In brief
- Night flights aren’t automatically smoother than daytime flights, but they can sometimes feel that way
- That’s because weather conditions in the daytime can increase certain types of low-level turbulence
- Most cruise-level turbulence is caused by jetstream movement and is unrelated to time of day and caused by things like the jetstream
Turbulence is weather being weather
Night flights can feel smoother because the atmospheric conditions that cause certain types of turbulence are reduced. But things like clear air turbulence, caused by the movement of the jetstream, is the same day or night.
While night flights may not be any more or less turbulent, you may react differently to the turbulence that you do experience. Before we look at the evidence as to whether night flights are smoother, we need to understand what turbulence is.
What turbulence really is
In the simplest of terms, turbulence is caused by the irregular movement of air. The air at the ground and at cruising altitudes is affected by things like temperature differences, pressure systems, wind patterns, and terrain.
It’s a slight simplification, but for the purposes of the article, we can categorise the causes of turbulence into four main areas:
- Clear-air turbulence (CAT) near jet streams at cruising altitude
- Mechanical turbulence caused by wind over terrain during take-off and landing
- Thermal turbulence from rising warm air and thunderstorms
- Wake turbulence created by other aircraft
Modern commercial aircraft are designed and tested to safely fly at levels of turbulence much greater than you are ever likely to experience as a passenger.
Whether you experience turbulence in the day or at night, the plane is always going to be safe. So, why do some night flights feel smoother?
Why night flights can be smoother
Turbulence caused by the jetstream and mechanical turbulence, caused from flying over mountain ranges, are the same day or night.
What can differ during the day and night is thermal turbulence (often called convective turbulence).
Thermal turbulence is caused by the sun heating the earth’s surface. Uneven heating causes rising and descending columns of air that can cause turbulent conditions.
The heating of the earth’s surface can also lead to the formation of thunderstorms, which can make ride conditions bumpier.
As the sun gets stronger throughout the day, conditions get more unstable, peaking in late afternoon.
At night, the ground gets cooler which reduces the upward movement of warm air, making the environment more stable.
That’s why early morning flights, those in the evening and at night can sometimes feel less bumpy.
Why turbulence is always possible
While things like thunderstorms and other thermal turbulence are lessened during the day, it’s not the cause of most cruise-level turbulence.
At altitude, most turbulence is caused by things like jet streams, wind shear and pressure boundaries.
These phenomena aren’t affected by surface-level weather conditions. In some cases, jet stream activity may intensify overnight.
That means a night flight between London and New York can be just as bumpy as a daytime one. Sometimes, it can be worse.
The psychology of flying at night
Night flights can often feel calmer and smoother, because the conditions on the flight are more relaxed.
The lights are dimmed, service is reduced, people are quieter and the other passengers may even be asleep. When you look out of the window, you’ll observe less movement and stimulation than a daytime flight.
It’s relaxing and, when taken all together, reduces the visual input and intensity to the brain.
When you experience turbulence, you experience movement. At night, the reduction in visual reference points means that exact same physical motion may feel milder.
Another potential reason why night flights can often feel a little smoother, because you feel calmer. Your body naturally relaxes a little in the evening. It’s all to do with our circadian rhythm. (Read here about how sleep – and the lack of it – can contribute to anxiety.)
Should you book a night flight to avoid turbulence?
If your anxiety is primarily triggered by climbing and descending phases, then a night flight can reduce the risk you’ll experience the worst convective turbulence. As we’ve explained, other forms of turbulence, like CAT which are caused by the jet stream, won’t change at night.
If flying in the dark feels psychologically safer and the experience calmer, then that’s hugely valuable. The reality is that whether it’s the start of the morning or the middle of the night, flying turbulence is safe.
Pilots actively plan to avoid bad weather, including things like storms. During your flight, they’ll receive continuous turbulence reports from other aircraft (through PIREPs) and will plan with air traffic control to plot the safest and smoothest course.
What can help is to have tools and techniques you can use to give you some extra confidence and control. To start, visit the Help Desk and download the Calm Flight Toolkit.
Please share this article with anyone who you feel would benefit from it.
FAQs
Early morning flights can be smoother during takeoff and landing because the ground has not yet heated up. When you’re at cruising altitude, the time of day (morning, evening or night time) matters much less than atmospheric conditions and the movement of things like the jet stream.
No, turbulence isn’tt more dangerous at night. When flying at night, pilots use instruments and weather data to fly so the darkness doesn’t impact safety. It’s just the weather being the weather.
Instead of worrying about the flight time, or endlessly checking the weather forecast, jet stream movements, or turbulence predictions, you can prepare for your flight to reduce the anxiety caused by turbulence. Breathing exercises, mindfulness and grounding techniques (all of which you can find on the Help Desk) can change how your nervous system responds to triggers like turbulence.