Tibet is considered one of the world's most elevated areas, with the average elevation in the region going up to approximately 16000 feet. As such, it's also one of those regions in the world that comes with a natural no-fly zone, due to various factors like high mountains situated within its borders.
Because of its vast size, crossing the Pacific Ocean requires a staggering quantity of fuel. However, most commercial aircraft do not fly directly over the Pacific Ocean; instead, they choose what are known as 'curved paths'. These paths offers a faster, more efficient route given the curved nature of the earth.
The rough weather conditions and low visibility make it extremely difficult to fly and land a plane over the continent. It is technically possible to fly to Antarctica, but there are very few flights that take the risk of going there.
There are still a handful of airlines that operate services over Russian airspace including.
Airlines pay a fee to fly over other countries. They're called overflight fees. Just as countries have rights to their land, they have rights to the air above them.
However, in Antarctica, taking anything is banned. This includes rocks, feathers, bones, eggs and any kind of biological material including traces of soil. Taking anything man-made is also completely banned, as some might actually be research equipment.
Antarctica doesn't belong to anyone. There is no single country that owns Antarctica. Instead, Antarctica is governed by a group of nations in a unique international partnership. The Antarctic Treaty, first signed on December 1, 1959, designates Antarctica as a continent devoted to peace and science.
The primary reason airplanes don't fly over the Pacific Ocean is because curved routes are shorter than straight routes. Flat maps are somewhat confusing because the Earth itself isn't flat. Rather, it's spherical. As a result, straight routes don't offer the shortest distance between two locations.
Tim Morgan, a commercial pilot writing for Quora says aircraft can fly above 40,000 feet, and hence it is possible to fly over Mount Everest which stands at 29,031.69 feet. However, typical flight routes do not travel above Mount Everest as the mountains create unforgiving weather.
The main reason for the difference in travel time is due to the jet stream. The jet stream is high altitude wind that blows from the west to the east across the globe. Airplanes fly into the jet stream at 30,000 feet and then travel with these winds.
Unlike many carriers elsewhere, Australian airlines aren't banned from flying over Russia.
Plain and simply, this area of Gavà has environmental laws that don't allow flight paths to pass through the air space. The sound generated by the airplanes disturbs wildlife and means they have to take a detour via the sea - the planes therefore avoid this area of Gavà.
Paro, Bhutan
Planes can only land during the day at Paro. Cantilevered 7,364 feet above sea level, Paro is Bhutan's only international airport -- yet few pilots are cleared to land there, so tricky is the approach.
The airline has had eight fatal accidents, all before 1951, and with four taking place during the Second World War while Qantas was operating planes on behalf of the Allies. Indeed, one aircraft was shot down.
On 1 June 2009, inconsistent airspeed indications led to the pilots inadvertently stalling the Airbus A330 serving the flight, failing to recover from it and eventually crashing into the Atlantic Ocean at 02:14 UTC, killing all 228 passengers and crew on board.
The impact and resulting fire killed everyone on board KLM 4805 and most of the occupants of Pan Am 1736, with only 61 survivors in the front section of the aircraft. With 583 fatalities, the disaster is the deadliest accident in aviation history.
A “hidden world” discovered under the ice in Antarctica
He and other New Zealand scientists have just discovered an underwater ecosystem 500 metres under the Antarctic ice, in an estuary hundreds of kilometres from the edge of the Ross Ice Shelf, the largest ice barrier on the white continent.
A few years ago, a giant hole opened up in the Antarctic sea ice, capturing attention around the world. Not since the 1970s had such a chasm appeared in the mid-ocean ice of the Weddell Sea. Scientists showed in previous research that ocean processes and cyclones contributed to the hole, called a polynya.
Oh, and yes, sorry, Google Maps uses a close variant of the Mercator map projection, so it hardly show areas around the poles, you only can see the "peeled" version of the Antarctica (see the small world map on the right).
No, you can bring any amount of money to the airport. It is not illegal to fly with a large amount of cash on a flight. However, if you are traveling on an international flight and have more than $10,000 in your possession, then you must disclose the amount of U.S. Currency in your possession on a FinCEN 105 form.
For the shortest trip, driving is more economical than flying. But for the longer cross-country trip, flying is far cheaper. And keep in mind that this only considers solo drivers. Families or friends traveling in one vehicle can save money by driving, even on longer routes.
The best ways to fly for free are to get a travel rewards credit card, join a frequent flyer program, and volunteer to be bumped. Getting a new travel credit card with a large signup bonus can get you enough miles for a free flight pretty easily. And joining airlines' frequent flyer programs is free and simple.