Don't Let the Cold Keep You Down: 6 Reasons Flying in Winter Beats Flying in Summer (2023)

FAQs

Is it better to fly in summer or winter? ›

Most pilots agree that summer is the favored season for flying. Aircraft engines may prefer winter with its cool, oxygen-rich air, but summer often brings less weather and fog, better visibility and generally more agreeable flying conditions.

With less convective activity, there is much less chance of thunderstorms, so if winds are low, then flights are usually much smoother. Also, lower humidity improves visibility. Another benefit of winter flying: less air traffic. That means less stress, and greater enjoyment of flying.

If the airplane can be kept in a hangar prior to flight, it can operate in very, very cold conditions. Airplanes fly in minus 56 celsius (-69 degrees Fahrenheit) or colder conditions at altitude, therefore if the fluids can be kept warm, the airplane can usually operate.

Flights may be canceled due to wind, precipitation, fog or low visibility, lightning, low clouds, or storms. Outside temperature does not always affect flights. Pilots make the final determination as to whether a flight will occur or whether one in progress will be diverted to another airport.

The Worst Days of the Week to Fly

Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday are the days with the highest cost and lowest number of award seats.

When is the safest time to fly? Summertime is the safest season to fly. Earlier in the day is the safest time of day to fly. More accidents occur later in the day when the pilots are tired, especially when the weather is bad and there have been delays.

In the language of entomologists this is called a complete metamorphosis. Most species of fly spend the winter buried 1 to 6 inches beneath the soil in their third or pupal stage of development. Some species, however can overwinter as adults or even as maggots (the larval stage of development).

Both here and elsewhere in the United States, severe winter weather could impact travel plans. In fact, according to Airlines for America, weather is the most common cause of flight cancellations.

Different airplanes have a different maximum operating temperature. Bombardier jets, for example, are designed to operate in temperatures of no more than 118 degrees Fahrenheit, whereas larger Airbus and Boeing jets are able to operate in temperatures of no more than about 126 degrees Fahrenheit.

Do planes fly when it snows? ›

It can be quite wet or very dry. This depends mostly on the air temperature. If the snow is very dry, as it often is in areas such as northern Canada and Scandinavia, there can be times when it's possible to take off with visible snow on the runway. This depends on how slippery the runway is.

Modern aircraft can generate lift regardless of the heaviness of the rain. Planes can and will take off and land in the rain. The only real problem with heavy rainfall is the decrease in visibility for the pilots.

Ultimately, it is usually perfectly safe for planes to fly in storms. Today's aircraft, especially big passenger airplanes, are designed to deal with lightning strikes, rain, and other conditions.

Aviation is a 24/7 business where the clock is little more than a number for the departure or arrival of planes flying at night. Certain segments of the industry kick into high gear once the sun sets, particularly freight operations and air ambulances or medical evacuations.

Lightning can strike a plane when travelling through or near a storm, however, you'll still remain safe when in the air. The aircraft are designed to withstand lightning strikes and the electric current travels alongside the aluminium frame.

According to data gathered by the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, the best time to fly is between 6 and 7 a.m. Flights with scheduled departures in that timeframe arrived just 8.6 minutes late, on average. Meanwhile, flights that take off before 6—or between 7 and 8 in the morning—are fairly punctual, too.

Typically, Tuesday, Wednesday, or Saturday is the cheapest day to fly. If you can structure your travel schedule around these days, these will likely be the best days to fly – both for a lower cost and a less-hectic airport experience.

In most years, the Sunday after Thanksgiving is actually the busiest travel day for U.S. airports, according to the Transportation Security Administration, which tracks the numbers of passengers screened daily.

At night, there's usually fewer flights and fewer passengers, so you can definitely expect faster movements on all lines.

As a general rule, flying in quiet months between holidays is your best bet to get a cheap, less crowded flight. You should definitely try the second half of January, the first days of February, early May, or the most part of September and October.

Is flying at night safer? ›

Why is it safer to fly at night? If you want to avoid turbulence, night (and early morning) is one of the best times to fly. Winds die down at night, which reduces mechanical turbulence, particularly over hills and terrain. Thunderstorms also tend to dissipate at night, which enhances safety in regions prone to storms.

PLEASE NOTE: You should avoid flying if your nose is congested from a cold or allergies. In the most severe case, this may lead to a permanent decrease in your hearing, prolonged dizziness, or severe pain.

The safest rule is not to fly while suffering from any illness. If this rule is considered too stringent for a particular illness, the pilot should contact an aviation medical examiner for advice.

The life expectancy of a housefly is generally 15 to 30 days and depends upon temperature and living conditions. Flies dwelling in warm homes and laboratories develop faster and live longer than their counterparts in the wild. The housefly's brief life cycle allows them to multiply quickly if left uncontrolled.

Dead flies remain stuck where they died by their proboscis. Most flies die a few hours before nightfall.

An alternative way is to put the flies in the freezer for about 8 minutes. This will cause the flies to fall into a state of stupor.

Not only do high temperatures affect how we work and sleep, but they also have an effect on how aircraft fly. As the mercury rises, the air density changes, which reduces the performance of the lift-generating wings. Pilots have ways around this — but only up to a certain point.

At higher altitudes the atmosphere is colder. At 10,600 meters (35,000 feet), (the average cruising altitude of a modern passenger jet) the temperature is about -40°to -51°C (-40°to -60°F).

AeroTime Hub reports that, typically, planes are kept between 22°C and 24°C (or, roughly, between 71°F and 75°F).

Can you breathe at 30 000 feet? ›

Somewhere between 30,000 and 40,000 feet the pressure around you becomes far too low to push those oxygen molecules across the membranes in your lungs, and you get hypoxic (altitude sickness). If you try to breathe 100 percent oxygen above 40,000 feet for very long without a special type of mask, you'll die.

The outside air temperature on a flight at 30,000 feet regularly reach temperatures as low as -80C, or even -100C without any problems. Aircraft are designed to cope with all weather extremes and the speed and movement keeps the temperature in the engines and fuel tank much higher than the outside temperature.

Under heavy snowfall, runways will need to be de-iced so that the plane does not lose traction when it touches it. Another drawback of flying under heavy snowfall is that it will reduce visibility during crucial parts of takeoff and landing, which usually leads to delays and cancellations.

Residual snow on the runway makes the plane's brakes less effective. It takes planes more runway to get the plane slowed down. And planes have to slow down more. On a dry runway, planes can turn off the runway onto a taxiway going twenty miles-per-hour.

To help combat this, runways have lengthened landing distances during storms. But even a healthy amount of snow won't keep you grounded indefinitely — airports have and are trained in the use of equipment that helps clear excess snow off their runways.

It's often much cheaper to travel from May to early June and late August through mid-October. The weather is still relatively warm during the shoulder season, and you'll beat the crazy summer crowds. This is when we find the best international flight deals!

For the lowest fares on domestic flights, travel in January or February. But for international trips, you'll find the cheapest fare in August.

Winter and summer are the most turbulent months to fly. During winter, there are strong winds and blizzards. During the peak of summer when it is very hot, convection turbulence occurs, especially when flying over cities and mountains during midday.

So summer has 30% more flights than winter, but 90% more accidents. Even after adjusting for this, an airliner flight in winter is only a third as likely to have an accident as a flight in summer. Save this answer.

If you're flying domestically, Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday are the 3 cheapest days to fly. But Wednesday holds the biggest airfare savings, so if you can, plan to depart and return on a Wednesday. If you're flying internationally, Wednesday and Thursday are the cheapest days to fly.

What part of the year is cheapest to fly? ›

The site is good at tracking down an affordable fare, and it shared its expertise on what time of year you might find flights at their most affordable. It says the cheapest time of year to fly is January and February. (Well, less that little bit at the beginning of January after New Year's Day.)

Q: Is it easier to fly at night or day? A: It is probably easier to fly during the day due to the improved visibility. However, a peaceful night flight is most enjoyable.

“In 2023, we expect that [trend] to reverse and year-over-year fares to fall,” Keyes said, pointing to Federal Reserve data indicating recent, modest drops in airfare—a shift that comes as airlines have begun to add more flights, fueling competition.

However, generally, the larger the plane, the better it is at absorbing turbulence. For example, due to the sheer size, aircraft like the Airbus A380 and Boeing 747 are said to be two of the best planes for coping with turbulence.

Because there is less convective heat during the winter, the cold dry air contains less turbulence. During summer, there are more pockets of hot air closer to the ground that escapes to higher altitudes, causing bumpiness during flight.

August 1985 remains commercial aviation's deadliest month for passengers and crew (a distinction from the non-passenger fatalities of the September 11, 2001 attacks) in history.

Running since 1929, Hawaiian is among the oldest airlines in the world but, remarkably, it has never suffered a single fatal crash or hull loss.

Air New Zealand is the safest airline in the world for 2022, according to AirlineRatings.com, with carriers like Etihad Airways, TAP Air Portugal, Qatar, Qantas, Lufthansa, and Finnair also making the list.