Why It’s Quicker To Fly East Than West

A transatlantic flight from London to Vancouver takes about nine hours and 45 minutes, while the return journey takes just under nine hours. The aircraft follows a similar flight path in both directions, but considerable discrepancies in flight times exist.

Do these phenomena have anything to do with the Earth’s rotation? Or is the total distance somehow greater in the direction of the west? What is a jet stream? This article explores the real reason behind the geographical phenomena that impact aircraft flying in certain…