Best time to fly?
 

I'm planning a trip to the UK next summer. Leaving from Toronto, Canada.

What's the best time of day for a departure, headed for London? Early morning, or evening?

Depends on what works for you - some people swear by the 09:00 AC flight from YYZ to LHR becase you avoid an overnight flight. I prefer the night flights becuase that way i dodn't loose the whole day in the air. i also find that by the time I get to central London it is after 11:00 (assuming on time flight, and a short wait for baggage etc).

i like a flight around 20:00 which gets into LHR at 08:00 - gets you into the centre of London around 10:00 (or later is you have access to the lounge at LHR). There is also the option of the later flight out of YYZ - if you can sleep well on planes this means that you can go to sleep as soon as you get on the plane (around midnight) and you'll be in central London 14:00-15:00.

With the overnight flights at least i have some of the day to do something in London - even if I do need an early night

Personally, I loathe overnight flights. I find it impossible to sleep, so I lose the next day anyway.
but if you haven't done it before, you may find it suits you, and wombat is right that it gives you the day you arrive to enjoy at your destination.
Good luck!

There is no best. It depends on you.

Assuming the flight is direct then leaving early evening gets you there the next morning while early morning gets you there late that same night.

The red-eye is tempting but I can't imagine being able to sleep soundly. We're flying economy, so there there wouldn't be a lot of room to stretch out.

The 8:00 pm flight is appealing, but don't you feel dead the next day after waking up in the middle of the night to get off the plane?

My preference, wherever I go, is to arrive during daylight, esspecially if I am going somewhere I have never been before. It is just easier for me to get my bearings that way. So I would choose whatever flight timing allowed me to arrive during daylight hours at my destination. I also find that I get over jet lag more easily if I have a significant amount of time between when I arrive and the time I turn in for the night - time to get acclimated, decompress from any stress of the flight (uncomfortable seats, airport hassles, etc), wander around a bit, have a good meal. That way, I go to bed tired, sleep all night and wake up the next day on local time.

It's been debated endlessly here. Personally, I think it's a waste of a hotel night (the arrival night) to take a daytime flight.

Here are some threads that rehash it.

http://www.fodors.com/forums/pgMessa...p;tid=34805483

http://www.fodors.com/forums/pgMessa...p;tid=34561190

Best wishes,

Rex

Hi DP,

It sounds like from your remarks that you've already made your decision so what's the purpose of the thread?

One other thing - don't assume that you will be able to sleep at the right time if you take the day flight - it will be five hours before your usual bed time.

I'll take the night flight to te UK anytime - even if you don't sleep you can "rest" on the plane

Mikeyb,

I'm leaning toward the morning flight - I haven't decided for sure. I find this a difficult problem. At least with a morning flight, they are more likely to take off on time.

David, some "experts" that fly a lot for business do state that taking a morning flight is best..and if there is a flight delay or if one is not able to get on the plane due to overbooking their chances of getting a later flight increases compared to a later afternoon/early evening flight. Also it is suggested that booking a flight at the end of the month may result in a cancelled flight as airlines are cutting down on the number of employees..and since there is so many hours a pilot can fly in a given month if flights are cancelled it is at the end of the month.

Personally, I have taken daytime flights and late afternoon flights. My preferance is to land in Europe mid afternoon. There is time to get to ones lodging, take a shower etc., take a walk in the fresh air, have a light dinner and some wine and get to bed at a decent hour and consequently get a good nights sleep.

I have to disagree somewhat with Rex about the day flight leading to a waste of a hotel night. I don't think it is any more wasteful than wasting most of the DAY you arrive IF you are so tired all you want to do is sleep.

I prefer the day flight for two reasons:

when I'm flying in Economy I am unable to sleep sitting up or in the miserable amount of "recline" I get (and if you are stiing behind me don't even THINK about asking me not to recline...lose the weight or move)

the day flights I have taken have always been less full and I've been fortunate enough to spread out a little

I usually don't have trouble falling asleep once I arrive because I do not get any useful "rest" on the plane somehow

Up to you but you already know there's really only ONE way to find out if it is better for you and it isn't here.

More likely to take off on time? Maybe - the equipment will have been there from the day before - but west-east is usually faster than the posted time anyway - even if the flight takes off 20 mins or so late they can often catch up.

Not sure how far away from the aiport you live but don't forget to think about what time you need to leave home to get that 09:00 flight (am assuming you are flying AC) - which means you have to get up at what time?

All the reasons why in the last 12 months I have only taken the day flight once and that was becuase I had to be in London by 09:00 and there wasn't a midnight night the day before!

I always take a red-eye (Seattle to London). And no, I can't sleep a wink on the plane. Maybe it is all in my mind, but when I have flown day flights, I feel like I'm wasting the first day of my vacation getting there. Either way I seem to have about the same (huge) amount of (horrible) jet lag.

<< I don't think it is any more wasteful than wasting most of the DAY you arrive IF you are so tired all you want to do is sleep. >>

I remain a non-believer... that this phenomenon is inevitable...

...if you take the most often cited advice here on how to arrive in Europe, <i>minimally</i> sleep-deprived, and prepared to go for the day.

Of course, this would not be a problem if there were supersonic airliners.

I guess the only way is to choose one time (what else would you do?) and deal with whatever problems arise.

thanks for the input.

I personally would be tempted to try a daytime flight, having only ever taken overnight flights.

I always feel like the day we arrive in Europe is wasted. I don't sleep much on the plane, so by the time we arrive at our destination, I am so overtired that I can't do anything. We have a shower then go to bed for a few hours. We'll get up and go out to grab a bite to eat, go for a walk, and then back to the hotel for a good night's sleep. By the next day, I'm fine.

(And before anyone makes any suggestions about staying awake as long as possible, I can't. I would literally fall asleep as soon as I sat down. This method is what works for me and my DH.)

I think age must make a difference. My wife and I are in our late '40's.

I always hated overnight flights, so one year we happily booked a day flight from New York to London. What I hadn't thought about was that to allow time to get to JFK two hours before the flight, meant we had to get up at 4 AM. While I liked the idea of getting to London in the early evening, having a dinner and then going to bed (which wasn't easy because it was still so early to us), I'm not sure that getting up at 4 was any better than not being able to sleep on the plane. We've gone back to the overnight flights.

David, my DH and I are in our early 30s!