The Daily Observer London Desk: Reporter- Sarah Marshal
The fear of flying is a common problem impacting around 40 per cent of the population, according to studies.
And in a bid to curb pre-flight nerves, a number of aviation experts and travel pros have spoken out about the best time of day to fly.
Many agree that the best time for nervous travelers to fly is in the morning as the conditions are generally calmer and there is less turbulence.
Redditor Snobben90, who says they work as a certified aircraft technician, wrote in a thread around the dangers of flight at night: ‘Less sun = less turbulence. It’s usually the calmest in the morning.’
Meanwhile Tom Farrier, the former director of the Safety, Air Transport Association, noted in a Quora thread that night flights also present a ‘small potential for crew fatigue and occasional spatial disorientation being present.’
Many agree that the best time for nervous travelers to fly is in the morning as the conditions are generally calmer and there is less turbulence (stock image)
The experts say some of the things that have made day and night much the same on long-range trips include better scheduling and crew rest requirements (stock image)
However, he argues that due to increased safety around the airline industry there is less difference between flying at night and day than there used to be.
He explained: ‘Thanks to the safety standards to which most countries in the world adhere these days, there’s really very little difference in the relative safety of daytime or nighttime flights, at least at the international level.’
Farrier says some of the things that have made day and night much the same on long-range trips include better scheduling and crew rest requirements, along with ‘highly capable aircraft and modern aids to navigation.’
However, if travelers are faced with traveling on an older aircraft in a country that has less solid rules around flight safety, Farrier suggests leaving from or arriving during the daytime.
He muses: ‘If you want the safest flying experience possible, there’s no substitute for reasonably well-rested pilots being able to actually see what’s going on around them when they’re close to the ground or moving around an airport.’
In another Quora thread asking ‘as an airline pilot, what time of day is your favorite to fly?’ William Keating, who flies commercial planes after retiring as a fighter pilot, says morning is also his top slot.
In response to the question, he wrote: ‘For me, morning. I like the 7am to 9am departures. Don’t get accumulated delays. It’s usually before the worst of the weather and the winds are likely less.’
On Reddit, another user asked: ‘Is it safer to fly in the early morning (6am) vs other times of the day?’
To avoid a bumpy ride, pilot Garrett, 29, from North Carolina, previously revealed that selecting a seat near the wing will serve up the least turbulence
Frequent flyer @vashtie1674 said that he generally prefers the mornings too.
He revealed: ‘I learned from a pilot that early AM is the least likely to be turbulent. It is only sometimes true. Air is air and it will be stable and unstable. That being said, I do prefer to fly very early rather than later in the day.
‘It is a better travel experience to me. Safety wise, all the same rules apply so you’re definitely safe. Sometimes your plane is having it’s first flight of the day as well.’
To avoid a bumpy ride, pilot Garrett, 29, from North Carolina, previously revealed that selecting a seat near the wing will serve up the least turbulence.
‘If you’re near the wing root you actually are absorbing most of the turbulence in the wing root so therefore you will feel less and less bumps throughout the flight,’ he explained in a TikTok video.
Dr. Quay Snyder, the president of the Aviation Medicine Advisory Service, also says seats over the wings – typically found in rows 10 to 30 – provide more stability as they are closer to the ‘center of mass.’
