Hi,
Maybe a dumb question but here goes:
Looking at a flight I took from JFK to HKG some years ago, the route the outbound flight and its return took are vastly different.
JFK>HKG went 'over the top' but the return was out over Japan, straight across the Pacific, California and into New York. CX830 & CX831
What factors influence such variation. I'm guessing it's principally to do with the rotation of the earth - anyone have a succinct explanation?
ih
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- jetskipper
- Posts: 803
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Re: Flight routing
Cost, Cost, Cost.
All new flight planning services, Sabre, etc. will provide several options including the most economical based on fuel burn, winds, airspace fees, etc. It is then up to the dispatch to determine if the most economical makes the most sense. If the cheapest flight plan routes a flight through moderate turbulence, severe weather or even just gets the flight to the destination behind schedule a more expensive flight plan may be chosen for safety or on time performance.
All new flight planning services, Sabre, etc. will provide several options including the most economical based on fuel burn, winds, airspace fees, etc. It is then up to the dispatch to determine if the most economical makes the most sense. If the cheapest flight plan routes a flight through moderate turbulence, severe weather or even just gets the flight to the destination behind schedule a more expensive flight plan may be chosen for safety or on time performance.
Re: Flight routing
Heading westbound, they took a rather direct path (over the top actually being a straight line on a sphere). On the return there was probably a very favorable Jet Stream and tailwinds that would make the longer distance flight happen quicker.
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- Redbellyguppy
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Re: Flight routing
Flying with, or, avoiding the prevailing wind counts for a lot.
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- STEADYFLYING
- Posts: 13
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Re: Flight routing
It mostly comes down to maximizing tailwind / minimizing headwind. There’s usually a very strong jetstream that runs from Japan to the West Coast of North America, so when traveling from Asia to North America, it’s more efficient to route in that jet stream. However when traveling westbound you want to avoid it, and will usually route further north, along the great circle routing.
Same thing happens for transatlantic flights. Eastbound flights will route further south in the jetstream, while westbound flights will route further north around the jetstream.
Same thing happens for transatlantic flights. Eastbound flights will route further south in the jetstream, while westbound flights will route further north around the jetstream.
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