Embracing the Red-Eye Flight

If you're anything like me, you can't fall asleep on an airplane. It makes the idea of taking a long red-eye flight all the more daunting.

The cons of the red-eye are quite obvious. Zero sleep at worst and in most cases junk sleep at best. That anticipation can bring on stress before you've even boarded or become tired, especially if you know you have to catch a connecting flight to a new destination or be "on" upon your arrival for a meeting, work or some other important event.

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Killing time at the airport in the lead-up to boarding can also be rough ahead of a red-eye, especially amid the pandemic-induced labor shortage, as many shops, restaurants and other facilities have already closed for the day.

I've been on cross-country nighttime flights in the past but all have traveled east to west so the changing time zones prevented me from arriving to sunlight. Last week, I boarded my first true red-eye on the first leg of a trip from Phoenix to Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic. The four-and-a-half-hour flight took off from Arizona at midnight PT and landed in New York City around 7:30 a.m. ET. Despite the time, distance and shakeup to my circadian rhythm, it really wasn't that bad.

Like most things amid the COVID-19 pandemic, sleep wasn't on the in-flight menu for this flight, which allowed me to people-watch and eavesdrop like a true travel pro. It's worth pointing out that in-flight WiFi and seatback screens ensure you're never completely disconnected or dependent on a good read to pass the time. But back to the observing. There wasn't much to report on or many lessons to take away other than that most travelers share in my struggle to find shuteye on a plane. It seems that the most common trick for some travelers, including the one seated next to me, is to remove their shoes before they've even unfastened their seatbelt.

On my way to the bathroom at one point mid-way through the flight, I even saw a drowsy passenger splayed out across an entire row of seats with their shoeless feet protruding into the aisle.

A few passengers even attempted to stealthily leave their assigned seats and find more spacious options in the exit rows and closer to the aisle but were turned away by the flight attendant. Other than a few unwritten rules of flying that were broken as it relates to in-flight etiquette, nothing egregious took place. Passengers, sleeping or awake, kept their face masks on and the flight crew was attentive but at ease being red-eye experts and clearly understanding the circumstances surrounding such a grueling flight.

To reiterate, it really wasn't that bad. In fact, the benefits of booking a red-eye definitely outweigh the disadvantages.

For one, you're likely to travel with fewer passengers, giving you more leg and elbow room. The inconvenient timing and reduced demand also means you're likely to save significant money on airfare. It could be the difference between flying nonstop versus having to navigate a layover in a random airport on a mid-day flight.

Embracing the red-eye flight from the window seat also means you can see cities lit up brightly from 36,000 feet and watch the sunrise not from a beach or a balcony but from miles above the Earth's surface. For those who believe it's all about the journey and not the destination, the reasons we keep coming back to air travel are still very much present on the red-eye.

That's not to mention the unexpected feeling of triumph that comes with completing a long-distance red-eye flight knowing that whatever comes next, it won't be that bad.