Preparing for Your Flight
Calculators for estimating flight time, converting time zones, and planning jet lag adjustment.
Once your flight is booked, three things are worth working out ahead of time: how long you'll actually be traveling, what time you'll land in local terms, and how to plan around the time change once you're there. Work through the steps below in order — each one builds on the last.
How This Works
Understand Your Flight Time
Start with how long you'll actually be in the air. The Flight Duration Calculator estimates flight time between your departure and destination, which is a useful starting point for planning connections and comparing it against the scheduled duration an airline shows for your specific route. Understanding Flight Times & Jet Lag covers what affects that estimate, including wind and routing. Once you know roughly how long you'll be flying, move on to what time you'll actually land.
Convert Arrival Time to Local Time
With your flight time in hand, work out what time you'll actually land where you're going. The Time Zone Converter converts a specific date and time between zones, which is useful for booking onward transport, confirming an accommodation check-in time, or figuring out what time it'll be back home for a call. This step also surfaces how many time zones you're crossing, which is the number that drives the next step.
Plan Your Jet Lag Adjustment
With your time zone crossing confirmed, plan for the adjustment. The Jet Lag Planner estimates how many days it might take to adjust to the new time zone based on your departure and destination zones and travel dates, which can inform how you schedule the first day or two of a trip — a lighter first day for a large eastbound crossing, for example, versus a normal schedule for a short trip with only a zone or two of difference. At this point you know your flight time, your local arrival time, and roughly how long adjustment will take — the core pre-flight timing checklist is complete.
Related Guides
FAQ
Do I need to use every calculator in this collection?
No. A short flight crossing one or two time zones might only need the flight duration step, while a long-haul trip crossing several zones benefits from all three, especially the jet lag planning step.
Why does time zone conversion come before jet lag planning?
Jet lag adjustment depends directly on how many time zones you're crossing and in which direction, so confirming that first gives the jet lag step accurate information to work from rather than a rough guess.
Does this collection cover getting to and from the airport itself?
No. Airport selection, parking, and transfers are covered separately in the Getting To and From the Airport collection. This collection focuses on the flight itself — its duration and the time zone change it involves.