What's your opinion of "red eye" flights?

[Kitty 34]

Red eye meaning a flight you take in the middle of the night for those that might not know what I meant.

Have you ever taken a red-eye flight to somewhere or to back home? Did it take you forever to recover from lack of sleep or little sleep? I just can't picture truly sleeping on a plane.

 

[Mandabella]

I did it on the return flight for my Vegas trip. After that trip, I vowed to never do it again. I'm not sure how I managed to drive home from the airport because I was so tired.

 

[Kitty 34]

I did it on the return flight for my Vegas trip. After that trip, I vowed to never do it again. I'm not sure how I managed to drive home from the airport because I was so tired.

My sister said the same thing after her red eye from Vegas. She said she was tired enough just from 4 nights in Vegas (with little sleep) let alone staying up all night on a plane!!

 

[Feralpeg]

DD and I recently flew the red eye from LA to Orlando. It was an incredibly long flight. I thought we'd be able to sleep. No way. Way to much activity in the cabin. It was also a very rough flight. I wouldn't want to do it again.

 

[lulugirl]

I have taken a red eye flight several times and liked it. I wouldn't do it w/ my kids though.

 

[ducklite]

I'll do it if I can book first class--otherwise I'll avoid it if at all possible.

Years ago I worked nights, and loved red eyes, they followed my normal sleep pattern. I'd book a day room by the airport so I could keep my routine on track.

Anne

 

[Kitty 34]

I'll do it if I can book first class--otherwise I'll avoid it if at all possible.

Years ago I worked nights, and loved red eyes, they followed my normal sleep pattern. I'd book a day room by the airport so I could keep my routine on track.

Anne

I know my DH wouldn't have a problem with a red eye flight as he works 'til 4 am.

 

[MinnieM21]

All the flights I've taken to Orlando from Portland, OR have been red eye flights. I was able to sleep just fine and felt great during the day. During the flight, almost everyone was asleep and others who weren't sleeping were very quiet.

 

[Meriweather]

We always do them going to WDW....don't want to waste a whole park day with the long flight and time change.
It actually helps us adjust to the time change.
Plane leaves 11- midnight. We usually arrive 10 am ish and go to parks until we can't stand up anymore The adrenaline keeps you going for a long time.
We go back to the resort and crash about 8-9 and then we are on schedule from the next day on.
Works for us

 

[DisneyLovingMama]

I took one from San Fran to NJ once. I slept almost the whole way, but was still pretty tired when I got home and slept until noon or so. After that, I was fine. I would do it again, just not with the kids.

 

[Tigger&Belle]

I took a red eye a couple years ago coming back from visiting my mom in Oregon. I liked the flight--was able to sleep some on the plane. I wouldn't want to do it with a young child since I would be afraid that they would stay awake all night. The hardest part was coming home to 4 kids who wanted to see me and it was hard to get a nap in, but that isn't the case for everyone.

 

[escape]

DH & I did a redeye from Hawaii to Dallas to Little Rock a couple of years ago. It was awful. Due to mechanical problems (with one of the bathrooms!) we were late leaving Hawaii causing us to arrive in Dallas too late to catch our connecting flight to LR. We ended up getting home around 4:00pm after leaving Hawaii at 9:00pm the night before. We were exhaused.

After that, I swore that I would never do a redeye. However, in reality, I still do redeyes as most flights to Europe are overnight flights and I usually go over there every other year. There's no escaping redeyes if you travel to Europe!

 

[DebbieB]

I did it one time Las Vegas - Pittsburgh. One problem was that you have to checkout from your hotel at noon, so you don't have a room for the rest of the day. It was a very long flight, I really couldn't sleep, I just dozed. It was weird that you went from darkness to light, which is usually the opposite of what you experience on a plane.

 

[gradtchr]

I have not tqaken one but I would if I were headed to Disney just to get me there sooner.

 

[CamColt]

In the past few months Ive taken 2 home from CA. The first one was tough because I had my kids with me. Every time DS started falling asleep his head would bob and hit my head, waking me up again, LOL! My second one was the best flight ever! I had my own row, put up the arm rests to lay across it, rolled up my sweatshirt for a pillow and slept. I woke up once to see on the tv screen we were over NY. I was actually bummed that we didnt have much further to go because I could have used a few more hours of sleep. And I'm not one who enjoys flying at all and usually cant wait for flights to be over.

 

[Dan Murphy]

West coast returns for me are often redeyes. They are okay.

 

[Nite0wl71]

I took my first one coming back from Vegas. It was ok I was watching a movie and fell asleep. Since I don't have young kids at home I took a nap and when I got up I was back to normal

 

[MoniqueU]

I purposely take them because I hate just sitting on a plane and other then jetblue with their tvs nothing much entertains me. I hate most movies and I can't read in the low light they have on planes. So what am I going to do sit there for hours? I take a sleeping pill and sleep the whole 5.5 hours from west coast to east or to the caribbean. Our flight to new zealand in February is red eyes both ways. I have also taken it with my kids and they sleep on the plane as well. The only thing is yes you still wake up tired when you get there and you have to hope your hotel is ready for an early check in. I have had good luck all but one time in the bahamas where they wouldn't let me check in til 3, that was a killer. Usually a quick power nap and I am ready to go.

 

[Beth76]

Coming back from Mexico after Wilma, our flight left at 1am. I thought they would have the lights off so we could get some sleep, but they actually served a huge meal and everyone was eating. It finally got quiet about the last hour of the flight. Not having slept very much for the previous week (during the hurricane), I was exhuasted yet I still couldn't really sleep on the plane. Under normal conditions I probably would have been fine. But, I doubt I would ever take my kids on the red-eye.

 

[icebrat001]

I love red eye flights, however, I've only done them one long flights 6 hours or more, so I sleep.

Once upon a time, I was afraid to sleep on planes, about 4 years ago, I was flying from SF to DC and there was a bad storm, lightening and all, all the lights on the plane went out, the flight attendants ran to their seats, the plane was dropping a lot, it was so scary everyone on the plane grabbed one anothers hands and then over the PA the pilot said (I don't think he knew he was over the PA) OMG, we're going down. My heart sunk, I thought I was going to die. It was horrible. It took me 4 years and lots of flights to fall asleep on a plane after than experience.