The best time of day to fly – it’s cheaper and less likely to be delayed

A TRAVEL expert has revealed the best time of day to fly for passengers who want to save money and increase their chances of being upgraded.

With several flights to choose from on some routes each day, picking the earliest one available might seem off-putting for some people.

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However, there are some advantages to dragging yourself out of bed in the early hours for a holiday.

Frequent flyer Zach Griff found this out on a recent journey, when he went opted for a 6am flight, despite initially not being thrilled about the early start.

He explained how it was cheaper and improved his chances of getting a better seat.

He told The Points Guy: “Families would likely have a hard time travelling with kids at 6am, and only those who don’t mind a 4am (or earlier) alarm can make these early-morning flights work.

“Airline revenue managers know this and that’s typically why the first flight of the morning is the cheapest one. There’s much less demand and that reality is often reflected in the fares.”

Zach was also delighted to get a complimentary upgrade on his early morning flight, something he said is all-but impossible when flying later in the day.

This is because of the increased demand for seats on flights at more convenient times.

He added: “These days, scoring a complimentary elite upgrade is like winning Powerball. It just never happens. That’s not necessarily the case on 6am flights. Only half of the first-class cabin was booked before departure.”

Cheap tickets and upgrades aren’t the only benefits of flying first thing in the morning either, with earlier flights statistically less likely to be delayed.

Scott Keyes, the founder of Going.com explained why a morning flight is more likely to take off on time than one later in the day.

He told Travel + Leisure: “The earlier your flight, the better your odds.

“That’s because weather is generally better in the morning, and also because the plane is usually already at the airport, rather than arriving from elsewhere, and thus at risk if that inbound flight were to get cancelled.”

Gordon Smith, who has built extensive knowledge around commercial aviation as editor of Airliner World, agreed with Scott’s advice.

He told the Daily Mail: “While late-evening departures can be convenient, they’re also risky. 

“Budget firms typically assign just 30 minutes between landing and take-off all day long, so it doesn’t take much for schedules to go awry. 

“Problems can be compounded, with later services more likely to experience knock-on delays.”

Meanwhile, we’ve rounded up some other ways to avoid travel chaos this summer.

Here is how to claim compensation if your flight is cancelled.

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