Early Morning vs Late Night Flights: Which Saves You More?

Have you ever wondered if the hour you choose to fly can save you a lot on fares? It seems interesting, right? You might be surprised to know that choosing an early morning or late night flight will not only save your money but also give you comfort, convenience, more leisure, and productivity. Many worldwide prefer flying during the day to enjoy sky views, but they don't know the benefits of flying early or late at night. This guide will help you determine which is better for you and when you should prefer an Early morning or late-night flight. Regardless of their pros, they have cons, which you will read on this page. So, without further delay, let's compare both.

Pros of Early Morning Flights

Early morning flights are typically scheduled between 4 a.m. and 8 a.m. and are generally given more priority when the trip is for shorter durations, like 1 or 2 hours. Apart from that, you can have several advantages of flying on an early morning flight; find out some of the best ones below.

• Low Airfares: Early morning flights can offer you more money-saving fare options because of less travel demand since there are many travellers who do not prefer to travel early in the morning due to waking up challenges or not finding it convenient for them. 
• Fewer Flight Disruptions: The disruption of flights is typically less due to weather or any uncontrollable measures, thus it offers you arrival assurance without any inconvenience and worry for potential disruptions.
• Better Flight Connections: When you look for options to find flight connections to your destinations, you might have a better chance of finding a connecting flight.
• Higher On-Time Performance: Early morning flights have higher on-time performance when reaching the arrival destinations. Many reports share the data where early morning flights have a higher rate of timely arrival than late night or day flights.
• Fresh Day Start: You and the flight crew can start the day with a fresh mind and body. Starting a day in the early morning is best because it boosts productivity and reduces anxiety and stress. An early morning flight can also help you plan the rest of your day. 
• Less Air Traffic: Compared to the air traffic during the daytime, early morning hours have less air traffic. Thus, aircraft congestion is typically on the lower side, which also reduces the occurrence of potential delays.

Pros of Late Night Flights

As the name suggests, late-night flights are those flights that operate at later hours at night. The typical scheduling hours of late night flights are after 10 p.m. to before 4 a.m. These flights can offer many advantages, so let's find out what the significant benefits are below this line.

• More Economical: Due to less demand, late-night flights are typically less expensive than other flights. Many people find late-night hours odd when travelling, especially on an international trip, which is why most of them avoid them.
• Suitable For International Trip: Late-night flights may not be good for short-haul trips, but if it's a long-haul or international trip, that's where you can find the benefit and get cheaper airfare due to less demand or travel.
• Better Travel Time Utilisation:  You can complete your sleep peacefully on the plane without disturbing your sleep cycle and reach the rested destination, allowing you to utilise your time more productively.
• Less Airport Congestion: There may not be much of a crowd at the airport, allowing you to proceed with security, check-in, or boarding processes more quickly and smoothly compared to early morning and day flights.
• Saving on Accommodation: When you fly late at night, you don't have to pay any extra for a room upon reaching the destination in the morning and starting your trip. You will be saving on an additional night.

Cons of Early Morning Flights

Despite learning about the benefits, there are also some cons that you must be aware of, and these include:-

• Too early for you: If you book a flight in the early morning, you have to reach the airport 1-2 hours before the scheduled time, and it could be too early for you to wake up and arrive at such an inconvenient time.
• Limited and expensive transportation: When you find options for transportation, you might not see much. Also, available transportation can cost you additional night charges, which can be expensive for you.
• Risk for Fatigue: If you have a habit of waking up late, an early morning flight might cause you to feel fatigued and less productive.
• No Amenities Available: Due to odd hours of availability, you may not be able to take advantage of many airport amenities.

Cons of Late Night Flights

When you decide to book a late-night or red-eye flight just because of low fares, be aware of the disadvantages of booking so that you can easily manage things and get the most out of your trip. Some of them are given below for your reference.

• Risk of Flight Delays: There is a high risk that your red-eye flight may get delayed, caused by the delays of day-scheduled flights. 
• Risk of Flight Cancellations: Sometimes, when any flight in the day is disrupted due to any significant reason, it is more likely that late-night flights also get affected. In such cases, you may find difficulties with accommodations if the airport is not in your home city.
• Risk for Overnight Stay at Destination: Reaching the destination may cause you to pay for an extra overnight stay in a hotel and also for less time to rest.
• Less Comfortable: You may not find a comfortable sleep if you have booked a basic fare ticket since you get a standard quality of seat, which is generally not meant for long-haul flight trips and comfortable sleep.
• Not Suitable for Families And Kids: Red-eye flights generally cause health issues and fatigue, which is not a suitable travel time. They might find travelling more draining.
• Limited Transportation option on Arrival: Suppose your late-night flight is a short-haul flight. Upon arrival, you may find limited transportation options with expensive fare charges until the day begins.