The best and worst airports for early morning flights, according to a travel expert who flies 200,000 miles a year

• Travel expert Gilbert Ott advises booking flights early to avoid delays.

• The best airports for early flights are well located and have hotels and good food.

• In the worst cases, hotel and restaurant options are limited – if any – and the cities are located away from tourist attractions.

Nobody wants to get up before sunrise to get to the airport, but taking the first flight has its advantages, says Gilbert Ott, a travel expert who flies about 200,000 miles each year.

Ott, who shares his insights on air travel on his blog God bless the points, told Business Insider that in his experience, the earliest flights are the least delayed.

“If it’s one of the first flights of the day, most of those planes park at that gate overnight. They don’t arrive that early and they don’t get cleaned and moved,” he said.

Ott said some airports can make an early flight a breeze, while others can make your morning flight feel more like torture.

Based on his experience, he told BI which airports are best and worst suited for a morning departure.

Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport is conveniently located and has on-site hotels, making it one of Ott’s favorites for early flights.

One of the most important aspects of an airport for an early flight is its location, Ott told BI.

“In so many cities, the airport is so far away from where anything is happening,” he said. “If you get a 6 a.m. flight, the thought of an hour-plus drive is sickening.”

Therefore, Ott prefers to fly from airports such as Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), which is only a 20-minute drive from downtown Dallas.

Ott also said he appreciates that DFW has four hotels at the airport: Grand Hyatt, Hyatt Regency, Hyatt Place and Minute Suites, a relaxation center in Terminal D.

“I hate getting up in the middle of the night to catch a flight. I find it’s often worth it to sleep at the airport the night before,” he said.

Although John F. Kennedy International Airport is far from New York’s hotspots, in Ott’s experience, with its TWA hotel in the terminal, it is one of the best airports for morning flights.

When it comes to airport hotels, Ott prefers a location in the terminal.

“You just get up and roll into the departure lounge,” he said. “For me, that’s an early morning victory.”

Ott told BI that while John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) in Queens is not convenient from New York’s more popular Manhattan borough, it is great for early morning flights if you stay at the TWA Hotel, which opened in 2019 and is connected to the Jet Blue terminal the night before.

“The TWA hotel has really changed people’s opinion of JFK,” Ott said. “All the other terminals are a quick ride on the Airtrain. There’s a pool and good food. I would say it’s a nice option for the domestic airport.”

With its numerous hotels and dining options, Singapore Changi Airport is ideal for an early flight, Ott said.

“Singapore Changi Airport is amazing,” Ott told BI. “Singapore has so many airport hotels for every budget. Some have pools and club lounges with luxurious, high-end amenities. Others are just simple sleeping pods. Most are open 24 hours a day.”

In addition to hotels, there are also numerous dining options at the airport, so Ott can avoid fast food before his flight.

“Some of the best local food is available at the airport because Singapore’s most famous restaurants have branches there,” he said.

Due to its location and hot temperatures, Bali’s I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport has become one of Ott’s least favorite airports.

Ott said Bali’s I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport (also known as Denpasar International Airport) is one of the worst for early flights because it is usually too hot.

Online reviews of the airport also mention how hot and stuffy it is at the airport while waiting to board the plane.

According to Kayak, there is one hotel at the airport, the Novotel Bali Ngurah Rai, with 214 rooms.

In March, airline AirHelp ranked the airport as one of the worst in the world. While AirHelp found good food and shopping options, the airport landed on the list because of its performance. AirHelp cited in many online customer reviews that customers complained about frequent delays and long lines.

I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In the UK, London Stansted Airport is too far from the city, Ott said, and there are no hotels in the terminals.

Ott said London Stansted Airport is one of the worst for early morning flights as it can take one to two hours to get there from the city centre. There are also no hotels in the terminals, according to the airport’s website.

In 2023, travel insurance love it, hide it has released a report on the worst international airports in the UK, based on ratings and reviews from Google and SKYTRAX, a UK-based website that rates airlines and airports.

London Stansted Airport came in fourth place with a score of 2.15 out of 5. Customers complained about overcrowding and inadequate signage, but some reviews noted that the food offering was comparable to other UK airports.

London Stansted Airport did not immediately respond to BI’s request for comment.

Ott says small regional airports are generally the worst suited for early-stage flights because they typically don’t have hotels or many food options.

“I think there’s just an inherent advantage to being a big airport because big airports can attract retail,” he said.

Ott did not name any specific airports, but some of the smallest in the US are Blue Grass Airport in Lexington, Kentucky and Morgantown Municipal Airport in West Virginia.

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