Jet lag hack: Why I swear by daytime flights from New York to London
I am based in London, but TPG's main office is in New York City. I regularly fly across the Atlantic, and I have a jet lag tip for anyone flying from the Northeast (especially New York) to the United Kingdom.
Most flights from the U.S. to London depart in the evening and arrive the following morning or around lunchtime, given the five-hour time difference. New York and Boston, however, are somewhat unique as these cities usually also offer a handful of daytime flights to London. These flights are so short that you can depart in the morning and arrive in the evening on the same day.
I've flown from New York to London more times than I can remember on various carriers, in different classes and at different flight times. With practice, I've perfected my route strategy, and now I always opt for daytime flights instead of booking an overnight flight.
Here's why daytime flights from New York to London are much better than overnight flights.
Overnight flights are too short to sleep properly on
An overnight flight would mean a full night's rest, right? Not quite. Flights from New York to London are usually scheduled for a maximum of seven hours in length.
This doesn't mean seven hours of "lights off, eyes shut" rest. If you want to eat the two meals served on board, or struggle to sleep through the noise and light of the meal services, you'll probably get a maximum of four hours of slumber, if not less. I've never understood why anyone wants to eat breakfast four hours after eating dinner, but some passengers do, and you have to put up with that if it's happening around you.
Flights heading east over the Atlantic regularly enjoy strong tail winds, so these flights are often even shorter. I can't remember a New York-to-London flight I've taken that did not land early.
How fast can these flights be? In 2020, a British Airways plane made the journey in four hours and 56 minutes, which is much less than the seven-hour scheduled time. I would be surprised if the lights were off for even three hours on this flight, and I need a lot more sleep than that to function properly the next day.
If you want to maximize rest periods, you could skip the meals completely — perhaps by eating in the lounge beforehand — but even if you are in first class with an eye mask, earplugs and a lie-flat seat, you'll only be allowed to recline your seat for less than five or so hours between reaching cruising altitude and starting descent.
Related: Reviewing the Delta One Lounge in New York, a stunning masterpiece
You can sleep in a real bed
I can't sleep sitting up for more than about 20 minutes at a time, so an overnight flight in economy is not an experience I ever enjoy.
Lie-flat seats in premium cabins do provide a better sleeping experience, but I am usually tired when I land since my onboard sleep is restless, perhaps from the warm cabin temperature or the noise I can still hear through my earplugs or noise-canceling headphones.
I live in London, so if I take a day flight home from New York, I can go straight to sleep in my own bed fairly easily, even if it means I don't get home until midnight. This is always preferable for a night of uninterrupted rest at the right temperature, with no other passengers or aircraft noise.
If you're staying at a hotel, instead of arriving in London at breakfast time after an overnight flight and potentially needing to wait a few hours to check in, with a daytime flight, your room will be ready, and you can go straight to bed.
Related: The best hotels in London
There's no jet lag
New York's time zone is usually five hours behind London, depending on the time of year. Overnight flights depart as early as 6 p.m., which would be 11 p.m. U.K. time. In theory, that would be the perfect time to go to sleep to reset your body clock to the time zone at your destination. However, on top of the various sleep disruptions mentioned above, if I've been operating on Eastern time for a week, I just don't feel tired at 6 p.m.
The daytime flights allow you to go to bed in London at a reasonable time (usually between 10 p.m. and midnight). Assuming you can sleep through the night, which I usually can after a flight, you'll wake up at a normal time the next day feeling rested, refreshed and without jet lag.
Compare that to taking a 6 p.m. departure, forcing yourself to sleep and managing barely a few hours before landing at the crack of dawn, disorientated and jet-lagged.
No, thank you. These flights are absolutely brutal, and I would recommend doing everything you can to avoid them.
If you take one of the many overnight flights to London, I recommend choosing a departure time that's as late as possible (ideally 10 p.m. or later). Sure, you will still be jet-lagged when you land, but it may be easier to fall asleep on board.
You can save your points and miles for another day
If you struggle to sleep sitting up, as I do, I recommend using your points and miles to either book or upgrade to a seat with a fully flat bed to ensure better sleep.
It is less important to travel in a premium cabin on a daytime flight to Europe. These flights go by so quickly (especially if you are working or watching a couple of films), and often the benefits of a higher class may be wasted on a flight like this.
I have no problem flying in economy during the day, as I'd much rather use my points and miles for longer, overnight flights where I can truly take advantage of the amenities the carrier offers.
Related: These apps and websites make award redemptions easier to find
It can be a normal workday
When I tell friends and family about these lesser-known daytime flights from New York to London, they usually say, "Yes, but you lose an entire day on the plane." It's true that flying overnight maximizes your vacation time and, if you can manage to sleep properly, you can save a night on your accommodation.
However, most daytime flights I've taken on this route have been on normal work days. These flights will usually have Wi-Fi, so shortly after takeoff, I open my laptop, connect and work solidly for most of the flight. It's easy to catch up on emails and Slack colleagues, and write a few stories for TPG on each flight.
If you do want to work on a flight and you have lounge access, I recommend eating breakfast in the lounge and skipping the first meal on board these flights. The quality of the lounge food is significantly better, allowing you to work right away rather than waiting for your meal to be cleared.
Obviously, not everyone can work remotely, especially at 30,000 feet, but if you would otherwise be working from home that day, consider if you can work from the skies instead.
Related: Which airlines offer free Wi-Fi? A complete guide
Which flight is best?
There are five daytime flights from New York to Heathrow Airport (LHR) this summer — four from John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) on British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, JetBlue and American Airlines, and one from Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) on United Airlines.
There is also a daytime flight from Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) to LHR on British Airways.
The question of which is the best flight to take raised a spirited debate among the TPG team, who regularly fly this route. Principal spokesperson Nicky Kelvin prefers earlier departures as the early wake-up call jolts him back to London time quickly, and he can still get to sleep in his own bed at a reasonable hour.
For me, the American Airlines flight is the best option simply because it does not require an abnormally early wake-up time, and I won't feel tired all day. This means I won't need to take a short nap on the flight, can work productively throughout and go to bed the moment I walk in the front door, before midnight. This is a pretty perfect flight schedule for me.
Bottom line
I've flown from New York to London more times than I can remember; I've tried out all sorts of different flight options ranging from brilliant to awful. The very short nature of flights on this route means it's unlikely you will land rested and refreshed from an overnight flight, even if you are flying the world's best airline.
I can't recommend strongly enough the handful of daytime flights operating on this route. They are my tried-and-true way to fly to London feeling as fresh and healthy as possible.
Related reading:
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