I personally would not. Early morning sky is fairly atmospheric....CPL would lose you a couple of stops of light and you are going to need them....skys can be easily manipulated in Photoshop anyway. I'm presuming very early flight as is usual for hot air baloons. I would also consider taking a prime lens if you have one...50mm would be useful but any prime should also go for a flight. I would maybe under expose by 1/3 of a stop to give the sky that intense blue that seems to make baloon shots so attractive.
Remember...the only thing keeping you alive is a lot of hot air. Don't think about that too much.
PS...no reason why you can't take the CPL and give it a tryout for a few shots. Experimentation is a great way to learn new tricks. Also, rear LCD and instant playback may just indicate the best way to go.