In this post, I thought it would be fun to talk a bit about redeye flights, given their popularity, and how polarizing they can be. What are redeye flights, what are the pros and cons of taking them, and are they worth booking?
In this post:
What are redeye flights? Where is the line drawn?
Fundamentally, a redeye flight is one where you fly overnight, and miss a night of sleep in a “real” bed. The term comes from the fact that you may have red eyes from the sleep deprivation you’ll experience due to these flights. After all, as humans we’re programmed to sleep for an extended period every day, and for most of us, redeye flights get in the way of that.
Redeyes are most commonly (though not always) west to east, and they often depart in the evening and arrive in the morning. In some cases taking these flights is an option, while in other markets it’s the only flight that exists.
Now, I think it’s important to mention that different people will define redeye flights slightly differently. For example, everyone agrees that an overnight flight from New York to London departing at 7:35PM and arriving at 7:45AM the next day is a redeye.
While it’s an unconventional redeye, similarly I think most people would consider a flight from Chicago to Anchorage departing at 1:30AM and arriving at 5:08AM to be a redeye. Westbound domestic redeyes are rare, but a few do exist.
While those are some obvious examples, there are other, less obvious situations. For example, what about a Los Angeles to Dubai flight departing at 4:40PM and arriving at 7:30PM the next day? Yes, it’s unarguably an overnight flight and will prevent you from spending a night in a bed. However, many would simply consider this to be an ultra long haul flight, as all flights of this length will interfere with most peoples’ natural sleep cycle.
Similarly, what about a Tokyo to New York flight departing at 10:05AM and arriving at 9:00AM the same day? In reality this flight is in darkness most of the way, and when you adjust for the time change, you’ll want to sleep most of the flight in order to arrive well rested. On some level I’d consider that to be a redeye, even if a bit untraditional.
Meanwhile I recognize that I’m a quirky person, as I keep a very early schedule. So a New York to Los Angeles flight departing at 10:15PM and arriving at 1:41AM the following day wouldn’t by most people be considered to be a redeye. However, based on the schedule I keep, I would consider this to be a redeye for my purposes. I wouldn’t be checked into my hotel before 3AM, and at that point it’s only a little earlier than when I usually start my day. So I’d probably try to sleep the entire flight and then stay up.
For that matter, what about a Sao Paulo to Panama City flight departing at 3:22AM and arriving at 8:19AM? For most people that’s probably going to replace a night in a bed.
My point is simply that there isn’t one definition of a redeye. We can all agree that certain types of flights are redeyes, while we can reasonably disagree about some types of flights.
A vast majority of airlines around the globe operate redeye flights, as it allows for efficient aircraft utilization. After all, airlines don’t make money when planes are parked on the ground.
Are redeye flights awesome or awful?
Are redeyes awesome, awful, or a necessary evil? Let me share a few factors to consider if you’re planning on booking one of these flights…
In some cases redeyes are unavoidable
On the most basic level, in many markets booking a redeye flight is unavoidable. Whether you want to fly nonstop from Honolulu to New York, or want to fly nonstop from Miami to Paris, your only options are to fly overnight. So in these situations you can’t easily avoid redeyes, unless you want to make your itinerary significantly more complicated.
For example, you could fly from Miami to Paris without taking a redeye by booking a ticket from Miami to New York, spending a night in New York, and then taking the daytime flight from New York to London, before connecting to Paris. That’s almost certainly not worth it.
The pros of taking redeyes
For routes where you have the option of taking a redeye flight or a daytime flight, what are the benefits of a redeye flight?
- It allows you to maximize time at your destination, especially if you only have limited time to travel; for example, flying from Los Angeles to New York, you could depart at 10PM and arrive at 6AM, or could depart at 10AM and arrive at 6PM, and obviously the former is more efficient time wise
- If you’re on a budget, you can save a night of hotel accommodation by flying overnight, though just remember flight times might not line up with hotel check-in and check-out times
- Redeye flights are often cheaper, since they’re considered by many to be undesirable
The cons of taking redeyes
Why are redeyes worth avoiding?
- They’re absolutely brutal on your body, especially if you’re not traveling in a flat bed; sleep is important, and redeyes get in the way of that
- Redeyes often don’t match hotel check-in and check-out times; if you have a flight departing at 10PM and arriving at 6AM, you’ll be without hotels on both ends of your trip, unless you pay for an extra night
- If you’re trying to adjust to a new timezone, redeyes can make it much tougher, as it’s even harder to regulate your sleep
- If you’re traveling with a family, redeyes can be tough on kids
My philosophy on taking redeye flights
When I was a teenager, I took domestic redeye flights almost every weekend without issue. It saved me money on hotels, and my body could handle it.
As I’ve gotten older, my philosophy has changed a bit. I value sleep a lot more than I used to, both for my mental and physical health. Under what circumstances will I take a redeye flight?
- I don’t mind taking them for international long haul flights, in markets where that’s the standard way of travel (like eastbound transatlantic flights), though even then I’m not a great airplane sleeper
- In some cases I also don’t mind them for short haul international flights, in situations where I might still be jetlagged; for example, this is common on flights to & from the Middle East
- While I still don’t love it, I’ll take domestic redeye flights only if I can get a flat bed, like from San Francisco to New York or from Los Angeles to Miami
But long story short, I just won’t take domestic redeye flights unless I can actually get proper rest. While in the past I would have considered redeyes to be efficient vs. “wasting” a day flying, the great thing is that nowadays so many flights have high speed Wi-Fi, so I can be as productive in the air as on the ground.
Bottom line
A redeye flight is an overnight flight that prevents you from spending a night in your bed, and it typically departs in the evening and arrives in the morning. However, the exact definition does vary.
There are pros and cons to redeyes — they can save you time and money, though they also take a toll on your body. As I get older, I do everything in my power to avoid these, at least for flights where a flat bed isn’t possible.
What’s your take on redeye flights? Do you love or hate them, and under what circumstances do you book them?
I would pay a premium for a 'silent' red-eye flight: lights turned off after take-off, no announcements other than the bare minimum safety ones, no flight attendants asking you for food/drinks unless specifically requested. Wonder why no airline has ever tried this.
I have a solution: High-quality eye-mask and either ear-plugs or noise-cancelling earphones. Also, most flight attendants in First know that folks try to rest on red-eyes, so they turn down/off lights, keep things to a minimum, unless they are poorly-trained, or it’s an airline that doesn’t care.
Thank you Ben, for this opportunity to add my thoughts on this subject.
Some might class monthly overnight flights between UK and the USA as red eye flights. I did not, as I slept both way most restfully. Likewise, our last trip to RSA was overnight in both directions. Then there are our annual trips to the Far East and OZ, these are always fly overnight too. Personally, I would not have it any other...
Thank you Ben, for this opportunity to add my thoughts on this subject.
Some might class monthly overnight flights between UK and the USA as red eye flights. I did not, as I slept both way most restfully. Likewise, our last trip to RSA was overnight in both directions. Then there are our annual trips to the Far East and OZ, these are always fly overnight too. Personally, I would not have it any other way.
I can adequately amuse myself when engaging in daytime flying, however, ‘She who must be obeyed’ cannot. She does not like flying at the best of times anymore and simply hates long daytime flights. Therefore, possibly for selfish reasons, when flying together we prefer night flights. I can sleep and arrive at our destination fully refreshed, bright eyed and busy tailed.
It’s often about duration; like, sleeping on the NYC-LON, winter, faster, eastbound, 5-6 hour redeye, requires skipping meals, immediately getting out that eye mask and ear plugs, resting after takeoff, if you hope for 4 hours shut-eye. Now, with excellent lounges like Chelsea and Soho at JFK, you probably could have dinner there, then just do breakfast at home in the UK. To fight the jetlag, you gotta try to stay away until at least...
It’s often about duration; like, sleeping on the NYC-LON, winter, faster, eastbound, 5-6 hour redeye, requires skipping meals, immediately getting out that eye mask and ear plugs, resting after takeoff, if you hope for 4 hours shut-eye. Now, with excellent lounges like Chelsea and Soho at JFK, you probably could have dinner there, then just do breakfast at home in the UK. To fight the jetlag, you gotta try to stay away until at least dinner that day.
Compare to UK-South Africa, where you’ll get 10+ hours on-board; yes, you can enjoy both meals, get 6-8 hours rest, and arrive nearly in the same time-zone.
Yes 1990, I do get your point about shorter east coast pond hopping flights. My regular flights were 9-10 hrs, LHR-DEN-LHR.
I did not eat on board and only needed coffee for breakfast just before landing. If the crew did not know me, then I would make my preferences known. That way they would leave the grumpy old git alone.
The older I get the less sleep I seem to need, furthermore, one becomes very apt at indulging in the odd power nap don’t you know.
Every long-haul flight is treated like a red-eye. All window-shades must be down, Everybody must sleep or watch the IFE. Breakfast will be served before landing, even though the destination's time, is in the evening.
Depends on the airline. In J, JAL doesn’t play those games; JFK-HND, midnight departure, didn’t even serve a meal after takeoff, unless you request a-la-carte; they wait until 6 hours into the 13ish hour flight. Just saying, it’s not all one shoe fits all. Premium cabins going more on-demand dining is an improvement, IMO.
Boycott the USA. What Trump had done now is a declaration of war on Europe. Europe should sell all US bonds and impose sanctions on all republicans. Everyone here can start by boycotting all US companies and products.
A bit off topic, but, I feel you. We’re trying our best from within. We do not want a tyrant either. The decent, reasonable folks still outnumber these crazies. Many of us are just afraid, and feel powerless. But, don’t give up on us. This ain’t over.
I like many millions, are furious. I’ll do my bit and won’t touch and boycott any US business. FIFA and the Olympic committee should have the decency to pull out. The US is run by a bunch of lunatics.
I hate this reality, but if I were anything but the whitest of white, I would skip these games… feels very 1936.
1990, by engaging with the likes of Icarus, you are definitely engaging with one of your “Crazies”, yes?
Good luck on that score, it is often offensive and eminently forgettable …. :-)
Nah, Aero, I still prefer to engage than to ignore, but you can choose for yourself, so long as our gracious hosts allow it. I still think the answer to speech we do not agree with is more speech. Some disagree with that approach and prefer censorship or self-censorship. I reject that premise.
1990, it is difficult not to respect your opinion, in my case however, I have never been able to accept gross ignorance.
My Station Commander once wrote in my annual report:- “The Sqn Ldr does not suffer fools gladly, even if that ‘fool’ is his Reporting Officer”.
I simply luv the fools of this world!
Flying anywhere domestic redeye without a lie flat is a disaster. Even with a lie flat seat a transcon is barely enough time to be functioning the next day. Just did a SFO-ORD because I had no choice. Slept the whole thing in the normal seat, still just an awful 3.5 hours of sleep
Joe gets it. And there’s zero reason airlines can’t offer lie-flat for 5+ hour flights, especially redeyes, including on narrow-body aircraft. It’s good to see more airlines implementing these better hard products on their 737 (SQ, flyDubai), a321 (jetBlue Mint, La Compagnie, TAP, SAS, AA, etc.), and even the 2-2 older 757 at DL, UA. Sure, a recliner is better than 3-3 economy, but, if you want good rest, lie-flat.
For long haul in a flatbed you can get a good night's sleep. A narrow body even in first it's a torture chamber. I do West/East coast redeyes from time to time. I'm pretty wrecked the next day.
That’s because you’re a Key, loyal to AA, and they backtracked on lie-flat for transcon, other than from JFK-SFO/LAX. Like, MIA used to have domestic 787, 772/773, to LAX, but, that was only during the pandemic. If you’re mostly doing CLT/MIA/PHX, you’re pretty screwed. Choose Mint, man, especially for MIA/FLL-LAX/SFO. You’ll love it. Better food, too.
For someone who frequents Asia a lot, I prefer to depart at night and arrive in the morning. I get to arrive at my destination feeling refreshed and able to have the whole day to myself. And it's much easier to sleep at your destination's time. The only issue would probably be the service onboard, it might be reduced to a minimum and you don't get a full meal service.
Eastbound, it's a bit...
For someone who frequents Asia a lot, I prefer to depart at night and arrive in the morning. I get to arrive at my destination feeling refreshed and able to have the whole day to myself. And it's much easier to sleep at your destination's time. The only issue would probably be the service onboard, it might be reduced to a minimum and you don't get a full meal service.
Eastbound, it's a bit more difficult especially if you'll be connecting on your way home. Like you have to get on a flight that leaves around 5-6 to make your connection that leaves 8-9 and arrives home around 11-1300.
For those taken Cathay's famous New York-Vancouver-Hong Kong fifth freedom service in the past and you terminated in Vancouver, that was brutal!
Nice humble brag, Mike O. And, I’m all for it. No joke. From experience as well, US to Asia or Oceania is great; returning from there is brutal for a week, no good way to overcome jetlag, regardless of what rest you get on the redeye or not. Easier to stay awake than force yourself asleep. Exercise. Vitamin D. Less alcohol. Good coffee. Best I’ve got for now.
1990, I find that I must ask you. Why do you think that there is any difference in the jet lag effect when flying say from LHR-HKG and HKG-SFO? The flight time is roughly the same and both are travelling west to east.