Ridiculously early flight times

Doshwaster

Another advantage of these early flights is that they are less likely to be affected by delays as these tend to build up during the day.

I try to avoid very early flights whenever possible but occasionally they are unavoidable and they do help you make the most of a short break. Wherever possible I'd always stop in an airport hotel to reduce the chance of oversleeping or having a traffic delay.

There's also always something pleasurable about having a beer in the airport bar at 6am

What I really hate are early flights home. It really ruins your last night out knowing you have to be at the airport for 6am the next morning.

duchy

Maybe this should be on the rants forum "My airline doesn't have times that suit me personally"

I'm another who thinks earlier the better.
Less traffic on the road getting there
Less chance of delays
Arrive in the holidays area with enough time for an almost full day.

With only one flight a day the airline aren't going to be able to please everyone.

InsideInsurance

Doshwaster wrote: »

Another advantage of these early flights is that they are less likely to be affected by delays as these tend to build up during the day.

On the flip side they can be impacted by over cautious controllers cancelling them the day before due to predicted bad weather.

I had a flight to south america at xmas a few years ago and there had been snow etc for the few days before. The prediction the night before was more blizzards in the morning and Air France cancelled our flight (first flight of the day). As it turned out there was no snow at all and all other flights left on time that day.

We, having big mouths managed to get moved to the next day for our flights but the poor girl who was in tears next to us who was flying elsewhere in south america was being told the first flight home for her was going to be in January and Air France didnt care that her UK visa would expire before that, that she didnt have anywhere to stay, would be away from home for Xmas and NYE etc.

nicegirl

We always book the very early flight out to maximise our first day.

However, I try get a late morning/afternoon flight on the way back. Means I don't have to get up obscenely early or wait around all day. When I've travelled back later I can never properly enjoy that last day, I'd rather just get up and go. I am the same when I go anywhere.

Cyberman60

If I'm catching an early flight I get the last train to the airport at about 1am and just kip on a seat or in my sleeping bag on the floor until 2 hours before flight, then check-in. I'm used to it now !!!

andygb

As others have said, an early flight to Nice will result in you having a full day to chill out - just take it easy.
When we go to the South of France (I always drive), we often leave the house at 4.00AM to catch an early boat or Le Shuttle. This allows me to get to France early (they are one hour ahead of us remember) and put loads of miles down before we stop.
I am sure that there must be an alternative later flight to catch if it bothers you that much, or maybe try a different airport.

rustyboy21

As already said, it is down to the LCC business model. They have to efficiently get the most of the use of the plane out, so if they can fly at 7am then so be it. Blackpool airport has a no fly system for anything taking off or landing before 6am. We were sat on the apron for 20 minutes with no engines going. The Captain said he had to wait until 6am before he switched the engines on. 6am comes and we roared into life. Same with Liverpool, 6am start there.


If you take Liverpool airports flight schedules for today as an example, 13 flights took off before 8am, out of 44 for the whole day. They each did around 3 sectors mostly like LPL-ALC, ALC-LPL, LPL CDG,CDG-LPL,LPL-BFS-BFS-LPL ending at 11pm in the evening.


As others have said I love flying out early in the morning, I don't sleep anyway before a flight and couldn't stand a late afternoon/evening flight as it is pitch black when you get there, too late for something to eat and you have lost a day of sun. And less likelihood of flight delays from knock on delays.

PeteDoff

Just as you get off the 'Bristol Flyer' overpriced airport bus go into the terminal and on your left there are some comfortable seating (without) armrests to sleep on (done it many times) until 2.30 then further to the left into the 24 hour SUBWAY for breakfast then through security when it opens at 3am for my pre 7am regular flight.

maman

I'd like to use the early morning flights from my local airport but often they're expensive ones aimed at the business traveller who wants to get somewhere and back in a day.


I hate early return flights. I don't want to pay for a night in a hotel just to get up and leave straight away, might as well have gone the night before. The later the better IMO and have a good plan for what to do on the last day. I really don't understand the people who sit around the hotel hugging their packed suitcases!

missbiggles1

MobileSaver wrote: »

I did seriously consider that but it's an additional three hour journey each way for me and would really have had to allow for 4 hours each way in case of traffic issues. Fortunately, I wasn't that bothered on which airport I arrived at and so changed plans to Marseilles.



I'm an early riser too, typically 5.30am but that's because I choose to be. I'm grumpy if I have to get up early.

A 5am flight would mean, what, having to get up at 2am?!?!? Why even bother going to bed?



I guess this thread shows we all have different priorities. For me, having to get up at 4am or even earlier is just an awful way to start a holiday. Obviously a lot of people disagree and don't mind the lack of sleep.

P.S. I'm always the nominated driver so sleeping on the way to the airport is probably not a good idea in my case.

You do know that Nice and Marseille are a looooong way from each other and cover totally different areas, don't you?