For example:
CX880 (HKG TO LAX) takes 13h40m on the 2nd of August, but only takes 12h50m in September.
CI008 (TPE TO LAX) is the same; it takes half an hour less in September than in August.
What are the factors that cause this difference?
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5$\begingroup$ Are you asking about scheduled flight times or actual flight times? $\endgroup$– Cpt ReynoldsCommented Jul 25, 2018 at 5:48
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4$\begingroup$ aviation.stackexchange.com/q/31576/3573 $\endgroup$– J...Commented Jul 25, 2018 at 10:02
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$\begingroup$ @J... If you think it's a duplicate, you should flag it as such. Duplicate closure is not a bad thing. $\endgroup$– MachavityCommented Jul 25, 2018 at 13:49
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$\begingroup$ @Machavity Yeah, I would, but I left all my rep at SO. $\endgroup$– J...Commented Jul 25, 2018 at 13:57
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$\begingroup$ @J... You have more than 15 rep. You can flag a question for closure, even if you can't vote for it directly $\endgroup$– MachavityCommented Jul 25, 2018 at 13:59
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1 Answer
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Jet stream is a stream of air flowing around the Earth from West to East at high altitude. With wind speed averaging more than 100+ km/h, it has a tremendous effect on a plane's ground speed.
The pattern, strength and location of the stream is constantly changing. For example, during the (Northern Hemisphere) winter the stream generally strengthens, and during the summer it generally weakens. With modern technology such as weather satellites and data fusion from thousands of weather stations around the world, the stream is fairly predictable.
The effect is more pronounced on long flights because these flights stay in high altitude much longer.
