Red Eye flight suggestions

[sam_gordon]

I have two red eyes coming up... one to Europe (DTW to CDG connecting to BCN) and one from Vegas to DTW (connecting on to CVG).

The good news is the Europe flight is 8 hours, but we take off at 6pm, and land at 8am (but our body clocks will think it's only 2am). Less than two hour layover, then a 2 hour flight to BCN. I want to try to do some sight seeing that day and go to bed earlier that night, but don't know if DW & DS will be willing.

The flight from Vegas leaves a little after 10p and gets to DTW a little after 5a (just under a 4 hour flight). Then again, I have a two hour layover and an hour flight. Then a 90 minute drive home.

Any suggestions on dealing with them?

 

[JessM]

Best suggestion is prepare yourself to not getting any sleep and be ok with that before hand. My first couple red eyes I stressed about how tired I was going to be and that made it worse. Not knowing what seating configurations the planes are I always try to get a window seat if I am looking to sleep. I am normally an aisle person but between getting bumped by the drink cart, snack cart and people going to use the bathroom I never sleep.

Your flight from Vegas leaves very little time for actual sleeping, after take off they always make the horribly loud bathroom and drink option announcement and the lights will come on to check for tray tables 20-30mins before landing. The worse will be the layover, I've done it three times before and it is miserable each time.

The Europe flight should be a little easier, I would dress in comfy clothes and brush teeth and what not before getting on the plane, it will make it feel like it's bedtime. I'd bring a travel pillow and some lightweight fleece blankets (I'm always cold and the blankets they provide are so tiny) to try to get comfy. To get your bodies on Europe time I would definitely try to stay up when you get there, it should be easy with the daylight.

 

[bumbershoot]

Best suggestion is prepare yourself to not getting any sleep and be ok with that before hand.

Yep.

Recent Orlando flight all factors were decent that I'd get sleep (I am a poor sleeper always but in planes it's worse, but I was sleepy, it was dark, and just warm enough), and then the guy behind and across the aisle was drunk and had a cold so couldn't hear himself. All night long. Every time I thought "I should ask a FA to talk to him" I would either fall asleep or he would get quiet. Then he'd start talking and/or I would wake and it would start again.

Transatlantic...my two Europe bound trips were awful. First one an Irish woman was drinking, singing, and talking about exactly how much she looked forward to reuniting with her boyfriend. Second one my own son refused to sleep. Got to heathrow (from Vancouver) with under 40 minutes of sleep. And with a bagel and timbits for food because our codeshare booking didn't transfer our meal request to them.

Be ready to sleep if possible (comfy clothes warm socks blankets neck pillows if they work for you) but also bring music and books and whatever might work for you if you can't sleep.


Oh and study up on CDG so you can be prepared for it. Heathrow at "2am" was interesting.

 

[nkereina]

We did a red eye on our way home from Hawaii in September. We left at 4pm Hawaii time, 8 hour flight to Atlanta arriving at 6am Eastern time. We then connected to Buffalo and were in our house by noon. We barely slept and were exhausted when we got home, so we crashed quite early that night.

If I were going to do it over again, the night before my red eye, I'd try to stay up late and wake myself up early the morning of the red eye. You'll at least be more tired and maybe find it easier to doze off on the plane. I wouldn't do it for the Vegas flight but maybe for the Europe flight, you could take melatonin or something similar to help you fall asleep.

Good luck! Red eyes always sound like a great idea when booking them to maximize the vacation, but it sucks when you're actually doing it! lol

 

[bumbershoot]

Red eyes always sound like a great idea when booking them to maximize the vacation, but it sucks when you're actually doing it!

So true.

FWIW I used my melatonin (and 5HTP and theanine) plus my Sleep Rescue and I think that's why I got the little bits of sleep on the way to Orlando, but sometimes it feels like little bits of sleep are more maddening than just being up.

 

[Jimsig]

Also as soon as you get on the plane change any watches/clocks you have to your destination if you can. If connecting make it to that airports local time first, don't want to have to be figuring out time changes when you are changing planes. I have a Timex that has two time settings, I can keep one set for home and set the other for my destination.