The short answer
A "+1" next to an arrival time means the flight lands on the next calendar day, in the local time at your destination. A flight from New York at 19:00 that "arrives 07:05 +1" leaves on Monday evening and lands on Tuesday morning in London. "+2" means two days later, and "−1" means you land on the calendar day before you left, which happens when you cross the International Date Line heading east.
+1, +2 and −1 in plain terms
Airline schedules show each time in the local time of its airport (more on that in are flight times local?). When the arrival is on a different date from the departure, a small marker after the arrival time tells you how many days to add:
| Marker | Means | Typical example |
|---|---|---|
| +1 | Lands the next calendar day | New York 19:00 Mon → London 07:05 Tue |
| +2 | Lands two days later | Los Angeles 22:30 Tue → Sydney 07:30 Thu |
| −1 | Lands the day before it left | Tokyo 08:00 Tue → Honolulu 20:00 Mon |
| none | Same calendar day | Sydney 11:30 Mon → Los Angeles 06:35 Mon |
The examples are illustrative schedules, but they show the two things at work: overnight flying, and the time difference between the two ends. A +2 doesn't mean you're in the air for two days. Los Angeles to Sydney takes around 15 hours; you lose a calendar day crossing the date line, and the late-evening departure does the rest.
The midnight trap
The most expensive mistake with flight dates has nothing to do with time zones. A flight that departs at 00:05 on Saturday leaves five minutes after Friday night ends. If you think of it as "Friday's late flight", you'll turn up a day late and watch it on the departures board from the wrong side of the week.
Airlines date a flight by its departure time, so anything between midnight and about 4am belongs to the next date. If your booking says Saturday 00:05, you need to be at the airport on Friday evening. Write it in your itinerary as "Friday night (Saturday 00:05)", and set the taxi for Friday.
If you have a booking that departs between 00:00 and 04:00, open it now and check which evening you've planned to leave home. It's the single most common flight-date error, and the easiest to fix in advance.
Overnight flights and your hotel
The +1 matters most for what's booked around the flight. A few rules keep everything lined up:
- Book the destination hotel from the arrival date, not the departure date. Leave on Sunday night, land on Monday morning, and your first night is Monday.
- You'll usually arrive before check-in. Morning arrivals are normal on long-haul flights, and check-in is usually mid-afternoon. Either ask for early check-in, pay for the previous night so the room is ready, or plan a gentle morning: drop the bags, find breakfast, stay awake.
- Book the transfer or hire car for the +1 date. A car booked for the date on your departure ticket will be a day early, and may be cancelled as a no-show by the time you arrive.
- Don't leave the last night empty. On the way home, if the flight leaves at 01:30, you still need somewhere to be until about 22:00 the evening before. A late check-out, a day room or the evening in a lounge saves a long, tired wait.
Putting an overnight flight in your itinerary
Treat the flight as belonging to two days. On the departure day, it's the evening's event: get to the airport, check in, board. On the arrival day, it's the morning's first event: land, passport control, transfer. Writing it on both days means that when you look at Tuesday's plan, Tuesday starts with "land 07:05", not with a blank space.
Use the times exactly as printed and give the arrival its own date. Don't convert anything into your home time: the 07:05 is what the clock at the airport will say, which is what the person meeting you needs to know.
Does the arrival date matter for visas and stays?
Usually, yes. Most countries count your stay from the day you arrive, in their local time, so the +1 date is your entry date for any limit on how long you can stay. If you're close to a limit, or your passport is close to its expiry, count from the arrival date. Our guide to the six-month passport rule covers how countries measure passport validity.
Questions people ask
What does +1 mean on a flight ticket?
It means the flight arrives on the next calendar day, in the local time at the destination. Departing 19:00 on Monday and arriving 07:05 +1 means you land at 07:05 on Tuesday.
What does −1 mean on a flight?
It means you land on the calendar day before the one you departed, local time. It happens when flying east across the International Date Line, for example on a morning flight from Japan or Australia to Hawaii or the Americas.
Is a 12:05am flight today or tomorrow?
Tomorrow. A flight at 00:05 on Saturday leaves five minutes after Friday night ends, so you need to be at the airport on Friday evening.
What day do I arrive on an overnight flight?
On the date shown next to the arrival time, or the departure date plus the number in the +1 or +2 marker. That's the local date at your destination.
Should I book my hotel for the departure date or the arrival date?
The arrival date. If you leave on Sunday night and land on Monday morning, your first hotel night is Monday. Consider booking Sunday night too if you want to go straight to bed.
