Not wanting inbound flights so late at night

[Kitchensinktoday]

We've just booked a trip to Gran Canaria, and it was really tricky to find inbound flights at reasonable times. We usually travel with either TUI or Jet2, and apart from one or two Manchester/Birmingham options (we've opted for Manchester) all other flights got back into the UK after midnight. I really didn't want to get back so late, and I can't imagine anyone with children would be keen on it either.

I remember struggling to get civilised flight times back from Cyprus a few years ago, and recently had the same issues with Greece. TUI usually offer a late check out option (at a cost ....... ) but it makes your journey home a really long day.

Spain and the Balearics still seem ok, so maybe it’s medium-haul issue?

Or a cheap airline issue? It’s all about paying for slots at the airport. You get what you pay for.

I always want a late evening flight, for me that’s considered a good flight time. I have primary aged children.

on the last day of my holiday I don’t want to spend it in the airport only getting 6 of my 7 day holidays. I’d rather enjoy all of the 7th day and fly home in the evening. Children sleep on the plane/bus/car after a day in the pool so not an issue

I’m the same. Our nearest airport that has good destinations is a 2 hour drive away. So if we don’t get back til 2am and are in bagge reclaim etc til 3am (assuming all on time) then we are lucky to be home by 5am. Which is just not really a very nice way to end the holiday. Basically awake almost all of the night. I refuse any flights with this sort of inbound flight

I have young children and much prefer a late flight to an early morning one, especially for return flight.

I've travelled with tui a lot. There will be flights at reasonable times of day but they'll all be booked up now. You need to be booking early Jan for summer good flight times.

I’ve given up on Cyprus and Crete for this reason. I’m near Manchester airport so not some backwater and almost all flights to the above leave later afternoon (that is ok just about) and return leaving about midnight (no thanks) and landing 2-4am

I just don’t understand how families think that is ok. With checking out at midday it just makes for an exhausting end of holiday

however there are plenty of decently timed flights to the canaries.

Flights back to Liverpool from Crete were perfect last summer - around 3pm. Time for a morning swim, lovely breakfast and home for tea!

Just flown back from the canaries last night with 2 small children. The flight that came with the package landed at 10:30pm and we wouldn’t get home til midnight with 2 children under 4. I told my husband no way and we added an extra day on and did the lunch flight instead

Varies by destination and airport, Bristol usually has reasonable options, I’ve always got mid morning out and arriving home late afternoon/early evening

Not sure exactly where you are, but did you look at Leeds Bradford? The Jet2 flights Gran Canaria to Leeds land at 7:50pm on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday, it's only on a Saturday it lands a crazy middle of the night time. Sounds like it's too late now though.

Agree those flight timings are rubbish, it would put me off booking, I wanted to route through Singapore in the summer, flight to Singapore is like 11am or something perfectly acceptable, but the only direct flight back to Manchester leaves Singapore at 2am. My kids are far older than toddlers, but I don't want to be dragging myself around the airport for a 2am departure never mind them.

I was booking for 2026, and tried Manchester, Birmingham, East Midlands, Leeds Bradford and Stanstead (with TUI and Jet2). Most of the outbound flights were decent times, but apart from a Friday return into Manchester and a Tuesday return into Birmingham (both with TUI) all other airports/days were arriving after midnight. I spent hours!!!

Look nearer the time. BA fly to the Canaries and may have better timings.

Unless you're coming back straight into a school day I haven't found it that big a deal. Would you have a car parked at the airport so you can straight into that? When we've done it I've had a clean pair of pyjamas for them in the car so a quick change in the car park and they sleep in the car then straight into bed.

BA don't fly to the Canaries from Northern England so the OP would have the cost and time of a round trip to London to factor in.

Like a PP I've definitely been to Gran Canaria with Jet2 from LBA flying out at about 9 am and returning in the early evening. Perhaps you're looking too early and some flights eg Ryanair and Easyjet aren't on sale yet?

Ryanair seem to do daytime flights into Manchester but the outbound flight leaves very early in the morning which you might also find unpleasant. There's also an Easyjet flight on Saturday on that route that's probably the optimum times, out at 8.15 and lands back at 17.50, but both those airlines don't yet sell flights but you can book an Easyjet package for summer 2026.

Have you tried Luton? Some of their Easyjet flights have daytimes.

The only way you’ll avoid it if the operator you want to book with hasn’t got alternatives, is to book separately. They’re cheaper slots, so you’ll have to work out what’s more important to you, package or decent flight, or look at different operators.

Ive found it’s harder (though not impossible) to find long haul US flights early in the morning now on a budget, post Covid, that is something that has reduced or dramatically increased in price.

The thing I don’t like about v late flights is if they get delayed then they can end up timing out for going into the uk airport or the crew go over hours and then you get an overnight delay. This is particularly an issue for easyJet because they just shuttle all day on a really crazy tight schedule.

This, I will change destination for more sensible flight times.

You have to remember that TUI and jet 2 will be turning the aircraft around and flying it back, same crew so with a 4 hour flight if they leave at 11am (which we did last time) you land at 3pm, crew get an hours break then they start to load returning to uk approximately 8.30pm, in the winter this is normal. In the summer they often do a short haul trip to Spain first! So the longer flights are in the afternoon returning in the evening. They don’t keep spare planes so use to the max

I can believe it

Ryanair and Easyjet won’t be on sale yet. They may well be better

I wondered how people often have such cheap flights, Im really fussy with timings, what airport I fly from, what seats I have, where I am in the boarding queue, what my luggage allowance is, and consequently they cost much more it seems than other peoples

I like an early evening or very late afternoon flight back

It always used to be the case that you paid a bit more for better flight times, and I never minded that (and was always happy to book early) but of course those flights need to be available in the first place!

I specifically wanted a package, and generally use Jet2 or TUI. I hadn't thought about Easyjet though. Like another poster said, I would change destinations to get better flight times!

I think it’s sometimes down to when you’re booking too. I was about to book a BA holiday but ended up hesitating for a few days, when I went back to it I was able to book much better flights that weren’t given as an option originally.

We've found this to be an issue with little kids; I don't want to be dragging them around in the middle of the night when they're either furious or wired. Mine never stay asleep or go back to sleep. When we have booked reasonably timed flights (looking at you, BA) the past three times they've changed the flight time to early morning, which also involves waking kids in the dead of night. Once they changed our departure airport too. It's really annoying!

easyjet holidays is definitely worth a look, had some good deals there. .And the flights for holidays are on sale before the flight only options, sometimes.

I am a jet 2 fan generally but they offer very little to Greece/cyprus with decent flight times. I am flying with them to Spain this summer and got an 8am, earlier than ideal but doable. I think very generally speaking their planes go to Spain/portugal/canaries/balearics during the day then do the greece/cyprus runs in the evenings and overnight