriving on IB?
"Now someone can fly ATH-MAD-DFW-LAX" No kidding it's not for everyone!!! I might do it if it cost 4000 AAdvantage points in J.... 🙂
Horrible! I love day time flights and, so far, at least the westbound was always a day time flight. I love day time eastbound, but they become increasingly scarce.
Day time flights allow me to adjust quickly. Also it is possible to check in to the hotel upon arrival, without any waiting.
Most of the westbound lights from Tel Aviv to the USA are also 'reverse redeyes', leaving TLV between midnight and 1am.
When I have flights leaving after midnight, I just cough up for an extra hotel night. It might sound wasteful but the thought of having to be out and about for, say, 12 hours between hotel checkout and the flight is too much for me.
Crack of dawn arrivals only really work for me if I'm on the return flight home. I'd never choose a schedule like that for an outbound flight.
To make it truly work you'd want a true red eye both ways. Not sure a Spanish carrier could operate a return-flight south of Dallas or to LAX to use the aircraft on the 12-something so that the return flight leaves after 5pm.
Do US authorize fifth freedom flights from their territory ?
I, for one, will be taking this flight regularly when needed to connect to non-hub US destinations. Love the timing and have a full day in Madrid. I wish there were more flights like this!
Aeromexico has been doing this for years from AMS, LHR, MAD, CDG, and now FCO. Not a new concept, and it's very successful. Glad to see someone else waking up to a much better way to come back from Europe to North America
More like hate than love from me. Unless you're in business class, these overnight flights can be awful and doing it both ways would suck. As only a small percentage have the means to do such a flight in Business class, that means an extra night in economy for most people and that's especially undesirable in IB versus, say, Emirates.
Not to mention that the westbound flight is going to mess with your circadian rhythms if you insist on a night's sleep during that flight. Hard pass.
Late night flights from Europe to get to the US are useful for some visits to Europe when a person wants to be in Europe for dinner but needs to get out as soon as the dinner is done. I’ve enjoyed being able to take the late TK flight from AMS after having had dinner or dinner events in Europe and be back in the US early enough the next day to get to in-person business in the US by or before 10:30am strikes.
I have done this with TK’s IST-ORD and IST-JFK flights and it’s possible also with TK’s IST-MIA flights.
For non London airports it could be a way to get flights to the USA and bypass the curfews. To have a 0230 flight from MAN or EDI to the US get there at 0600 means you could get the last train in for check in and attend a meeting 6 hours earlier in New York faster than London where the earliest would be 1300.
From MEX, it’s worked to get to Houston, Miami, Atlanta and some other places so as to get into work no later than 10:30am. 6-8 hours of work thereafter can constitute getting a full day’s work done.
Dennis L (mia), have you taken it to MIA? It can work if you leave LHR for IST at 5 or 6pm and then take IST-MIA an hour or so later.
When you travel, do you spend most of your time in a hotel that 9 hours out is too much?
Some airlines do not allow you to check in that early before your flight. Some airports do not have lockers. And all of this proves my point - having to put yourself out to kill time before gawdawful departure time.
Wait—what? LOL. Incredible… apparently none of those brilliant activities crossed anyone’s mind during the actual visit. Shocking, I know. Meanwhile, colleagues were smart enough to book earlier flights, and business partners? Yeah, they have these things called families and lives to get back to. But sure, let’s store luggage for 10–12 hours and spend the day sweating, overheating, and slowly losing the will to live just to kill time before a flight. Sounds like a dream.
From an International Air Transport Authority perspective, Tel Aviv is considered Europe.
The IOC does so as well BTW.
So after spending a week or more vacationing in that locale, a visitor literally has done none of those activities and so they are going to do them on the last day. Really? Amazing.
On their last day, most visitors just want to check out of their hotels, head to the airport and get home. Having to spend the same amount of time that could have been spent flying back home on useless filler activities while they wait for their ridiculous departure time is such a waste.
AA has a non-stop back to MAD at 5 pm, or connecting through LHR at 9pm. Don't have to take IB on the way back
I like the long-haul redeye flights since it makes it much easier for me to sleep on the plane and also helps me adjust to the time change quicker. A reverse red-eye option back from Europe is welcome, though this particular one does nothing to help me.
See people taking it by their personal experience. There will just one redeye Europe-DFW amongst tenths of day time flights. Even for this city pair there's still is a daytime MAD-DFW on AA.
I believe OneWorld is nailing it by offering a redeye westbound, there will be more than enough people that will like it, both connecting and O&D traffic. More options to choose from is always good for consumers
Without curfews, we'd see some more TATL westbound redeyes out of LHR, AMS and FRA, especially city pairs with multiple daily flights.
1 am departure is rough, 5:30 am arrival before stuff opens is worse. That's the reason why these flights don't exist: nobody books them the moment there's an alternative that's timed more sanely.
You get a full day of work in those flights AND you arrive rested. Far better option.
I disagree. The point of a redeye (despite the moniker) is to try to sleep through the flight. This only works if it's a nonstop.
In your theoretical example, that poor pax would depart ATH at 8pm, then wake up at around 10pm (his time), try to stay awake in the airport for 1-2 hours before boarding and trying to sleep, then waking up in DFW, go through customs, wait another 1-2 hrs for flight to LAX, which at 4 hours will be just long enough to snooze off and be woken up before any actual deep sleep.
At the end, you've arrived in LAX after 1 short hop, 1 long haul, and 1 medium haul, being woken up twice, spending several hours at multiple airports in the middle of the night unable to sleep, only to arrive into LAX at a later time than if you just took a non-stop or 1-stop. You haven't saved any time, and you'd be so wrecked in LA that you'd waste a day just recovering.
FWIW I'm a big fan of red-eyes as long as they're at most a 1-stop and preferably non-stop, because it is a big time saver if you're able to get some sleep. But doing a 3-segment journey is hard enough during the day and has absolutely no benefit in doing it at night.
The schedule is only for the 2025-2026 winter season. It goes back to its normal schedule starting in April
I get 4pm-6pm (or sometimes Ben later) late checkout without having to pay up for another hotel night. Even without late checkout, the hotels will store my bags and often provide me access to the hotel gym (and possibly gym showers) to change, have bathrooms available, a place for me to hang out with internet access, and then there are all the other possibilities outside the hotels. And then if going to the airport 2-4 hours before departure, there are often also the airport/airline lounges.
Other than for sleep, a hotel’s checkout time has little to no impact on my flight plans. For others, a big gap between hotel checkout time and flight departure time is inconvenient and uncomfortable.
There are many reverse redeyes originating from TLV to East coast and West coast destinations. El Al and other US airlines. They are the most sought after and expensive flights.
I sometimes book an extra day at the hotel on either end with an itinerary like this. Fly in business class, sleep a lot on the plane, and have a place to take a break during an otherwise action packed day.
I do MEX-TIJ on the 1st morning flight out of MEX, CBX to SD and usually into my office (or home) by 1000 at the latest, often earlier. Doing the route thru DFW would get me to SAN an hour to two earlier in the AM.
Nothing new, Aeromexico has most its departing flights from Europe to Mexico City at that time
Yeah sure let's consider what some biased organisations say (which go against basic geography) the truth !
You’re absolutely right I don’t mind the return flight but the red eyes is awful especially in economy I mean I sleep a little bit but not that great