The reason for quicker flights while flying eastwards are jet streams. Put simply, they are fast-flowing, narrow air currents in the atmosphere found at high altitudes.
The most common reason is that there are no airstrips or airports on many of the small islands, so if a plane had to make an emergency landing, it would be difficult to find a place to land. Additionally, the Pacific Ocean is vast and remote, so if a plane were to go down, it would be very difficult to find.
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.
Weather and jet streams
So, this is yet another reason why most routes avoid flying over the Pacific since it can be a sort of wild west of weather. Additionally, Bitlux writes that jet streams are a significant factor in flight planning since they are key in lowering fuel costs and time spent in the air.
Another reason that planes may not fly directly west to Australia is that airlines look to cut fueling costs by taking more fuel stops in airports across the different airports in Asia. There are few airplanes that could handle a transpacific flight, but a flight of this caliber usually lasts between 11 to 12 hours.
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.
Why not go the other way round? The reason why flights from the USA to Australia take such a long route across all the countries is because of air traffic control regulations. Air traffic controllers must ensure that planes are kept at safe distances from each other, and this requires them to follow certain routes.
Undefeated record: The world record for the world's longest continuous flight was set in 1959 by Robert Timm (pictured) and his co-pilot John Cook. Months in the air: The men flew in this four-seater aircraft for 64 days, 22 hours and 19 minutes.
When flying over land, of course it is more likely that there will be more airfields closer to the aircraft at any given time. However, because of lessons learned from its history and the improvements in aircraft and engine reliability, crossing the oceans is deemed as safe as flying over land.
Thanks to the low visibility and undeveloped infrastructure, flying over Antarctica is extremely difficult. Specifically, because of the strong magnetic fields that surround the polar regions, navigating there, no matter how well-equipped the airplane is in terms of instrumentation, can be particularly challenging.
The reason planes cruise at high altitudes is that they burn less fuel and can fly faster, as the air is less dense. At 30,000 feet and higher, it is also possible for aircraft to avoid weather systems, making it more comfortable onboard.
Of course not! Aircraft move through the atmosphere with the Earth's rotation, so its speed is not affected . What would affect aircraft speed is the wind at that altitude, which can cause a flight from London to New Jersey to be two hours longer than the other way.
Science has an answer for this one, and that answer is yes, it is more difficult for a human body to travel east than west. A study published in 2016 crunched the numbers on why travelling east is worse for jet lag.
Australia currently has no prohibited airspaces. Previously, The Pine Gap Joint Defence Facility near Alice Springs was designated as a permanent no-fly zone. This airspace has since been changed to a restricted area (RA3).
The idea is to get as much altitude as possible, as close to the airport as possible. So you have a relatively steep initial climb, followed by a reduction of climb angle to cruise climb and a power reduction.
The jet lag price
While ther are other factors at play, it could also mean that shorter flights leave lesser time to adjust and grab some shut-eye on such long-haul routes. In summary, jet streams are the reason why flights take shorter when flying from the west to the east.
49% of all fatal accidents happen during the final descent and landing phases of the average flight, while 14% of all fatal accidents happen during takeoff and initial climb. During takeoff and landing, pilots have less time to react to problems because they're on or close to the ground and moving quickly.
A ghost flight is a term used when airlines operate a regularly scheduled route with a plane containing less than 10% of the airline's total capacity. Some say these flights are unnecessarily adding to the environmental crisis, by contributing to carbon emissions without a significant benefit.
Aerodynamic altitude: If a commercial airliner flies too high, it will encounter less dense air passing over the wings to create lift. This can cause the plane to stall and fall out of control. Depending on the weather conditions and aircraft weight, this can occur anywhere between 40,000 and 45,000 feet.
Aviation regulators set the total hours pilots fly and how much sleep they must get between flights. During ultra-long-haul flights, pilots sleep in special cabins, which passengers can't access.
On a good day, with favorable winds and light luggage, it takes 53 seconds. The journey, made two to three times daily, connects Westray, an island on the edge of Scotland's northerly Orkney archipelago, to the smaller, even more remote island of Papa Westray.
Westray and Papa Westray, Scotland
The flight, operated by LoganAir has been in use for over 50 years and only takes 2 minutes which makes it the shortest flight in the world. In good weather conditions, you can reach Papa Westray in 47 seconds! The route is mainly used by island residents and tourists.
Once an aircraft has landed on water, passengers and staff are then evacuated. There is no single figure which dictates precisely how much time crews have before the aircraft sinks, but the structure of the plane will, in most cases, allow enough time. Most aircraft also have life rafts.
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.
Without fuel, the engines won't work. If the plane runs out of fuel while in the air, the plane must be refuelled. Otherwise, the plane will crash. Sometimes there are undesirable situations, and there are examples of this situation in the history of aviation.