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Ever wondered why your flight home takes longer than the journey out?

What’s Really Behind Flight Routes? It’s More Than Just Straight Lines✈️

Discover the fascinating reasons behind flight routes, from powerful jet streams to the Earth’s curvature and high-altitude benefits. It’s more than just a straight line — it’s a calculated journey through science and nature!

Piyush Doorwar 💻
4 min readNov 7, 2024

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Note: Non-members can read the full story here.

Ever wonder why a flight from New York to London takes less time than the same journey in reverse? Or why do planes cruise so high up that mountains look like tiny wrinkles in the landscape? ✈

Flying isn’t just about taking the shortest path between two points; there’s a surprising amount of strategy involved to make flights as fast, efficient, and smooth as possible.

Source: Unsplash (Izdhan Imran)

Jet Streams: The Free Ride or Reluctant Push 🌬️

First, let’s talk about one of the biggies — wind! Specifically, the jet streams. These powerful winds, found high up in the atmosphere, can drastically impact flight times.

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Piyush Doorwar 💻
Piyush Doorwar 💻

Written by Piyush Doorwar 💻

Software engineer by day, finance geek by night. Merging tech with money smarts and sprinkling wit on algorithms and interest rates!

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