Cheap Flights Can Cost You Holiday Time: Why Flight Times Matter More Than Price
Photo Credit: Wolfgang Weiser (Pexels)
Low-cost and budget airlines often promote eye-catching fares that look irresistible at first glance. When you’re planning a short break or a long weekend, a cheap flight can seem like the obvious choice. But what’s often hidden behind the headline price is something far more valuable than money: your holiday time.
Many low-cost fares come with flight times that are far from ideal. Very early departures, late-night arrivals or flights that land in the early hours of the morning can significantly impact the quality of your trip — especially when you’re only travelling for a few days.
The Real Cost of Anti-Social Flight Times
An ultra-cheap fare might mean a 5:30 a.m. departure. That usually translates into leaving home in the middle of the night, paying for an airport hotel or starting your holiday exhausted before it’s even begun. On the return, a late-night arrival can wipe out your final day and leave you arriving home tired, just as work or normal life resumes.
For a three- or four-night break, this can be particularly damaging. You may technically be away for several days, but in reality, you lose large portions of your trip to airports, transfers and fatigue. What looked like a bargain fare can quietly reduce your holiday to something far shorter and less enjoyable.
Why Budget Airlines Can Skew the Picture
Low-cost airlines often schedule their cheapest fares at less desirable times because aircraft utilisation is highest during those periods. The flight is cheap because demand is lower — not because it’s better for the traveller.
When flights are advertised online, the price is usually front and centre, while the timing is easy to overlook. Many travellers only realise the impact once everything is booked and locked in.
This is where flight choice becomes just as important as destination and accommodation.
How One Extra Night Travel Does Things Differently
At One Extra Night Travel, flight times are never an afterthought. When we plan a trip, we check all available options — including low-cost, scheduled and full-service airlines — and assess them in context.
We look at:
Departure and arrival times
How much usable holiday time you actually gain
Whether an extra night or a different airline offers better value overall
The balance between price, comfort, and convenience
In many cases, paying slightly more for better flight times gives you more time at your destination, less stress and a noticeably better experience. In others, a low-cost airline may still be the right choice — but only if the timings work for you.
The Choice Always Stays With You
Our role is not to push one airline or option over another (we are truly independent). It’s to present you with clear, informed choices. By showing you the true trade-offs between cost and convenience, you can decide what matters most for your trip.
Sometimes the cheapest fare is the right answer. Sometimes it isn’t. What matters is that you make that decision with all the facts — with no regrets when the alarm goes off at 2 a.m.!
If you want help planning a holiday where your time is treated as part of the value, One Extra Night Travel is here to make sure every option is properly considered before you book.