Love them or hate them, red-eye flights are common in airline schedules. They get their nickname from the sleep deprivation involved in overnight travel, causing passengers to arrive with red eyes in the morning — which is why some travelers avoid them. In the other camp are those who prefer flying overnight to maximize their vacation days. There are pros and cons either way. Most red-eye flights follow a similar scheduling pattern, but a handful buck the trend — including one unusual flight recently announced by a U.S. airline.

A First for Southwest

Most of the time, red-eye flights take off late at night and fly from west to east because the change in time zones means you arrive early the next morning. For example, if you were to depart Los Angeles for New York at 11 p.m., you would arrive around 7 a.m. the following morning. But if you flew in the other direction and left New York at 11 p.m., you would arrive at around 2 a.m. in L.A. Airlines don’t schedule these types of flights often because most people would prefer not to arrive in the middle of the night. 

Some travelers may not mind keeping odd hours, however. That seems to be what Southwest Airlines is betting on with its new service from Las Vegas to Hawaii beginning on March 12, 2027. This new flight will arrive at its destination when the sun is just starting to come up, but instead of departing around 10 or 11 p.m. like most red-eyes, it will take off in the middle of the night. 

Operating four times a week, the new Southwest flight departs Las Vegas at 2:45 a.m. and arrives in Honolulu six hours and 25 minutes later, at 6:10 a.m. In a press release, the carrier described the flight as its first-ever “reverse red-eye.”

While it’s the first such flight for Southwest, Hawaiian Airlines already offers a flight with similar timing, departing Vegas at 1:55 a.m. and arriving in Honolulu at 5:29 a.m.

Interestingly, while other airlines have been operating red-eye flights for years, Southwest was late to the game. The airline launched its first red-eye service in early 2025, after overhauling its outdated systems to finally allow for overnight flight scheduling. 

How To Minimize Red Eyes

The timing of the reverse red-eye flight makes it tricky to get enough rest, since you’ll have to stay up so late to even board the flight in the first place. And by the time you land in Hawaii, it will already be past 9 a.m. Vegas time.

On its website, Southwest offers a few suggestions for maximizing comfort and rest on red-eye flights, including packing a blanket and pillow — the airline doesn’t provide them, so definitely bring your own — along with an eye mask and ear plugs or noise-canceling headphones. 

You can also follow our science-based tips for minimizing jet lag, including starting to adjust to the destination time zone a few days ahead of time and staying hydrated throughout the trip. (Bringing your own reusable water bottle is always a good idea.)

If you do manage to rest during the flight, you might feel like hitting the ground running when you arrive, or you might have a few hours to kill before your hotel room is ready. In that case, here are a few of our favorite places to see in Hawaii. 

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