However looking at the flight radar http://www.flightradar24.com/ I see a lot of flights that take a more northern route and avoid all of those tracks, especially true for west coast flights. So what flights follow those tracks, and those going to the west coast, what tracks do they follow, if any?
boeing767er From Netherlands, joined Oct 2010, 28 posts, RR: 0 Reply 1, posted (1 year 11 months 4 days 1 hour ago) and read 2633 times:
Airlines have a choice when filing a flight plan.
The North Atlantic Tracks have been established to organise traffic between Europe and North America due to the complicated meteorological conditions. A jetstream running from roughly Alaska to North Eastern Europe prevents aircraft from flying fixed routings, as strength and location of this jetstream varies during the year.
It is basically a matter of great circle routings. Roughly estimated, all air traffic from France, Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Great Britain and Ireland use NAT routings to destinations on the Eastern half of the USA and Canada. Like I just said, it is a matter of great circle routings.
Flights "outside" the opening hours of the NAT tracks (Tracks are established twice a day, once by Gander, once by Shannon), or if a NAT track is not suitable will file a random route. These are a bunch of coordinates put together in a flight plan. (For instance N55W010 N56W020 etc etc..)
26point2 From United States of America, joined Mar 2010, 666 posts, RR: 0 Reply 2, posted (1 year 11 months 3 days 23 hours ago) and read 2581 times:
To add...N. Atl. Tracks are established up to FL410. Many biz jets fly higher than this and fly a random route that, while often similar to the track, is not exactly along the track.
Also, Europe-US West Coast great circle routing is well north of any NAT and they fly random routes.
26point2 From United States of America, joined Mar 2010, 666 posts, RR: 0 Reply 4, posted (1 year 11 months 3 days 20 hours ago) and read 2531 times:
Quoting David L (Reply 3): Strictly speaking, is that not Shanwick
Yes. You are right. Generally "Shannon" handles domestic airspace out to the oceanic entry/exit points at 15 degrees West, "Shanwick" handles Oceanic airspace beyond that to 30 degrees West.
At an international ops recurrent class the instructor asked the group "..raise your hand if you're been to Shanwick". A couple of guys shot their hands up. Funny.
boeing767er From Netherlands, joined Oct 2010, 28 posts, RR: 0 Reply 6, posted (1 year 11 months 3 days 18 hours ago) and read 2458 times:
Absolutely true, but I wanted to keep it simple, talking in terms so that everybody with some geographic knowledge could form a mental image Strictly speaking it is indeed Shanwick.
Sponsor Message: 
From United States of America, joined May 2007, 16575 posts, 
From Netherlands, joined Oct 2010, 28 posts, 
From United Kingdom, joined May 1999, 9216 posts, 
Strictly speaking it is indeed Shanwick.
Sponsor Message: 
Printer friendly format
