Why is my flight duration different?

The reason for the different flight times is simply the wind. However, the Coriolis effect, caused by the rotation of the earth, causes winds to move right, in the direction of motion, in the northern hemisphere and left in the southern, making the wind blow east.

Why do flights take longer one way than the other?

The reason it took so much longer to fly back is the jet stream, a river of fast-moving air high up in the sky. The jet stream over the United States never stays in one place – it tends to move farther south and blow stronger in the winter, and to move farther north and not blow as strong in the summer.

How do airlines determine flight times?

Answer: Airlines create flight times based on the previous history of the flight. As an example, every airline flying into New York on a Friday afternoon knows that there will be delays, so additional time is added to the schedule. This added time is not needed for an 11 p.m. arrival on a Sunday.

Do they overestimate flight times?

Flight delays are so common, in fact, that statistics consider a flight to be “on time” as long as it’s within 15 minutes of the time on your ticket. One pilot confessed to Reader’s Digest that airlines exaggerate their times to make themselves look better.

Why are flights shorter going north?

The global wind is determined by how our planet rotates and how much heat it is getting from the sun. This means that the air from the equator moving to the north or south poles will be moving faster than the ground it is over, resulting in winds always moving from the west to the east.

Are flight durations accurate?

The arrival and departure times airlines share with their customers often don’t match how long an aircraft actually needs to spend in the air. Airlines exaggerate how long a trip will take so that even when there’s a delay, the plane still arrives “on time,” a strategy known as “schedule padding.”

Does flight time include taxiing?

Flight time is total time an aircraft charter is in flight, from the point of takeoff to landing. This also includes the time the aircraft spends taxiing to and from the runway.