My alarm went off this morning at 4:30 a.m., as I had a 7:45 a.m. flight home from Orlando, Florida. I was in Orlando with several of my colleagues for the Global Business Travel Association convention. They were set to leave later in the day, and I didn’t have a specific need for an early departure other than that the pricing was more attractive.

Whenever I have an early flight, I don’t sleep well, constantly waking up to check the time for fear of oversleeping. On the other hand, there is a peace of mind in knowing you’re probably on the first flight of the day, so there’s less chance of delays, and depending on flight duration, it’s likely you can arrive at your destination with a full day ahead of you.

All of this got me thinking about what time of day people prefer to fly. Are you more inclined to select the earliest departure, or do you prefer to fly later in the day? Do you just choose whatever works best, or does it depend on your destination?

I have to say, I thought the airport would be a bit calmer at 6 a.m., but all lines were long,

Photo 174359459 © Joni Hanebutt | Dreamstime.com

Photo 234447339 © Joni Hanebutt | Dreamstime.com

and there was traffic and congestion at the airport when I arrived, so maybe most people prefer early-morning flights — coming and going!

— Kim Krol Inlander, editor in chief