I totally prefer early morning flights as you then arrive at your destination with the whole day to unpack and get to know your surroundings.
Although i would say it depends on how far you are travelling, if you are going on an 11+ hour flight, the time differences going through all those zones is going to throw everything out of the window!

i'm not too bothered what time my outbound flight is but for my return to the uk it has to be a flight with an early afternoon departure, i really hate sitting around resenting my suitcase!

as for travel i prefer newcastle airport as its only 15 minutes up the road, however for the best deals i'm prepared to do the long drive to manchester

I prefer to get up very early and go, any flight time before 9 or 10am suits, then on the way home I prefer to land at lunchtime or mid afternoon.

We live approx 1 hour from Gatwick, so this suits.

Hi there

We have always been really lucky with our flight times.

We prefer a early morning flight from Luton which is only about 3/4 hour from where we are in High Wycombe. Usually on a 2 hour flight so have the rest of the day in resort. Coming home we are always lucky too. Usually gets us into Luton late mid/late afternoon so not too much of an early start at the other end.

Bizzilady

Interesting - I've been to Greece twice - one night flight, delayed, got to the hotel about 6am - grabbed a couplle of hours sleep then woke up and stared our holiday. On the way back we were picked up at 10pm - but the hotel looked after our cases and provided a room to change or shower so we still got a full day by the pool and dinner at the taverna next door.

The morning flight last year meant an early start - we only live 30 mins from Manchester airport - including dropping car at my parents. But these days check in is two hours in advance and the queues were really long.

Then because of the time difference its mid afternoon by the time you arrive and you have to sit on the coash in baking sun.

I suppose I go away for the weather and I resent spending time queing, and traveling on coaches during day light!

I have no real preferences over when I fly OUT to my Holiday Destination.....I can live with whatever flight I can get as I still have two, sometimes three weeks holiday to look forward to.

However, returning BACK home is another matter entirely. Wherever possible I try to ensure that I book something that guarantees that I can get a flight back home within a few hours of having to vacate my accomodation. I've not done 'DIY' as yet, and up until very recentley would not think of booking DIY, but I have now changed my thinking on this, (anyway thats another story), as I book 'Package' deals, I don't like flights that depart in the early hours of the following morning which means you have to sit around the Hotel for several hours in your 'going home' clothes guarding your suitcases as if they contained the Crown Jewels. Even if the Hotel provides a room to store your luggage there is no guarantee it will not be tampered with. ( I have known other guests who have done this, only to find that when they went to retrieve their suitcases they had been broken into as the Hotel Reception staff gave out the key to the room to a complete stranger without asking for any ID).

I resent having to pay extra to retain my room for a few more hours when its almost guaranteed that the guests who will be arriving and staying in my room will not actually be arriving until late that evening, or sometimes in the early hours of the following day....meaning that the room is in effect empty anyway....save for the Cleaner's visit. And as I am dressed in clothes suitable for the UK Climate, its not very comfortable walking around resort to try and kill the boredom of the long wait for the Coach Transfer.

I try to get a flight whereby I check out of my room at 10.00am, grab some breakfast and get picked up from the Hotel around 12noon, and be at the Airport all checked in and sat in the Departure Lounge for around 2.30pm with my flight leaving around 3.30pm, which gets me back to my UK Airport at around 5.30pm and then back in the comfort of my home for around 6.30pm just in time for dinner.
It does not always work out like that, but these would be my own personal ideal Flight Times.

(I'm talking about holidays to the Spanish Costas. I've only ever done one Long Haul trip and that was to the USA way back in 1982).

Usually when we fly out it's about 9pm when we land and by the time we've gone thru' palma Airport and to resort we're looking at 11pm and all the supermarkets have shut and the only drinks we can find are in the bars so we end up doing a mini unpack and then straight to bed.

This year we've got an early afternoon flight and will be in resort about 8pm which will be wonderful as we can get in and get straight out for something to eat, catch supermarket etc before coming back to unpack and sleep.

Coming back I prefer late afternoon/early evening flights so we still benefit from the day itself and we're not home too late. For us early hours flights and kids don't mix.

We're only 5 mins from Newcastle Airport door to door but this will be the first time we've flown from there in years as we've either used Teesside or Leeds Bradford in the past. Leeds Bradford is the furthest away I'd ever try TBH - it's the getting home at the end of the holiday that's the problem you just want to get home don't you!

It depends where you're going i guess and journey time.

I know when i travel to Rhodes i like a night flight. As i've been going for years i know where to get a late drink or bite to eat if i fancy it, then get a few hours sleep before the full day ahead. I also like the fact that this gives me a full day on departure when i can relax on the beach, go for dinner and a last few drinks before the airport - it's like any other day of my holiday.

I have done day flights (and will do this year) if that's all that's on offer or if the price is significantly better but i don't like getting up in the morning and leaving straight away. Well i don't like leaving anyway but hey !

Marcuschap72

I agree with you 100%. We always (if possible) get night flights. There is nothing worse than walking past everyone lying around the pool in the sunshine with your suitcases in hand because you've got a midday flight. I like a last full day so we can relax in the sun during the day and then do as normal, shower, get ready, go out for a meal and have a few drinks before heading to the airport. We have always done this, even when the kids were young as I found they would sleep the whole journey home (heaven) after a full day on the beach or in the pool.

Jackie

When flying around europe i prefer day flights,

However when flying to Asia or the Caribean there isnt much choice, the outbound or return journey is going to be day/night whatever.

European flights I like night time flights. For usa the couple times I have been it has been the same flight at 10am or there abouts in the morning on the thursday we seem to get out and then an afternoon flight back but with time zones you are tired no matter when you fly

Flying to Far East we have found going out on overnight flight the best getting into Thailand or wherever early morning. Coming back leaving early evening seems the best...allows two thirds of a day in resort vacate room at 4pm, meal at airport, flight at 8pm, back into UK early morning.

the first couple of times we went to turkey we had flights at 10am. that was ok but we felt we lost a day of our holiday as we didn't reach our apartments until about 8pm. last year Thomas Cook had changed the flights to night ones. we got to the apartments at 6am, had a quick nap then got on with the holiday. we happily paid the extra charge to keep our room so we could have a normal day in resort without having to wander around in our UK clothes. this year we have night flights again and i am quite happy with this.

Flossy

I prefer early morning flights, our holiday starts sooner that way, sad or what

Would never purposely purchase a night flight now, use to when there was 5 of us going on holiday. But now only 3 of us prefer early mornings, like 7/8ish.

However, do not know whether we have done the right thing regarding our first long haul flight to the dominican next Jan as the flight is mid morning, so therefore our return flight is through the night, arrive back at Man air early morning about 6ish.

Really thinking about long haul flights, it may be difficult to choose the perfect time as the time difference are much greater.

Kazee