4 ms·

Thanks for the link. Also, I was just playing with routes, and it looks like a route (that I roughly constructed) under russia is still 100s of miles shorter th

Thanks for the link. Also, I was just playing with routes, and it looks like a route (that I roughly constructed) under russia is still 100s of miles shorter than through Alaska (for the hypothetical CPH-HND route). I don't know if there are other issues with flying over any of those countries. And maybe with Alaska as a hub, it could end up being more efficient to fly there and then switch and onward to eastern Asia, although I thought that newer planes were favoring direct routes rather than huge planes between hubs, e.g. the A350 vs A380. Not to mention, historically people who don't have to often avoid connecting in the US because I think there is / was an extra visa burden, even if it's just for transit. I think many people might avoid a route that makes them enter the US, though mayb things have changed and it's less of hassle. http://www.gcmap.com/mapui?P=cph-ist-gyd-ala-pek-hnd;+cph-anc-hnd http://www.gcmap.com/mapui?P=cph-ist-gyd-ala-pek-hnd;+cph-an...

logbiscuitswave 5y ago
The article mentioned flying under Russia would be a longer distance but could be faster with favorable wind conditions. I’m guessing they are leaning toward more predictable conditions with their chosen route.
bobthepanda 5y ago
Early planes like the 707 could not make it all the way to Asia in one go, so the stop in ANC was necessary. It's the largest airport for hundreds of miles in any direction. That route also goes through the PRC which was closed for a few decades to outside airplanes as well. And some of the other countries on the map were part of the USSR as well.
mbreese 5y ago
Your route has the plane flying very close to Russian airspace from Istanbul to Baku. Also, it has the flight going over North Korean airspace at the end. Avoiding these two would be required. While it would add too many extra miles, it does illustrate the point that these route planners are not trivial.

logbiscuitswave 5y ago

The article mentioned flying under Russia would be a longer distance but could be faster with favorable wind conditions. I’m guessing they are leaning toward more predictable conditions with their chosen route.

bobthepanda 5y ago

Early planes like the 707 could not make it all the way to Asia in one go, so the stop in ANC was necessary. It's the largest airport for hundreds of miles in any direction. That route also goes through the PRC which was closed for a few decades to outside airplanes as well. And some of the other countries on the map were part of the USSR as well.

mbreese 5y ago

Your route has the plane flying very close to Russian airspace from Istanbul to Baku. Also, it has the flight going over North Korean airspace at the end. Avoiding these two would be required. While it would add too many extra miles, it does illustrate the point that these route planners are not trivial.