There are several reasons why flying in the late afternoon is a bad idea. In particular, turbulence is often stronger in the afternoon than in the morning.
Pilot Jerry Johnson explained that the air changes during the day, and the day, flights are often rougher due to the warmer air. If you fly out late in the day, the ground has had more time to warm up, which can lead to “rougher air” and turbulence on board.
In addition, according to him, ,there are more chances of getting into a thunderstorm in the afternoon than in the morning.
At the same time, according to experts, daytime flights are delayed much more often than morning ones.
“While late departures can be convenient, they are also risky. Budget airlines typically allow only 30 minutes between landing and takeoff throughout the day, so schedules can easily go awry. Later flights are more likely to experience delays,” Airliner’s editor noted. World Gordon Smith.
As the newspaper writes, according to statistics, flights departing after 15:00 are most likely to be canceled. They are, on average, 50 percent more likely to have problems than those who fly earlier in the day.
At the same time, according to FlightRadar24, which analyzed flight cancellations in the summer of 2022, the best time to fly is late in the morning between 11:00 and 12:00. On average, only 0.75 percent of flights scheduled for this window were delayed or canceled.