- During my recent 7-hour red-eye flight from NYC to Barcelona, I struggled to get any sleep.
- The airline Iberia served two meals during the flight, keeping the lights on for the majority of the journey.
- In the future, I’ll book international red-eye flights to minimize jet lag, but I’ll also remember to bring a sleep mask.
I embarked on my red-eye flight to Barcelona from NYC at 9 p.m. on a Friday last month. Having been on similar long-haul flights before, I felt fully prepared. I had dinner before the flight and refrained from taking any naps, assuming I would sleep on the plane and wake up refreshed in Spain, free from jet lag.
To my disappointment, things didn’t go as planned.
This particular flight, operated by Iberia, lasted about seven hours and departed at 11:45 p.m. When I boarded the plane, exhaustion from the long day had already set in, and I was confident I would immediately fall asleep once the lights were turned off.
Some red-eye flights serve dinner with the lights on
About half an hour later, I woke up as the lights were switched back on and an attendant announced that it was dinner time. I was surprised that dinner was being served on a late-night flight like this.
Since I was sitting at the back of the plane, it took some time for my meal to reach me. By the time the last bits of trash were collected, I realized that two hours had passed since I had woken up. I promptly fell back asleep when the lights were turned off again.
Two hours later, the lights flickered on again, interrupting my sleep. It was time for breakfast.
I groaned in disappointment, although I was torn. While it’s great that the airline ensures passengers are well-fed, previous red-eye flights I’ve taken only served breakfast, giving me more sleeping time. By the time breakfast ended, the sun was up, the whole cabin was awake, and I was exhausted.
Next time, I’ll pack a sleep mask
This experience hasn’t deterred me from choosing international red-eye flights in the future. In my opinion, they’re still the best way to minimize jet lag when traveling to a different time zone. When I manage to sleep through the flight, it feels like I’m already adjusting to the new time zone, which significantly impacts the first few days of my trip.
Although it didn’t work out this time, I believe I can avoid this issue in the future by bringing
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