Tom...
Three points...
1/ What looks like the shortest distance between two points on a map might not actually be so, as it's dependent upon what type of projection the map is using... (Mercator, Lambert Conical, etc...)
2/ While there may not have been convective weather at in Texas that forced the flight up over
LIT, it still may have been weather-related in that this route was where the most favorable winds were. When I pull a "best-winds" flight plan, the resultant flight plan might appear to be this big arcing flightpath relative to what appears to be a "normal" route, but it's one that provides the quickest ETE and lowest fuel burn. Generally speaking, westbound we avoid the jetstream, and eastbound we try to ride it as much as possible.
3/ Another factor might have been the weather closer to
ATL. If the
SW arrival fix at
ATL was impacted by weather, the route over
LIT might have been to "feed" the
NW arrival fix at
ATL, rather than to proceed to the
SW fix and then have to "jink" north to the
NW fix.
Lots of variables...(as usual)
[Edited 2004-06-11 22:40:19]
ALL views, opinions expressed are mine ONLY and are NOT representative of those shared by Southwest Airlines Co.
