Q&A: Why do flights from California to Australia fly east instead of just flying over the Pacific? Please explain.?
Question by GildedButterflies: Why do flights from California to Australia fly east instead of just flying over the Pacific? Please explain.?
I’ve always wondered as to why flights betwen Australia and California take the longer distance (25 hour flight) and fly east all the way to Australia, instead of just flying west over the Pacific. Does it have to do with the earth’s rotation? Please explain!
Best answer:
Answer by Marisol Chavez
they have to make use of the jet streams if they fly against them they burn more fuel, and they land at refueling spots like Hawaii and Japan
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Do they?
I have no idea it has nothing to do with the earth’s rotation it is probably a “nearest airport” thing if they do
They do fly over the Pacific. They don’t fly from California then to the east coast then to Australia. A normal Los Angeles to Sydney flight takes about 13 hours…not 25.
They do indeed fly east. Your flight is only about 14 actual hours of flight; the rest of the time in transit is due to the many time zones you cross. It is possible to go the opposite direction— San Francisco or LA to London then on to Sydney, for example, but I don’t know of a single airline that would take you the entire way. You’d have to mix airlines, like fly San Fran to London on United then take Thai or Singapore the rest of the way.
They don’t. They fly over the Pacific.
Are you on drugs? They do fly over the Pacific, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Vancouver fly to Sydney and it takes around 13 hours.
They do fly over the pacific.
I don’t know where you get the idea that flights from Ca. fly east to Australia. That’s simply not true unless you intentionally book a flight that travels east that has a stop along the way. Even from New York, flights to Australia will fly west to Australia and there is no passenger plane that can fly 25 hrs. without refueling. Here’s the Qantas route map, they have no flights that travel east to Australia from anywhere in N. America.
http://www.qantas.com.au/travel/airlines/route-maps/global/en