Early flight or later start?

[Hillsaremyhappyplace]

I always used to go for the earlier flight, to maximise my holiday time! However, I end up exhausted for the first two days of the holiday!

Anyway, we’re planning a week away later in the year to Greece. The choices are a 5:15am flight, getting in at 11 am. We live about 30 minutes from the airport. This is a direct flight.

The other option is a 10:30 am flight, getting in at 6:30 pm. It’s via Heathrow, only 1.5 hours at Heathrow though. So not too bad.

The indirect flight is actually cheaper, it’s on BA and the direct flight is easyJet.

What are peoples’ thoughts? If it was a 7 am flight I would do that but 5 am is brutal, I’m quite a late bird and I can see myself getting no sleep the night before!

Early flight. Lots of exercise the day before and clean the house so you will be exhausted and ready for a good sleep at 8pm.

I like to be there with a drink asap.

I always always opt for the earliest flight possible. We are only an hour away from Gatwick, 30 mins from Heathrow, but sometimes opt to stay the night before at an airport close to the hotel.
Hate arriving somewhere late, it’s dark when you collect your car hire and then dark when trying to navigate your way around somewhere new, arrive late and nothing is open, nowhere to eat and you don’t know where the hell you are!
So for me it’s an easy decision. If there’s just you and your dh it’s easy enough to rest up if you’re really shattered, doze when you want.
I don’t sleep much anyway so don’t really feel especially tired on early travel days, most days I only get about 3-4 hours sleep anyway!

Early, direct flight. Transfers, even if straight through, are a PITA. If there's a delay for any reason, it makes for a stressful start to your holiday. Either get a hotel for the night before or get a taxi in on the day.

If your flight to Heathrow is delayed by just 30 minutes you’re not making that connection. If you do make it by the skin of your teeth your cases won’t! What time is the next flight out of Heathrow to your destination?

Then the hassle of car hire and accessing villa accommodation, having to go shopping etc. You might find that a very late arrival thanks to a missed connection means the car hire place and all supermarkets are closed.

All because you wanted to avoid an early flight. Not worth it.

I love an early flight, went out to Lanzarote last month at 6am, arrived at the hotel for lunchtime. I've struggled in the last few years to find many very early flights, although there is a perfect one to Turkey from our local airport that leaves at 7pm - means the dc can go to school on the day we leave but we benefit from the slightly cheaper price as it's technically not the school holidays!

Thanks everyone! I’m going to go for the early direct flight. I think we’ll manage with cabin only luggage as we’ve a scanner at our local airport although I’ll need to check they’ve got one in Corfu for the return! If we need to check bags in I’ll do the twilight. I’ll book parking near the terminal and get extra leg room seats! Brilliant stuff!

Good choice OP, no way would i spend 8 hours travelling to somewhere in Europe - I'd want the Caribbean for that amount of time! We found that you can't go through security at Gatwick until 4:30 having got there at 4 for a 6am flight. So check the times at the airport you're flying from.

Absolutely, although it’s only 6 hours, it’s plus 2 hours due to the time difference… Good point on the security- I will check.

Oh no, I could never do an indirect flight. I’d go for the earlier one and just have a nap when arrive at destination.

We are all different I suppose, but the red eye flights are not for me anymore. I actually feel a bit sick being up so early and my body clock is all over the place for a couple of days.

I try for 11am to 3pm window. Get in, drop bags, out for dinner, home, then up early next day for exploring. I am one of those very annoying people who cannot nap or sleep on a plane. My problem though!

I love an early flight. Gives you an extra day of holiday and you're not wasting time flying as you'd otherwise be asleep. Last trip our flight to Tenerife was at 6am. By midday we were on the volcano eating sandwiches.

With no kids I’d do very early. You’re getting almost a whole extra day. Power through and then have a nap once you have your room.

(We did 3am start, 6am flight with the kids once and one of them was exceptionally grumpy).

I would always pick an early flight then try and have an afternoon nap for an hour or so, would definitely pick the flight with no change

My pers preference is early flight, arrive early and make most of the first day. I can nap on the plane though, and that then gets me through with the 'earlier' bed time due to a time difference ahead of home.

They often come with mid morning flights home, which means a early start on the last day as it's up and straight to the airport.

DD2 (20) takes medication for flying that wipes her out though. So it will suit us better to do the hours we are doing on our next trip. Flying out 3pm ish, arriving 7pm. Dinner then a mooch that night, and if she's super tired it doesn't 'waste' the first day.
Then flying home we don't fly til mid afternoon, so will have the morning of the last day to enjoy before checking out at lunchtime.

@vardenim totally with you -I would rather be able to check in immediately , dump bags, quick shower and then out for food- but then we never book packages so an extra day thing for me would just be to book an extra day - so we do a lot of 8 to 10 day holidays, however I like flights back in a morning ( anytime after10am) so you don’t hang around all day without a room