Airports are generally less busy as well, making it easier to get around. Reason #4 Lower Risk Of Delays – Early morning flights are known for being on time much more often because they aren't delayed by late flights coming in. That means more connections made on time.
Also, since early-morning flights aren't as popular, there are fewer of them. This means the national airspace isn't as congested as it usually is later in the day, minimizing the risk of air-traffic-related delays. In my case, traveling in the morning was the only way I could pull off a same-day trip.
Tips for a Stress-Free Trip
For starters, consider booking flights as early in the morning as you possibly can. Not only will this help you avoid potential delays, but it can also save you time in traffic. If you book a 6AM domestic flight, for example, you'll need to arrive at the airport by 4AM.
Most people don't like the time wake-up times required to hit the earliest flights out of the airport, so a “first flight of the day” oftentimes offers less packed airplanes as well as easy breezy airport concourses. As a bonus, the early morning flights almost always have the best on-time records.
How long before my flight do I need to arrive at the airport? The suggested times are two hours before a domestic flight and three hours before an international flight. If you are travelling by car, please allow for extended delays during peak hours. The peak traffic times are 6.30-9.30am and 4.30-6.30pm.
An aircraft that arrives at Sydney Airport before 6.00 am must hold until after the curfew ends, or divert to an alternative airport. During the curfew, aircraft must operate over Botany Bay, that is take-offs to the south and landings to the north.
An airport curfew is a legislated restriction on aircraft operations at a federally-leased airport during a specified time period. Adelaide, Essendon, Gold Coast and Sydney airports have curfews between 11pm and 6am.
The Best Time to Fly Crowd-Free
If you're looking to fly without experiencing huge crowds, you should be aiming for flights that leave anywhere between 7 and 8 in the morning.
The Best Time to Fly is in the Morning
Flights leaving before 7am have the least amount of delays. That's early, we get it. For a 6:30am departure, you would have to arrive at the airport by 5am and leave for the airport even earlier. But the pros definitely outweigh the cons…
“Roughly, you've got a 30% less chance of getting a long delay or cancellation if you go out in the morning,” said Kathleen Bangs, a former commercial airline pilot and current spokesperson for the flight-tracking site FlightAware.
If I have a 5am flight, do I still need to arrive early? What time does the airport open? TSA and the airlines recommend that all travelers arrive at the airport at least two hours in advance of their flight departure time to ensure they have enough time to check in with their airline and go through security.
Three is the magic number for long-haul flights. Airlines generally recommend getting to the airport at least three hours before your flight time because international flights (and their larger planes) tend to have longer queues at check-in and security to account for the greater number of passengers.
Airports are generally less busy as well, making it easier to get around. Reason #4 Lower Risk Of Delays – Early morning flights are known for being on time much more often because they aren't delayed by late flights coming in. That means more connections made on time.
Early morning on-time performance is all thanks to the thin air traffic. As Forbes explained, airspace is less likely to be crowded in the morning, as all the previous days' flights have long landed. But as planes build up and wait for takeoff, air traffic controllers begin to delay departures and landings.
According to the TSA, you should get to the airport two hours before your domestic flight. This leaves time for parking, shuttle transportation, check-in, and getting through security, the TSA says.
Red-eye flights depart late at night and arrive at their destination in the early morning hours. Usually, a flight that departs after 9 p.m. and arrives at 5 or 6 am shall be considered a red-eye flight.
When you're traveling within the United States, we make the suggestion to arrive at the airport at least 2 hours prior to departure. For most airports, you must be checked in at least 30 minutes before your scheduled departure time (airports requiring additional time are listed below, Go to footer note).
When will my airport be busy? Different airports load their departures at different times, so lines will ebb and flow throughout the day. According to Hopper, 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. is busiest at some airports, while 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. is the peak at others.
Morning flights–those arriving between 6 a.m. and 12:59 p.m.–had a higher percentage of timely arrivals, at 82.6%, than late afternoon, evening and overnight flights. On-time performance steadily dwindled as the day progressed and bottomed out by the evening.
Are morning flights cheaper? Yes, morning flights can be cheaper. Because they are flown at off-peak times, airlines sell morning flights at a cheaper rate as an incentive for customers to choose morning flights over flights at other times of the day.
What is an Airport Curfew? An airport curfew is a legislated restriction on aircraft operations at a federally-leased airport during a specified time period. Adelaide, Essendon, Gold Coast and Sydney airports have curfews between 11pm and 6am.
Night flight restrictions
Overview of restrictions: There are two time periods: 23:00 - 07:00 and 23:30 - 06:00 both with restrictions on certain types of aircraft; The more restrictive period (23:30 - 06:00) is known as the Night Quota Period (NQP) and has limits on the number of movements which are set by the DfT.
Generally speaking, most airlines advise that you arrive at the airport at least 2 hours prior to a domestic flight, and at least 3 hours prior to an international flight. That said, there are many factors to consider that will help you decide how much time you should budget for at the airport.