While passengers are sleeping in their seats, a highly coordinated operation is taking place thousands of feet above the ocean.
Early Arrivals Are Important for European Airports
There is also a network effect.
Major European airports receive passengers from North America early in the morning because those arrivals can connect with flights heading to other parts of Europe and beyond.
A passenger arriving from New York, Chicago, Toronto, Boston, or Washington might continue on to cities such as Paris, Rome, Barcelona, Istanbul, or destinations in Africa and the Middle East.
The timing of these flights matters.
If a transatlantic flight arrives too late, passengers may miss their connecting flights and have to wait much longer.
That can disrupt the entire network.
Airlines therefore design schedules carefully so that international arrivals feed into the next wave of departures.
The morning arrival isn’t just convenient for one passenger.
It can be an important piece of a much larger transportation system.
Sleeping on an Airplane Is Easier Than It Used to Be
Long-distance flying has changed considerably over the decades.
Modern aircraft are designed to make long flights more comfortable. Improvements in cabin pressurization, lighting, temperature control, and noise reduction can make a long overnight journey less exhausting.
