This Kind of Flight Can Help Conquer Transatlantic Jet Lag, According to Experts

When taking a transatlantic redeye, aka a flight that leaves late in the night in the U.S. and lands in the morning Europe time, you’re presented with some minor and major issues. With flights lasting about 5 to 8 hours, it’s hard to get great sleep on board, meaning you’re bound to be fatigued upon landing. Jet lag is going to hit at some point, even if you did get great sleep. And landing at 6 a.m. or even a bit later generally means that your room might not be ready for you to catch a much needed morning nap — leading to you making like a zombie walking through the streets of your European city of choice, looking for coffee or the will to keep your eyes open. 

But what if there’s a solution to this despair? 

Boarding the Delta plane from JFK to Paris recently, I realized I had never taken this type of daytime route to Europe. Our departure time was 8:15 am, and we landed (early) around 9 pm. I was able to check in, order a small late dinner,  and, tired after a day in a plane, fall asleep relatively easily around midnight in an actual bed. I didn’t lose a night of sleep, I was comfortable, and best of all, I was pretty much adjusted to the time difference.

The Delta daytime flight to Paris was launched in March 2024, and is a marked difference to the typical “overnight” or redeye flight that most carriers use when flying from the East Coast of the United States to Europe, where you leave in the evening East Coast time, landing early in the morning Europe time. And because these flights are prone to tailwinds, you often land earlier than your slated arrival time — cutting down on the sleep you can get.

So are these flights better for fighting jet lag, since you’ll (assumedly) go to bed shortly after landing? In short, yes. 

“Daytime flights to Europe from the East Coast are a great alternative for those who struggle with red-eye flights,” says Carlie Gasia, a Certified Sleep Science Coach at Sleepopolis. “These flights usually leave in the morning and land in the evening, aligning well with a typical day’s schedule. This helps travelers stay awake until a normal bedtime in the new timezone, making it easier to transition.”

Although Delta is currently the only carrier offering this service from the East Coast to Paris, other carriers offer different daytime flights as well, according to aviation tracker Cirium. Most daytime offerings are between New York and London, as it’s a pretty short flight and the time difference is 5 hours (as opposed to 6 with Paris). Different carriers have a few other routes and from other cities, including Boston, Washington D.C., and Chicago. 

The amount of daytime flights range from around 6 to 12 options daily in the summer (and even less in other seasons), so they’re much more limited when compared to redeyes, and fly primarily to London, but with Iceland, Paris, Porto, and Istanbul also in the mix. Carriers include Delta Airlines, American Airlines, British Airways, JetBlue Airways, Norse Atlantic Airways, United Airlines, and Virgin Atlantic Airways.

“Losing” a day in the air may have once been detrimental to either pocketbooks (making the most of one’s vacation days with a night in a hotel immediately upon landing isn’t the most economical) or to business, but now with WiFi available on many flights, it’s seen as perhaps a better option for those who don’t sleep well on planes or who have trouble getting back into action upon landing. (Though airlines still often lose out, as the timing is often too late to make it anywhere else, and they sit overnight.) In fact, daytime flights were known as a Chairman’s Flight, as these types of positions were the only ones who could afford to lose a day in the sky and travel during business hours. (Now that naming convention has taken on a particular scandal in the U.S., but this was the original.) 

To make the most of this type of flight, the first rule of business is staying awake. “For passengers on daytime flights to Europe, it is usually smart to stay awake during the flight to better adjust to the time zone of your destination,” says Julia Siemen, a Certified Sleep Science Coach at Sleep Advisor. “To stay awake I recommend engaging in light reading or work, listening to music or podcasts to stay alert, and getting up to stretch and walk around the cabin to maintain energy levels.”

With limited options, daytime flights aren’t always possible. In that case, if you have to fly overnight, both experts emphasize drinking a lot of water and cutting back on coffee and alcohol. “Red-eye flights often cause attempts to sleep under challenging conditions, usually leading to poor sleep quality and more severe jet lag,” Siemen emphasizes. “Once you arrive, get some natural sunlight to help reset your internal clock. Although it may seem difficult, this should help you adjust a bit quicker.” 

As daytime transatlantic options expand, flyers can express their love of these types of flights by way of social media or email, which may have a positive effect on the number of flights offered. (Fingers crossed.)