Route guide

New York London

John F. Kennedy (JFK) — Heathrow (LHR)

Eastbound

Distance: 5,550 km
Duration: 7h
TZ shift: 5h east
Best side: right

Overview

JFK to London Heathrow — the most-flown long-haul corridor in the world, eastbound. Short, overnight, and the jet lag is real but compressible if you sleep on the plane.

Jet lag

5-hour eastward shift on a short overnight — the standard transatlantic challenge. Sleep as much as possible aligned to London night, get morning light on arrival, function the same day.

Estimated recovery

Without intervention ~5 days

With timed light + melatonin ~3 days

Estimates only — based on ~1 day per time zone east, compressed roughly 40% with a timed protocol. See how long jet lag actually lasts and why eastward is harder.

Build a JFK→LHR adaptation schedule

Best window side

Eastbound overnight — the right side faces north and gets the earliest sunrise approaching Europe. For sleep, choose the window and ignore the view.

Typical economy row (3-3-3)

Left

Middle

Best · Right

The right window is the calmer pick on this route. For sleep, the window itself matters more than the side — see how to sleep on a long-haul. For the exact rows and seat letters on this aircraft, use the seat picker.

Cabin atmosphere

A350-1000 or A330neo is meaningfully more humid than 777-300ER on a 7-hour overnight where sleep quality is most of the win.

Expected cabin humidity at cruise

This route's typical aircraft ~15-20%

Indoor air at home ~40-60%

Composite-fuselage aircraft (787, A350) run higher humidity than older aluminum-fuselage types. See what the 787 actually fixes.

Read before you fly

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