3 ms·

Pardon my naiveté, but, why didn't anyone do this before? Isn't it easier to fly if you take less time because you have tailwinds?

• idlewords 10y ago
  It's done routinely, but Air India just started to do this on a long-haul route and are publicizing it.
  • Someone 10y ago
    For example, over the Atlantic, there is a highly formalized system for this. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Atlantic_Tracks#Route_planning https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Atlantic_Tracks#Route_pl...: "these routes […] are aligned in such a way as to minimize any head winds and maximize tail winds impact on the aircraft. This results in much more efficiency by reducing fuel burn and flight time. To make such efficiencies possible, the routes are created twice daily to take account of the shifting of the winds" Reading https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Atlantic_Tracks#History https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Atlantic_Tracks#History system, that system's history goes back to 1898 (for shipping), but it definitely became structured starting in 1965. So yes, the idea isn't new.
• kumarski 10y ago
  All sorts of faster distance opportunities exist. one of the safety regulations relies on close landing strips within 300mi of any plane or something like that. God, wish I could find the article on that....
  • JshWright 10y ago
    It's less about distance, and more about time (i.e. how long the plane can fly with an engine out). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ETOPS https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ETOPS
• tomhoward 10y ago
  According to the comment above, they only just got permission to start flying in China air space.