A year and a half ago, Southwest Airlines didn’t operate any red-eye flights. Now, the carrier is getting set to offer one of America’s wildest overnight itineraries.
Last week, the Dallas-based carrier announced 15 new routes in a blockbuster reveal that’ll bring more service to Austin, Nashville, San Diego and the Caribbean (among other places).
But one of the most head-turning announcements didn’t involve a new route at all.
Starting in March, Southwest will offer a “reverse red-eye” option on its longtime Las Vegas-to-Honolulu route.
What exactly is a reverse red-eye, you might ask?
It’s an unusual westbound red-eye flight where you takeoff very late in one city and time zone-hop backward, landing at your destination in the very early morning hours.
A red-eye flight … in the other direction
Usually, red-eye flights run eastbound. This allows airlines to take off at night, take advantage of the time change, and land at their destination the next morning.
This setup allows U.S. airlines to depart the West Coast at, say, 11 p.m. local time and land on the East Coast the next morning.
This Southwest itinerary, though, will look a little different. Try to imagine what this would feel like as you read the schedule:
- Depart Las Vegas’ Harry Reid International Airport (LAS) at 2:45 a.m. PDT.
- Fly for six hours and 25 minutes, while backtracking three time zones
- Land at Honolulu’s Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL) at 6:10 a.m. Hawaiian standard time.
This setup definitely puts the emphasis on red-eye. Passengers taking this flight will likely arrive at the airport in Vegas at 1 or 2 a.m. local time, with the flight taking off shortly before 3 a.m.
They’ll land in Honolulu right at the start of the day, well before most hotels would be ready for check-in.
On the flipside? If you can function without much sleep or catch some shut-eye while inflight, this itinerary certainly would allow you to maximize your last day in Las Vegas or your first day in Hawaii.
Why Southwest is doing this
More to the point, Southwest sees this flight as a key additional offering for the many Hawaii residents who travel regularly between the state and Las Vegas, sometimes nicknamed the “ninth island.”
“It’s in a market that has huge [origin] and [destination] demand,” industry analyst Robert Mann told TPG. “I think you’d find people checking out, spending a day in Las Vegas, waking up in time to get to a 2:30 a.m. flight.”
Plus, for the airline, it opens up more flight-scheduling options the next day.
“There’s network benefit,” Mann added, “in the sense that it provides an airplane in Honolulu early in the morning to come back.”
Which other reverse red-eyes exist?
Southwest’s westbound red-eye isn’t without precedent.
In fact, Hawaiian Airlines has a similarly scheduled flight at 1:55 a.m., arriving in Honolulu around 5:15 a.m. (all times local). A sign of the strong demand? That flight is on board a twin-aisle Airbus A330.
Meanwhile, Spanish flag carrier Iberia offers an even more unusual red-eye from Europe to the U.S.
The almost 12-hour flight involves a 12:55 a.m. takeoff in Madrid, with arrival at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) at 5:30 a.m. (all times local).
Most flights between the U.S. and Europe operate eastbound during the overnight hours and westbound during the day.
Tips for surviving Southwest’s ‘reverse red-eye’
If you do opt to take Southwest’s red-eye flight from Las Vegas to Honolulu, I’d suggest doing some advance planning to minimize fatigue:
- Late checkout: If you’re checking out of a hotel in Las Vegas and have elite status with one of the major loyalty programs, take advantage of that late checkout. The 4 p.m. late checkout I receive with my Marriott Bonvoy Platinum status has been a huge help before some late-night departures.
- Day-use hotel: If Hawaii is your final destination, consider booking a day-use hotel reservation for the morning you arrive, so you can shower and rest after a short night of sleep. That way, you won’t have to wait seven to nine hours for check-in to open.
- Early check-in: Without high-level status, this can be hit-or-miss. But keep in mind that some programs like Amex Fine Hotels + Resorts do offer check-in as early as noon. Outside of those special programs and perks, I’ve had cases where hotels let me check in as early as 8 a.m. after a red-eye. However, I’ve also had to wait until 3 p.m. on plenty of occasions.
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