Birdwatching From United States of America, joined Sep 2003, 3573 posts, RR: 52 Posted (5 months 4 weeks 4 hours ago) and read 3220 times:
Back in the days of Concorde, it was easy to arrive at your destination way before you left, local time, if you went westbound. Today, crossing the date line eastbound will obviously make you arrive before you left, but I'm asking about westbound flights (chasing the sun) where this happens. Obviously subsonic planes can't fly faster than the earth's rotation, but some flights that fly very northerly or southerly routes, or have their origin and destination close to time zone boundaries, could do the same. For example Paris-London or Amsterdam-London flights usually arrive before they leave, but in the schedule they are longer than 1h because of schedule padding.
Here's the closest thing I could find: AF5238, ANR-LCY, 1735-1735
Are there any flights scheduled at less flying time than the time difference?
Soren
Edit: I found one! BA879, LED 18:05, LHR 17:40
Who can find others?
[Edited 2012-11-26 13:17:04]
All the things you probably hate about travelling are warm reminders that I'm home
Viscount724 From Switzerland, joined Oct 2006, 21491 posts, RR: 24 Reply 3, posted (5 months 4 weeks 2 hours ago) and read 3157 times:
Since Russia decided to stay on summer time year-round starting a year or two ago, it means there's now a 3-hour time difference during the winter between points like Moscow and St. Petersburg and most neighbouring countries to the west, and countries that previously only had a 1-hour time difference like Finland now have a 2-hour difference. Many flights are shorter than 3 hours so there are now many flights from Russia to other points in Europe that arrive before they leave.
It's especially noticeable on shorthaul sectors like LED-HEL (162 nm) where the 2-hour time difference means flights arrive slightly more than one hour before they leave (and in the other direction take about 3 hours by the clock).
LED-HEL AY166 1335-1230
LED-HEL AY170 1725-1620
HEL-LED AY165 0950-1250
HEL-LED AY169 1355-1650
Another example, Moscow-Stockholm (661 nm) with 3-hour time difference and flight time a little over 2 hours.
There must also be some strange examples between points in western China and neighbouring countries since all of China uses the same time zone and it's a fairly wide country.
icelander From Iceland, joined Dec 2011, 39 posts, RR: 0 Reply 5, posted (5 months 4 weeks 2 hours ago) and read 3140 times:
Basically, as you pointed out Soren, the further north you get, the more likely this becomes. A hypothetical flight from LYR-YLT is just over 2 hours long, but you go back almost 4 hours in time.
I could also walk around the northpole in a few seconds, and cover 24 hours
Interesting question though. It was fun investigating
BoeingGuy From United States of America, joined Dec 2010, 2311 posts, RR: 7 Reply 9, posted (5 months 3 weeks 6 days 23 hours ago) and read 3072 times:
LA's MDZ-SCL flights arrive before they leave, so to speak. It's a 90 mile flight and crosses a time zone (and international border).
Quokkas From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 10, posted (5 months 3 weeks 6 days 14 hours ago) and read 3002 times:
Here in Australia, Flights between Darwin, NT and Kununurra, WA have an arrival time earlier than the departure time due to a time difference of 1hr 30min.
PlymSpotter From Spain, joined Jun 2004, 11133 posts, RR: 63 Reply 11, posted (5 months 3 weeks 6 days 12 hours ago) and read 2978 times:
Quoting Birdwatching (Thread starter): Here's the closest thing I could find: AF5238, ANR-LCY, 1735-1735
The new AMS-MSE flight arrives 5 minute before it leaves.
One day I'd love to have a New Year party in Australia or New Zealand, then fly back into the last year and do it all over again in Hawaii or somewhere.
m1m2 From Canada, joined Dec 2011, 59 posts, RR: 0 Reply 14, posted (5 months 3 weeks 5 days 16 hours ago) and read 2818 times:
AC 034 leaves SYD at 12:15pm and gets in YVR at 7:07 am. Time travel at it's finest! Oops, that's Eastbound, that's what I get for posting this early in the morning.
web500sjc From United States of America, joined Sep 2009, 588 posts, RR: 0 Reply 17, posted (5 months 3 weeks 5 days 6 hours ago) and read 2732 times:
SQ12, NRT-1850
LAX-1150
its applies to any nonstop NRT to LAX- be advised it only occurs because the plane flies over the International Date Line and the flight is actually 10 hours in length- as of right now.
PacNWjet From United States of America, joined Sep 2000, 839 posts, RR: 0 Reply 18, posted (5 months 3 weeks 5 days 4 hours ago) and read 2708 times:
Quoting timz (Reply 15): Any nonstop from Japan to Hawaii, or California... maybe Chicago too?
Quoting web500sjc (Reply 17): its applies to any nonstop NRT to LAX- be advised it only occurs because the plane flies over the International Date Line and the flight is actually 10 hours in length- as of right now.
Wasn't the original poster asking about westbound flights? Obviously eastbound flights that cross the International Date Line have a favorable chance of arriving "before" they left.
SW733 From United States of America, joined Feb 2004, 6072 posts, RR: 10 Reply 19, posted (5 months 3 weeks 1 day 4 hours ago) and read 2505 times:
My colleague flies DL from ATL-HSV regularly and it's not unusual for arrival time to be scheduled as 2 to 5 minutes before departure time, with actual arrival time sometimes more.
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