Red-eye flight
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A red-eye flight is a flight operated by an airline very early in the morning, roughly during the period from 1:00 to 4:00 a.m.. The term "red-eye" derives from the fatigue symptom of having red eyes.
Depending on the origin and destination of the flight, a red-eye flight may run at different times. For example, a flight from the West Coast of the United States to the East Coast of the United States might take approximately five hours. If the flight leaves at 10:00 p.m. Pacific Standard Time, it will arrive at its destination at 6:00 a.m. Eastern Standard Time the next day, thereby taking the passengers' entire night, without taking off or landing in the middle of the night. In North America, most red-eye flights fly from the west to the east coast, capitalizing on the timezone changes and rising sun. It is also a term becoming increasingly popular to describe flights from Perth, Western Australia to the East Coast Cities of Australia that operate at similar times.
In addition to allowing passengers to have a full day at both the departure and destination city and travel by night, red-eye flights generally operate for several reasons:
- Repositioning aircraft for the following day's schedule
- Increasing the utilization of aircraft in a company's fleet
- Providing additional service to traditionally lower cost markets
- Allowing the airline to advertise lower fares to some destinations
In the 1930s and 1940s, red-eye flights were unthinkable, as most airports did not have the equipment necessary to work at night. But with the advent of the jet age and improvement of airports around the world, night flights and red-eye flights surged. On the other hand, there are still many airports that do not function after certain hours, so red-eye flights can take off only from those airports that are operational after midnight.
