Why You Should Book the Early Flight
Waking up at 3 am to get to the airport by 4 am so you can catch your 6 am flight doesn’t seem like a great way to start what is supposed to be a relaxing vacation. Nor does it seem like the best way to save up energy to go on an adventure halfway across the world. However, booking an early flight has a lot of advantages. Here are 5 reasons why you should book that early flight.
1. You’ll get to your destination earlier
The hotel room you’ve booked for the first night of your trip costs the same whether you get there at 10 am or 10 pm. When you take a flight earlier in the day, you get to your destination earlier in the day. You might even get there soon enough to enjoy a full day of activities, or maybe you just want to settle in and lay by the pool. Either way, you’ll have those extra hours to explore your vacation destination. While you might not be able to check into your hotel until later in the afternoon most hotels and resorts let you use their amenities for the entire day you are checking in. This includes luggage storage so you don’t have to carry your bags around with you.
2. The airfare is cheaper
Most people don’t want to have to get up at 3 am to catch a flight, especially if they have kids. That means there is less demand for the early morning flights, making them less expensive. There are exceptions to this as there are times when there is high demand for every flight. And airlines may discount tickets for flights later in the day if there aren’t enough people. But in general, the early morning flights are cheaper, especially if you book early.
3. Less chance of delay or cancellation
Since you are taking that airplane’s first flight of the day it has likely been sitting at the airport overnight. The incoming flight was hours, or possibly days ago. This is also the flight crew’s first flight of the day. You don’t have to worry about them going past the maximum hours they can work. And if you are in an airline’s hub city it is more likely they can find a replacement if crew members can’t make it that day. Additionally, there is less air traffic first thing in the morning for your flight to compete with to get off the ground on time.
4. Better weather
The weather is usually calmer in the morning time. This is true especially in the summer when storms flare up in the afternoon and evening hours. This again means less likelihood of delay because of the weather in your departure or your arrival destination. It also means a smoother flight as there is less turbulence in the mornings. If you don’t like rough flights you should certainly be flying in the morning.
5. The airport will be less busy and people there are calmer
Just like there is less demand for tickets for the early morning flights, there are also fewer people at the airport very early in the morning. That means less wait time in security and the coffee shop (maybe not the coffee shop since it’s likely the only thing open). People are also still in the fog of morning so they are not as active or loud. Kids are more likely to still be half asleep and not running around. And people are in general more pleasant earlier in the day.
There isn’t a guarantee that you will encounter any of these on an early morning flight. You will just be more likely to have a better experience with your flight. Of course, if you fly during peak times, such as the holidays, you will experience crowds, and frustrated travelers, and long lines no matter the time of day. But if you are traveling at other times you might want to think about taking that early morning flight.
If you would like more tips about booking flights check out my Guide to Booking Flights.
