Flying Through the Night: A Cockpit View of Redeye Flying

It is somewhere just south of midnight. The Pacific Time Zone only shows 11:30 PM, but at home, on the East Coast, its 2:30 AM, just about the time most folks are usually deep in sleep, blankets all tucked tight, the air conditioner or heater humming gently. The airport is brightly lit, though the stores and food concessions are shut tight. Passengers stumble around aimlessly, looking for someone to take their hand and lead them to their plane. The crew starts their ritual of slamming down Red Bull and coffee, hoping that their hearts will turn over and start up, keeping them awake and alert. They have been in town 22 hours, what would normally seem like a long, even luxurious, amount of time. But that day in the city was spent trying to catch up on sleep. The red eye airplane they brought in that morning has wrought havoc on their sleep schedules. There was a delay due to weather in the departing airport, a maintenance issue, and late boarding, all leading to a late departure and even later arrival as they fly off into the night. They take off, level at altitude and finish the checklists. Now the toughest part of the trip comes: staying awake.