A lot of holidays I like the look of but the flight times are putting me off. Depart at 8pm arrive local time midnight etc.
Journey back depart 1am etc…
I just can’t be bothered with that kind of nonsense. Do you sacrifice holidays you like the look of in search of one(s) with reasonable flight times?
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Arriving there late is not the end of the world.
I won’t depart ridiculously late or early though.
> Do you sacrifice holidays you like the look of in search of one(s) with reasonable flight times?
No, that seems mental to me.
Absolutely. Currently on holiday and got to destination at 1am local time. I’m too interesting in seeing the world to be put off by minor inconveniences
I would avoid if arriving at midnight yes. Is this a package holiday? They always seem to have rubbish flights.
I will pay a bit extra for a more convinent time but as i live near Glasgow airport id sacrafice a rubbish time vs going to a different airport. I guess londoners will have more options, in most places you need to take what you are given.
I’ll only take a flight before 10am if I’m able to stay at a nearby hotel the day before. If not, we usually get the train to the airport, so we only take flights after 10am to be able to get there in time. I’ll happily pay £50 or so extra for a decent flight time, cause that’s what an airport hotel usually costs.
I don’t mind the return timings, I’m already leaving my holiday so it’s a little irrelevant to me.
For my outbound flight I’m insistent on good flight timings, that didn’t used to be the case but nowadays my income is much healthier and so I would rather pay the increased flight costs.
I travel so much it doesn’t register with me anymore – just another detail to work out.
For early flights I just stay at the airport.
Yea, I actively seek out inconvenient flight times. Saves you hundreds!
I’m planning my holidays now and figuring out a way to be at the airport at 4am is a headache 😩
normally i’m going there for a reason (usually football) so nope i just pick the cheapest way
Recently went to India, flight landed at 4.45am local time (approx midnight UK). Thought it’d be horrendous as would only feel sleepy once arriving in the final destination at around 6.30am after immigration/car journey etc. In the end we slept 6 to about midday, got up, felt fine and then slept as normal that night. Also handy not having to book an extra nights accommodation.
So in summary I’m trying to say that even when it sounds appalling, don’t let timings put you off too much!
Happily will take a very early morning flight out. If on a return, I just ensure I’ve sorted a taxi to the airport.
Ill pay a bit more for more favourable flight times. Im unlikely to dismiss a holiday because it has less favourable flight times though.
I’d prefer not to have to leave home before 6am, but will do to save say £60 per person, if it’s to LHR or LGW.
With kids I don’t want to arrive after about 4pm, because want to get settled in and have a meal and all before bedtime. Coming home is OK to be late, though.
Yeah I will. Might grumble a bit if it makes figuring out other things awkward, but generally won’t care.
If it’s a package thing then I definitely won’t mind as sorting transfers etc is all on them.
Yep. We’ve got an extra day out of it. Our flight out lands 10am local time and our flight back means we have to be at the airport for about 7pm. Getting 8 days at our destination.
It depends on the trip.
A city break in Italy – No.
A three week long tour of Japan – Yes. I’ll probably be jetlagged or knackered on the first day anyway so no harm in going straight to bed or waking up super early.
Definitely not being from Yorkshire I always go for cheapest prices irrespective of airport ( within reason) or flight times I have no issue arriving at a hotel at 1am
I’d rather pay a bit extra and have an early flight than spend the whole day in travelling limbo.
A mix really. Don’t mind about the outbound journey but won’t have inbound flights in the middle of the night, especially if I’m at work the next day.
No. I assume you’re talking about a package deal but booking my own flights im always happy to pay more for sensible times. Out around 9/10am suits me, arrival around lunchtime, and for the way back early afternoon is perfect
Well if it’s a weekend break and the flight times mean I’ll arrive late and leave early, minimising my holiday time, then yeah I would look for other options since it might be a bit of a waste of money…
But would I miss a holiday I wanted to go on just because the plane lands in the night time? Lol no, I’m not 7, I can deal with being sleepy.
Probably would depend on price and how long I was going for – I’ve done it before and it doesn’t bother me – as long as I feel that I haven’t overpaid for a wasted day
And each time I have done it – it’s worked out the end of the holiday too – so arrive late, leave late etc
I take everything into account when planning a holiday. If I can’t affordably get to/from a given flight it’s scrapped off the options list.
The suitability of any flight is predicated on the flights price and the cost/timing of getting there and/or overnight hotel stays.
If everything falls into place I’ve got no issue with what might be seen as inconvenient flight times.
I’ll do an early out and super late back only for skiing – so you get an extra day and a half on the slopes.
Beach/roadtrip/relax holidays? Not so much, the earliest flight we’ll get is 10am (and I’m only 35 mins from LHR & LGW).
This depends. If it’s a package holiday I generally don’t care, but if I’m flying out myself and I need to use public transport, I will find times that are reasonable.
I don’t give up the holiday though, I just find days that have flights that I’m looking for, or will adjust to a different time of year or something.
Long haul, yes.
Europe, nope, can’t be arsed.
It’s less of an issue if it’s a package holiday with transfers included and your room is ready at whatever hour you get to the resort.
If it’s something I’ve booked the individual components of separately then I’d rather get the early flight out at 6/7/8am, find somewhere to stash my luggage and check in at the hotel later in the day.
Flying back late is a great way to save money but you are also at the mercy of that plane’s flight being on time throughout the day. You’re also more likely to hit roadworks and road closures if you’re driving home once you land back in the UK.
I wouldn’t let the flight times decide if I go on holiday or not but I also don’t know what premium I would pay to travel at a more reasonable hour.
i’m taking my 4yo twins on their first abroad holiday in a couple of weeks and our flight times are depart 16.25 – arrive 22.40; then return is depart 23.40 arrive 2.10a
so in summary, no it didn’t prevent me booking it BUT i am dreading it, especially the return. but hey ho such is life. it does mean we’ll pretty much get a full extra day at our swanky hotel though, so that’s a pretty nifty upside.
Does the flight time affect the price? You might be saving money?
Depends on the savings, because those flights are obviously cheaper. That said, I live a 15 minute taxi ride from Manchester Airport so early starts and late returns are easier to bear.
Only for outbound, I resent paying for hotel if I’m gonna get there midnight. I want to get full use of my time.
I’ll usually get a 6am flight, only time I won’t is if it’s transatlantic then I’ll look to arrive 1-2pm so I still feel like I’m getting day there, if I’m taking time off work I want to feel like I’m using a day off work
I will only do inconvenient flight times if it matches up i.e I wouldn’t arrive at my destination on a late flight then leave on an early one, you lose 2 entire days to travelling. Most flights will mean you lose at least one day, so it’s either lose one on the way there or lose one on the way back for me.
I’m going to Greece later this summer and the flight times are ridiculous. Me and my friend are definitely getting stuck at Gatwick at a stupid time before any transport is running.
But that’s a problem for future me. Of course I’m still going.
I’ll pay the premium to leave home just after breakfast
Depends on the destination and how easy it is to get about once there, outbound I’m not so bothered about.
Arriving at 3am in Lagos or Kampala, fighting taxi drivers and then trying to wake up hotel staff to let you in is the stuff of nightmares for your first day of your holiday. It won’t put me off, but I will complain about it.
No I don’t with my kid, to minimise potential for whinging. I’ll only fly morning or afternoon, but he’s an early bird so early morning is ok. I’ll pay extra for this, and I’ll discard holiday options for this.
However on my own I don’t care about time.
Up to a point, but it depends on whether it’s just my wife and/or I travelling, or whether we have the kids with us.
We often find that flights out are either very early or very late. When that’s the case we choose the very early option and stay overnight at a hotel near the airport. It does make it more expensive, but it’s worth it for the stress reduction.
We both particularly dislike arriving late in our destination when everything is closed, plus it’s not great for the kids.
Flights back, on our own, we usually prefer later options because we know where we’re going (home) and what we’re doing, so minimising the amount of stress/rush on the day is preferred. Even still, anything that lands in the UK much after 9pm I’m not a fan of becuase I still need to be awake enough to drive home afterwards which, depending on the airport, can be at least a couple of hours. And we might have work the next day to think about.
If we have the kids with us then very late flights are an absolute no-no, especially because sometimes they’re back in school the day after.
Basically, airlines and holiday companies: please don’t take the piss with your flight times.
I used not be bothered when i was a lot younger
Now i try and get a more reasonable flight time but it wouldnt stop me from going
Depends on the holiday. Last twice we’ve booked flights that arrive mid afternoon, and both times it’s been rescheduled to arrive in the evening. We do our best to book flights that suit, but they still get changed (last time we mentioned what happened the time before. Apparently it’s super rare.. .🙄)
I’ll try and pay extra for more convenient times. But if not available I will take what’s on offer. Day 1 is a travelling day no matter what time you arrive. Plus you can sleep in until noon if you want.. your on holiday.
Depends. Can I get transport from the airport to wherever I’m staying and can I check-in at whatever time I’m due to arrive there? If yes, flight times aren’t really a barrier.
Exclusively. Do convenient times exist?
Yes, sometimes it’s the best way to get the best price, also tend to be slightly quieter (people have less time to drink before)
If I’m arriving at a reasonable time I will get public transport/shuttle bus etc to the hotel. It’s daylight so there’s things to see, and I’m wide awake so it’s simple enough finding where I’ve got to go and how to buy a ticket and so on.
When I went to Morocco I arrived at stupid o’clock and someone recommended getting an airport transfer. The hotel sorted it for me so there was a guy standing there with my name on a board, he took my luggage for me, patiently waited while I had a cigarette and a yawn, and then I plonked myself in the front seat and we raced into town much faster than the bus would have done. Highly recommend doing this. You feel like a VIP as well.
i always look for early flights out and late ish flights back. if i get to my hotel at 8pm i feel like its a waste of a day. in this situation i would avoid the late flight out and if im only going for a week then id look elsewhere other than that no i wouldnt sack the holiday off
I actually really enjoy an early morning flight. I don’t mind waking up super early because I’m usually excited to be going away. Love waking up when it’s dark and silent apart from the sound of your suitcase rolling along, hardly anyone on the roads. Love it! We try to avoid inconvenient return times but have had a couple of late night flights which aren’t the best but they were cheap!
I will 100% pay extra for flights at times that work for me, yes.
It’s not a proper holiday unless you’re getting up at 4am to make the flight.
Mostly yes. If it’s somewhere I really want to go and that’s when the flight is and there’s no other option I’ll be doing it.
6am flights at all times for me, unless there is no other option. Happy to drive to another airport if required to make it happen! It’s all about 4am pints then sleeping on the flight before making it to the hotel by mid afternoon.
Nope. I was looking for a summer holiday for us a few weeks back and had a list of countries we fancied. We had specific dates we could do because of work. The flight times available for several places got them crossed off the list. I don’t want to fly before 8am or be landing after 8pm due to having a small child. I know it wouldn’t be best for them and just cross my fingers we don’t get delayed! When it was just me and my husband prekids we still wouldn’t have done a flight earlier than 8am going out as I am not about getting up before 4am but wouldve got the latest flight possible coming home.
I don’t mind awkward departure times but I usually prefer to arrive at the destination at a decent local time. It makes life easier getting your bearings
We pay extra to get flight times that suit us. It’s a holiday so we do all we can to enjoy the time off
The thing with late flights is always… how much do you save?
I actually like these flights and I think they’re underrated. You get in having done hours of travelling and sleep it off, wake up in your destination. Catch a flight that arrives late afternoon and you’re often knackered by the evening. You have a quiet drink and don’t do much else.
I used to do it but the older I get the more I prioritise comfort and convenience. Ideally a later morning or midday flight both ways, so I don’t have to wake up really early BUT I don’t spend the whole day anxious about getting to the airport. Wake up, get organised, leave. Enjoy the evening in my destination (or back at home the other way).