It has now been more than 64 years since the first jet-powered transatlantic commercial flight, which took place on October 4th, 1958. The advent of jet engines on commercial aircraft increased their speed and range, which was useful for transatlantic journeys. With this in mind, we thought we’d take a closer look at the variables at play when it comes to the speed at which a plane can cross this ocean.
Aircraft type
A key factor when it comes to the speed of a commercial transatlantic crossing is the aircraft that is being used for the flight in question. While modern jetliners are all in a similar ballpark regarding speed, there used to be more variation. Indeed, this was particularly pronounced when the supersonic Aérospatiale/BAC Concorde airliner ruled the skies between Europe and North America.
Indeed, as Simple Flying explored in April last year, scheduled flight times on the delta-winged jet’s transatlantic routes were in the region of three hours and 30 to three hours and 45 minutes. However, under certain conditions, it could fly even faster, with its New York-London record being 2 hours, 52 minutes, and 59 seconds. That being said, this year will mark 20 years since Concorde’s retirement.
Concorde’s three-hour crossings between Europe and North America were considerably quicker than the 10 hours and 20 minutes that, according to London Air Travel, BOAC’s first transatlantic jet service took. That being said, it did make a 70-minute refueling stop in Gander en route. Today London-New York flights typically have block times of eight hours, with the return being closer to seven.
The route in question
Of course, the exact route of a transatlantic flight also plays a role in dictating its duration. Thus far, we have largely examined London-New York durations, with this being one of the most famous and lucrative routes between Europe and North America. However, if we look a little closer into the matter, we can see that there are transatlantic city combinations with shorter distances between them.
For example, Irish flag carrier Aer Lingus flies from Shannon Airport (SNN) in western Ireland to Boston Logan International (BOS). Of course, with the Massachusetts city being further north up the eastern seaboard than New York City, these flights have a block time of just six hours and 55 minutes. Meanwhile, the return legs are even shorter, typically being timed at only six hours and five minutes.
Away from the US
Looking at non-US flights, we can see that Air Canada’s flights from Halifax Stanfield International (YHZ_ in Nova Scotia to London Heathrow (LHR) have block times of just six hours. A previous contender would have been WestJet’s flights from St. John’s International (YYT) in Newfoundland and Labrador to Dublin Airport (DUB). However, CBC reported in November 2018 that WestJet had axed this route.
Taking a look somewhat further to the south, direct flights across the Atlantic Ocean between the continents of Africa and South America are in rather shorter supply. However, by examining a rare example of such a flight, we can see that TAAG Angola Airlines’ flights from its Luanda (LAD) hub to São Paulo/Guarulhos (GRU) have a scheduled block time of eight hours and 30 minutes.
Direction and wind speed also play a role
You may have noticed that the eastbound legs of the routes discussed from North America to Europe are faster than those traveling in the opposite direction. This is because eastbound transatlantic flights benefit not from the earth’s rotation, but rather from jetstreams. These fast-flowing, high-altitude air currents help eastbound flights cross the Atlantic quicker than their westbound counterparts.
When strong eastbound winds blow over the Atlantic, these can combine with jetstreams to produce incredibly quick crossings. In February 2020, a British Airways Boeing 747 set a subsonic transatlantic speed record when, assisted by the winds of Storm Ciara, it flew from New York to London in four hours and 56 minutes. Needless to say, transatlantic jet travel has come a long way since 1958.
Source: simpleflying.com