A red-eye flight generally refers to a flight that departs late at night and arrives early in the morning of the next day, so passengers cannot sleep well at night. The term "red eye" refers to passengers' eyes becoming bloodshot from fatigue. Red eyes are usually long-lasting and are more commonly found outside the Western world than within it. This is because airport curfews are stricter in Europe, Australia and North America more than outside of these continents.
Sometimes you have no choice but to take a night flight to get from one destination to another. For example, to get from New York JFK to Frankfurt, you can choose between four airlines: Condor, Delta, Lufthansa and Singapore Airlines. The four will leave the Big Apple in the late afternoon or early evening (between 4:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m.) and arrive in Frankfurt the next morning.
But for some other routes, such as traveling from Dubai to London or Melbourne to Hong Kong, passengers can choose between night flights and daytime flights. Reasons you might choose a night flight include:
Price: Sometimes the price difference (especially if you're traveling in a group) is so significant that the prospect of your eyes turning red from fatigue for a day isn't so daunting. Use price comparison websites to find the best deals for your trip.
Business Class: If you can afford not to fly economy and fly with an airline that will offer you a lie-flat bed, you could easily find yourself on a flight with red-eye, but without the red-eye. On that trip with Lufthansa from Bahrain to Frankfurt via Riyadh, for example, a reclining bed was included in which sleeping was comfortable and easy.
If you can handle it Red eyes can be easier if you know what to expect from them (very little sleep) and how to prepare (more sleep the night before, nothing planned for the next day). It's helpful to bring your own sleep mask, as airline-issued ones don't always block light enough.
Still, there are some pretty major downsides to flying with red eyes. In some cases, they will be strong enough that some passengers will never dare to fly at night. To name just a few, these may include factors such as:
Traveling with children: having to care for a small child in your presence, who may not be sleepy when you want to sleep (and need to sleep), or who may be desperate to sleep and cranky about simply not being able to. boarding or having to get off the plane is not an attractive prospect.
Traveling with someone else's children: Worse yet, sharing the plane with children over whom you have no control, but who could still be perfectly capable of disrupting your sleep during the night flight, is also not appealing.
Difficulty falling asleep: If you need your bed, your special pillow, your learned position in bed, or your aromatic scents next to your bed to fall asleep, you won't get much in a cramped, noisy 777. But, if you're already expecting this, the experience might not be too bothersome.
Let's be clear: the best way to optimize a red-eye flight is to sleep. So to take full advantage of its benefits, make sure you pack some items in your carry-on luggage that will make the plane seat as close to your bed as possible.
If you usually brush your teeth before bed, why not keep that routine on the plane? Not only will it keep your mouth clean after dinner, but it will also help your brain believe that bedtime is approaching. Tap water in airplane sinks isn't always the safest in terms of hygiene, so if you have a reusable water bottle, use it.
Whether you're lucky enough to have more than one seat to stretch out or you end up having to remain seated during the flight, you'll only get a good rest if your head is properly supported. Go Neck Pillow, with its 360º ergonomic design and custom fit, offers complete neck support that makes the experience incredibly comfortable.
Although a red-eye flight occurs at night and therefore the plane is usually dark, emergency lights or the mobile screen of the passenger next to you can make falling asleep a nightmare. With its 3D ergonomic design, Eye Mask provides total blackout so that no ray of light bothers you throughout the flight.
Noise is the worst enemy of sleep. And the planes are very noisy, especially in the area closest to the wings and in the last rows. In addition to the engines, the continuous movement of people passing through the hallways creates a hostile environment for sleeping peacefully. Fortunately, small earplugs can block out much of that noise, isolating you from the outside world for as long as necessary.
This may seem like a no-brainer, especially the no-coffee rule, but some people assume that drinking a glass or two of wine on board will help induce sleep. It may help you fall asleep, but it won't be restful sleep and you'll wake up dehydrated.
Avoid being startled awake when you are about to land, or you will be dazed and disoriented. Set an alarm to wake you up 45 minutes before your scheduled landing so you can brush your teeth, splash some water on your face, and drink water.
After a red-eye flight, unless you have a meeting to attend or need to get to work, try to take it easy and take time to rest and recharge after the flight.