I live in London, but TPG’s general office is in New York City. I often fly across the Atlantic Ocean and I have a jet lag for anyone flying from the Northeast (especially New York) to the UK.
Given the five-hour time difference, most flights from the US to London depart in the evening and arrive the next morning or at lunch time. However, New York and Boston are somewhat unique, as these cities also typically offer a few days of flights to London. These flights are so short that you can depart in the morning and arrive the same night.
I flew from New York to London more than I remembered on various carriers, different classes and different flight times. Through practice, I have perfected my route strategy and now I always choose daytime flights instead of booking overnight flights.
That’s why daytime flights from New York to London are much better than overnight flights.
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Overnight flights are too short to fall asleep normally
Overnight flight means rest all night, right? Not exactly. Flights from New York to London are usually planned for up to seven hours.
This doesn’t mean seven hours of “lighting, close your eyes” to rest. If you want to have two meals on the boat, or have trouble falling asleep in the noise and light of meal service, you may get up to four hours of sleep (if not less). I never understand why anyone wants to have breakfast four hours after dinner, but some passengers do it and you have to endure it if it happens around you.
Flights flying eastward on the Atlantic Ocean often enjoy strong winds, so these flights are usually even shorter. I don’t remember the flight I took on from New York to London that didn’t land early.
How fast are these flights? In 2020, a British Airways made a journey in four hours and 56 minutes, which is much less than scheduled. I would be surprised if the lights in this flight went out for three hours, and the next day I needed much more sleep.
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If you want to maximize your rest time, you can skip meals completely (perhaps eating in the lounge beforehand), but even if you sit in first class with eye masks, earplugs and lounge seats, you can only sit down for less than five or so hours between reaching cruising height and starting descent.
Related: Review a lounge in New York’s Delta, a stunning masterpiece
You can sleep in real bed
I can’t fall asleep for about 20 minutes each time, so economical overnight flights are not an experience I like.
The recliner in the premium cabin does offer a better sleep experience, but due to my restless sleep on board, I usually get tired, maybe from the warm cabin temperature or the noise I can still hear through earplugs or noise-cancelling headphones.
I live in London, so if I take a day flight from New York, I can easily sleep directly in my own bed, even if that means I won’t be home until midnight. This is always preferable to resting at nights with no other passenger or plane noise at the right temperature.
If you stay in a hotel instead of reaching London at breakfast time after an overnight flight and may have to wait a few hours to board, your room is ready and you can go straight to bed.
Related: The Best Hotels in London
No jets
New York’s time zones are usually five hours behind London, depending on the time of year. The overnight flight departs at 6pm, which is 11pm UK time. In theory, this would be the best time to fall asleep to reset your body clock to your destination time zone. But, besides the various sleep interruptions mentioned above, if I worked for a week in Eastern Time, I just don’t get tired at 6pm
Daytime flights allow you to go to bed in London at reasonable times (usually between 10pm and midnight). Assuming you can sleep all night, I can usually wake up the next day after the flight, feel rested, refreshed, and have no jet lag.
By contrast, set off at 6pm, forcing yourself to fall asleep and only a few hours before landing at dawn, disorientation and jets.
no thanks. These flights are absolutely brutal and I recommend you do your best to avoid them.
If you take one of the many all-night flights to London, I recommend choosing a departure time that is as late as possible (ideally 10pm or later). Of course, you’ll still get ejaculated when you land, but it might be easier to fall asleep on the boat.
You can save points and miles
If you have trouble falling asleep like me, I recommend using your dots and miles to book or upgrade to a seat with a flat bed to ensure a better sleep.
It is not very important to travel in a daytime high cottage to Europe. These flights are so fast (especially if you’re working or watching a few movies), usually the benefits of the premium level are wasted on such flights.
I have no problem flying financially during the day because I would rather use my points and mileage for longer night flights where I can really take advantage of the conveniences the operator offers.
Related: These apps and websites make rewards easier to find
This may be a normal working day
When I tell friends and family these little-known daytime flights from New York to London, they usually say, “Yes, but you lost a full day on the plane.” Indeed, flying overnight maximizes your vacation time and you can save a night in your accommodation if you can manage to sleep correctly.
However, most of the daytime flights I take on this route are on normal working days. These flights usually have Wi-Fi, so shortly after departure, I turned on my laptop and kept it firmly connected and working on most flights. It’s easy to catch up with email and casual colleagues and write some stories for TPG on every flight.
If you want to work on the flight and have access to the lounge, I recommend having breakfast in the lounge and skip the first meal on these flights. The quality of snack food is much better, allowing you to work immediately instead of waiting for a meal.
Obviously, not everyone can work remotely, especially at 30,000 feet, but if you would otherwise work from home that day, consider whether you can work from the sky.
Related: Which airlines offer free Wi-Fi? A complete guide
Which flight is the best?
This summer, there are five days flights from New York to Heathrow Airport (LHR) – John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) on British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, JetBlue and American Airlines, Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) from United Airlines.
There are also daytime flights from Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) to British Airways LHR.
This is the question of doing the best flight, sparking heated debate among the TPG team, who often fly the route. Chief spokesman Nicky Kelvin prefers early departures because early wake-up calls will quickly return to London time, and he can still sleep in his own bed at reasonable times.
For me, American Airlines flights are the best choice, simply because it doesn’t require unusual early wake-up time and I don’t feel tired all day. This means I don’t need to have a short nap in the flight, and can work the entire time I walk into the front door before midnight. For me, it was a very perfect flight schedule.
Bottom line
I flew from New York to London more times than I remember. I tried a variety of different flight options, from brilliant to bad. The transient nature of flights on this route means that even if you are flying the world’s best airline, you’re unlikely to land and refresh from overnight flights.
I cannot strongly recommend a handful of daytime flights running on this route. This is the way I have tried to fly to London and feel as fresh and healthy as possible.
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