Surviving a redeye: My top strategies as a frequent flyer – The Points Guy

Taking red-eye flights is a reality of intercontinental travel.

After all, the vast majority of flights from the U.S. to Europe take off late in the day, fly through the night and land the next morning across the Atlantic.

You’re also likely to spend the night on a plane if you’re headed deep into South America — and certainly if you’re flying to the Middle East, Asia or Australia.

The question is: When you land after a night of very little sleep, how do you make the first day at your destination as un-miserable as possible?

Here are a few of my most successful strategies.

Book a day-use hotel

Did you know you can book a hotel room for the day?

This might have been the best 90 euros I’ve spent recently.

Day-use hotel reservations allow you to check into a hotel right after you land from a red-eye flight and have a guaranteed hotel room for the day.

I did this for my wife and me earlier this summer when we kicked off our big summer trip with an overnight (economy) flight to Dublin on Aer Lingus.

Knowing we’d be running on fumes, I went through Hilton’s WorkSpaces by Hilton platform and booked us a day-use room at the Hampton by Hilton Dublin City Centre.

Check-in time? 9 a.m.

This was clutch: It allowed us to grab a shower, catch a nap and feel refreshed enough to explore the city by early afternoon.

Best of all, we didn’t have to sit around in the hotel lobby waiting for our room to be ready.

Bonus points (literally) — I earned both Hilton Honors points and an elite night credit for the brief stay.

Helpful hint: Guests may instead pay an hourly rate for some day-use reservations, such as the one that TPG’s Summer Hull booked after a recent red-eye.

Take advantage of status, credit card perks to get into your room early

Sometimes, booking a day-use room isn’t worth it if you’re confident you can get into your hotel room early.

For instance, if you have an eligible American Express credit card and can book through the Amex Fine Hotels + Resorts portfolio, your perks include a 12 p.m. early check-in when available.

Plus, some hotel loyalty programs offer early check-in (or customizable check-in and checkout times) as an elite status benefit.

Just ask nicely

Beyond that, just ask nicely! Sometimes the front desk can accommodate an early (perhaps even very early) check-in at no additional cost if rooms are available.

Some pleasantries at the front desk allowed me into my Singapore hotel at 8 a.m. earlier this year after a 17-hour flight.

Make use of the airport lounge shower suites

Maybe it’s just me, but having access to a shower after a red-eye can often be a more important reset than a nap.

If you’re connecting onto another flight after a red-eye and have lounge access, take advantage of the shower suites available at many global airports.

When I have a connecting itinerary, this is a big way I feel refreshed and ready for another leg of the trip — as opposed to walking around all day in the clothes I slept in on the plane.

Some airlines and airports also have arrivals lounges for eligible members, such as American Airlines’ facility at London’s Heathrow Airport (LHR). This is a good option if you’ve already reached your final destination and cleared customs.

Avoid the red-eye altogether and book a daylight flight

Most eastbound flights from the U.S. to Europe are red-eyes. But not all.

There is a (very small) handful of daylight flights that take off from the U.S. in the morning and land that night on the other side of the Atlantic.

I booked one of these unorthodox itineraries from New York City to London last year and was a huge fan: No sleepless night on the plane. No breakfast served when your body clock says it’s 1 a.m. No wandering around the next day like a zombie.

The only real downside of this itinerary is that it’s not the most efficient, financially, when it comes to paying for hotels: It’ll be nighttime when you land, so you’ll want to head straight to the hotel to get to bed.

But taking a daylight flight helped me beat jet lag altogether, and earned a permanent spot in the bag of travel tricks.

Which airlines offer daylight flights from the US to Europe?

Daytime flights from the U.S. to mainland Europe include:

• American, British Airways, JetBlue and Virgin Atlantic: John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) to LHR
• British Airways: Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) to LHR
• United Airlines: Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) to LHR

Watch for an upgrade offer

Of course, there’s another way to reduce your red-eye exhaustion: score a lie-flat seat.

Easier said than done, of course, since many business-class tickets can be outside the budget (or the points budget).

But getting into business class doesn’t necessarily have to cost you thousands of dollars or your whole stash of miles.

Airlines have gotten much more aggressive about offering paid (or mileage) upgrades. And while the prices you see can often be eye-popping, every once in awhile you also might get lucky and find a deal.

I recently booked my wife and me in economy on American’s new Airbus A321XLR from New York to Scotland using AAdvantage miles.

Quickly after booking, American started offering paid upgrades to its new Flagship Suites. At first, the prices were running north of $2,000.

Then, one morning, I refreshed my app and found a confirmed business-class offer for just over $600 per person.

“That was well worth it,” I thought, as I polished off an ice cream sundae at 35,000 feet and prepared to doze off.

Bottom line

There is also a host of wellness-focused tips and strategies to help you reduce jet lag during your travels.

You can read more on other ways to beat the fatigue here.

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