Those who wax-lyrical about Ryanair often forget to mention the 6am red eye departures from an airport 38 miles north of London. Yes, I accept that some BA departures from Gatwick are pre-7am, but overall most BA flights leave at a civilised time of the day (especially from Heathrow) - that is another benefit of avoiding LCC. BA also more likely to help out in a crisis of cancelled flights than LCCs like Ryanair: You're on your own and good luck.