Birdwatching From Germany, joined Sep 2003, 3863 posts, RR: 51 Posted (2 years 3 months 3 days 20 hours ago) and read 5814 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?
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, 26382 posts, RR: 22
Reply 3, posted (2 years 3 months 3 days 18 hours ago) and read 5751 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.
PacNWjet From United States of America, joined Sep 2000, 980 posts, RR: 0
Reply 18, posted (2 years 3 months 1 day 19 hours ago) and read 5302 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.