To hope my children won’t be toooo tired after a midnight flight?

[Carla6]

Hi, we’re flying back from Greece right at the end of the summer holidays and I hoped my children would sleep on the plane back so booked it for the night before they start back at school as that was much cheaper. Now I’m wondering if I’ve messed up as it’s a midnight flight landing at 2am! Then a 2 drive home once we get luggage…I didn’t think this through properly when booking. Has anyone had a journey back like this and how were their children the next day and following day, tiredness wise?! I mean I can’t actually move the flights now but I’m just wondering how much of a mistake I’ve made! Any tips for comfy sleeping on the plane?! Thanks!

Bloomin heck you didn’t think this through! You’re in economy and only 4 hour flight. Very little sleep at best.

i would keep them off personally

private I assume? Delayed return. So won’t have any issue (or if like my children’s independent anyway)

You’ll all be exhausted the next day; how did it not occur to you that there’s a reason it was a cheap flight? Are you usually this disorganised?

Of course they will be tired! As will you be.

We did this once, with an overnight flight landing around 7am, and arranged for the DC to have the next day off school. One school was perfectly fine about it, the other less so - but agreed in the end.

They will be home at like 5am of course they will be shattered.

How old are they?
Take small pillow for flight and in car.
I think they will be tired, but can just plod through school, go home at 3pm and rest and sleep early. They can sleep 4-8am at home and get a bit of sleep on plane and in car

Surely you don’t mean they will be in school the day after the flight??

Will you be going to work that day? After such little sleep?

We did this last summer with a 6 and 9 year old. Flight landed at 4am we got home at 6am. They slept most of the 4 hour flight, then the car journey, then at home until 8.30am. Then I sent them into school, both were fine but were in bed by 6.30pm that evening!

Ah it’s not until summer

in that case I would change the flight and suck up the cost

don’t want to delay return at start of new school year

Is this your first family holiday abroad?

They will be exhausted. I wouldn’t send them to school but it’s not a great way to start the year

I think they will need the next day off to be honest. Assuming there are no delays (which most likely there will be). They will be home for 5am. What time would they have to be up for school. Is the first day back to school a full or half day?

They’ll be fine in school being tired for one day! Some of you are such wimps!

Sorry OP but this is so obviously a silly thing to do.

I mean, I would book the next day off work so wouldn't expect a child to be ok in school!

Your flight lands at 2am? Then you’ve got passport control, baggage pick up and walk to the car, then a 2 hour drive home. You’ll arrive home after 5 am and think that your children will be fit for school? Are you going to work that day too?

You are going to have some very grumpy, tired children.

No amount of pillows, throws and lavender spray can help you, but in a few years you will laugh at this.

If the flight is delayed then you're probably going to get stuck in rush hour traffic and won't get home until close to 9am.

You could tell a white lie to school and say that they're not well. I don't think I would send them to school the next day!

You’re being ridiculous. A school child being in their bed for an hour or two before a day of school is just cruel for a slightly cheaper flight.
This isn’t a night flight where they’re going to be asleep for 7 hours on the plane. They will have very limited and very broken sleep.

I wouldn’t expect an adult to be functioning for work after an hour or 2s sleep never mind a young child!

It's one day of school!

And a family holiday is important, play it ear and if they miss one day they will get over that too.

It is the first day of the school year 🙄

We flew overnight from the USA on the Saturday night before school in Monday. Both slept on the plane but were in a mess on Sunday and we're still wiped out on the Monday.

OP you should rebook or accept that they're going to miss at least one day of school. It's not just the flight but they'll be hanging around in the airport beforehand, all the excitement of flying (I can't sleep on planes) then the disruption at the other end, a 2 hour drive then straight to school - madness!!

How old are they?

We flew home on Sunday and landed at 2am, it was 4am Monday by the time we collected bags, car and drove home. They didn't go to school on Monday and slept in until 11am. I just emailed school at 4am saying our flight landed late and I was keeping them off. They are 12 and 8 and didn't sleep on the flight at all.

It’s one day, I’m sure they will get through it. They maybe tired at school but they can go to bed early when they get back. They can nap on the flight and in the car too.

Hmmm…. We flew home on Sat, 4 hour flight which landed at midnight. Kids didn’t sleep on the plane at all, it was bright & noisy. Got to our car at 1am & they slept in the car until we reached home at 5am. Put them in bed & they carried on sleeping till I woke them at 11am. Went to bed again at 8pm & fine for school yesterday. Don’t think they could have handled school on Sunday itself though!

We've just returned home from a late flight and dc went to school next day. Flight was at 9pm, landed at 1.30, home by 3.15. Dc slept in plane then straight into bed and up at 8am. They also did their regular sports training after school. Was fine. It's only one night/ day.

This. Our kids don’t have a particularly early bedtime, but I wouldn’t send them to school after traveling all night.
We flew home Sunday evening once, our flight landed at 10 pm and we were home by around 11:30 pm. That worked out more or less okay, even though not ideal. Landing after midnight is too much, I would definitely leave them
at home the next day.