What Is The Perfect Flight Time For Business Class

Intro

I love flying. I mean, I spend about 29.4 days per year on a plane (according to flighty), to the point where a plane is my second home. However, I frequently get asked the question, "What is your perfect flight time?" Well, I would love to share my take on a number of different routes.

Note: this is not for economy, not First Class, but for business.

The Perfect Long-Haul Redeye

To me, the perfect long-haul redeyes are the flights from Europe to Asia. As an example, TG911 is one of my favorite routes in the world, as you can wake up around 3 am, hit the lounge around 9 am for breakfast, eat lunch in the air, and still get a solid 8 hours of rest, waking up at 5 am local time in Bangkok to have breakfast.

By the time you arrive in Bangkok and clear immigration, not only have you beaten jetlag, but you have had a good night's sleep.

Thai Airways operates its 3-class 777 on this route.

A lot of people might argue: well, why not the flight from Los Angeles to London? Fair argument, but I've just always slept better on the Europe-Southeast Asia flights than the US-London routes.

That's my take. All in all, please don't do the short redeyes unless you have to.

Additionally, I am also a huge fan of the double redeyes, such as LAX-Hong Kong. If you wake up late, stay up for the first 3-4 hours, and sleep for 10 hours, it is the perfect way to maximize your travel time.

The Perfect Long-Haul Daytime Flight

I have a favorite flight in the world, and this isn't up for negotiation with me. Honestly, if I could fly this route 10x over, I would in a heartbeat, as I have the perfect routine.

The United flight (UA838) from Tokyo Narita to San Francisco might be the perfect flight. Why? You can eat some food onboard, watch a movie, take a 4-hour nap, have breakfast, and land in a relatively empty Terminal G. By the time you are airside, it's 11 am, and you're rested enough to enjoy your day in SF.

Many people will argue that NH tops Polaris, and departure times are only 10 minutes apart. But I cannot do no overhead air vents.

The Perfect Transcon Daytime Flight

For the last one I will do, I'll talk about transcon flights, or for those not in the US, 5-6 hour flights. While many business travelers tend to take evening flights or morning flights to minimize time away from work, I have learnt that the best flights for me are the ones that depart the East Coast around midday, and land into the West Coast around half past 3.

American does this service really well in Flagship First

To me, I load up in the Chelsea Lounge (or Soho since this about business) on some lovely food and champers, watch a movie and eat on the plane, take a nap for about 2 hours, wake up to some warm chocolate cookies, and we land in Los Angeles. With this timing, I can still go enjoy the beach for the afternoon, hit a nice dinner, and end up not being tired from going out later that night.

For the rest of the world, ET901 is another good example if you are in transit. A nice 5-hour run from Addis Ababa to Lagos, putting you in around midday. Perfect for adjusting to jetlag after a nice nap on the A350-1000.

The new A350-1000 is a big step up for Ethiopian Airlines

Flights I Avoid

Granted, everyone will be different when it comes to this topic, and keep in mind, I am 23 years old. However, these are some of the flights I tend to avoid:

• Daytime flights flying East (longer than 4 hours). I'm not a fan of wasting time experiencing places, and those flights that depart LA around 7 am and land in New York around 3 pm completely waste the day.

• Short redeyes. Yes, I am not a fan of the Boston-London redeyes, but they are also not the end of the world either. I am talking about the Air Senegal flights that leave at 2 am and land at 3:30 am. Even on transit, this just destroys the soul. However, sometimes, these are the only flights that are offered.

• I might be in the minority here, but I purely detest the Asia flights that leave midday from the USA. Taking off at 2 pm and landing at 6 pm is just a recipe for disaster when it comes to sleeping. Give me a double redeye landing at 4:45 am instead, I don't mind.

But that is just me. To each their own...

Final Thoughts

Everyone will have their own opinions, but these are the flights that I love to take in business, and the flights that I try to avoid. Sometimes, things don't work out as planned, or other routes aren't offered, but if I can, I avoid brutal redeyes and those pesky daytime flights to Asia. If you can, send those double red-eyes to Asia from the US, and take those Westbound mid-haul daytime flights.