4 ms·
Shanghai to Oakland is about 10,000 km: https://www.greatcirclemap.com/?routes=PVG-OAK https://www.greatcirclemap.com/?routes=PVG-OAK Adding a stop in Anchorag
by nkurz 5y ago
Shanghai to Oakland is about 10,000 km: https://www.greatcirclemap.com/?routes=PVG-OAK https://www.greatcirclemap.com/?routes=PVG-OAK
Adding a stop in Anchorage adds about 200 km:
https://www.greatcirclemap.com/?routes=PVG-ANC-OAK https://www.greatcirclemap.com/?routes=PVG-ANC-OAK
The plane is probably limited by takeoff weight: body plus fuel plus cargo. By adding a stop in the middle, the plane can take off with less fuel from Shanghai. Since it has 45000 kg less fuel, it can instead carry 45000 kg more cargo. Total fuel consumption for the trip ends up slightly higher, but fuel per kg of useful cargo is much less.
- sdenton4 5y agoQuick, let's build an international air cargo hub on Atka Island! https://www.google.com/maps/@52.2044509,-174.2639372,10.04z https://www.google.com/maps/@52.2044509,-174.2639372,10.04z [edit]: The town of Atka apparently has a population of 53, spread over 32 households. There's an airport, but some expansion would probably be needed to handle Shanghai<->Oakland shipping traffic... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atka,_Alaska https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atka,_Alaska https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atka,_Alaska#/media/File:Atka.JPG https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atka,_Alaska#/media/File:Atka.... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atka_Airport https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atka_Airport
- aaron695 5y agoI think that's a brilliant idea. It's only 200km shorter but it takes the longest leg from 7000km -> 5500km https://www.greatcirclemap.com/?routes=PVG-ADK-OAK https://www.greatcirclemap.com/?routes=PVG-ADK-OAK I wonder why it has not been done? Maybe because of this - "In 1996, the U.S. Department of Transportation exempted Alaska's Anchorage International Airport and Fairbanks International Airport from the Jones Act, which prohibits foreign airlines from transporting cargo between U.S. cities. Now, foreign carriers are allowed to refuel their planes in Alaska before continuing on to an American airport or returning home. Because of this, Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport now handles approximately 80% of all air cargo traffic between Asia and North America." Maybe you need to find a non American location. A floating refuel location? It'd be interesting to run the numbers.
- winstonewert 5y agoI'd guess that getting fuel to an island would be much more expensive negating the benefits. (I understand that this was not a serious suggestion anyways).
- konschubert 5y agoI am not so sure, it could come by ship...
- WalterBright 5y ago> The plane is probably limited by takeoff weight It is.
- perl4ever 5y agoThat is really neat and counterintuitive, because Shanghai and Oakland are 30-something degrees north latitude, and Anchorage is ~60 degrees north, but the stop adds a remakably small distance. A direct great circle route still goes over the Aleutians, it seems.
- nkurz 5y agoYou probably noticed, but in case others didn't, if you click on the "Globe" icon in the upper right for the links I gave it gives a good sense of the Great Circle, and helps make it clear why it's actually an efficient route.