As the country with the world's most developed aviation industry, the United States had offered red-eye flights since 1959—flights that operated late at night and in the early hours of the morning.
Because their departure times were so inconvenient, red-eye flights could only attract economy-class passengers with cheaper fares. Business- and first-class passengers were almost never willing to travel at such an ungodly hour.
Besides passengers looking for a bargain, red-eye flights also suited travelers pressed for time. They could not wait for regular departures the next day, so catching a flight in the middle of the night became their first choice.
Still, there were never enough such travelers to fill every red-eye flight. The real source of revenue during those hours was actually small shipments of urgent cargo that brought in substantial profits.
Using red-eye flights to carry freight not only saved airlines the high operating costs of large cargo planes, but also made late-night economy passengers a bonus that boosted overall revenue.
By the twenty-first century, the skies over North America remained busy even late at night. That was why, after Henry drove Jack Reacher to an airport in Phoenix City, the capital of Arizona, Reacher could quickly find a flight back to Washington.
He did not have to wait until the next day or stay at a military base while a quartermaster arranged a plane.
Unless special business was involved, traveling on military aircraft like this usually meant catching a cargo flight. Freight came first; carrying personnel was incidental.
Although the U.S. Army also had a few Gulfstream small passenger jets for official travel, there were not many, and generally only generals and above were eligible to use them. Officers below that rank might be allowed to tag along if they were headed the same way. Otherwise,