Flying times

[Bacarrat]

Just got back in from Vegas. I usually fly direct to and from Vegas. But since I didn't book this go around, my return flight was connecting in SF. One thing that dawned on me when in the air from SF back to Houston. Why does it take 3.5 hours from Houston to Vegas, but it only takes 3 hours (2 hours and 50 min actual flight time)? Kinda puzzling to me since I have been to Vegas about a dozen times and the flight time is always the same time. SF is at least I'm guess 4-5 hundred miles northwest of Vegas but yet it's faster from SF to Houston? Jet stream? Different plane? Different route? I believe the mileage is more when going to the SF route.

 

[Knife]

Re: Flying times

Where you on 2 different types of aircraft?

 

[Bacarrat]

Re: Flying times

757 to Vegas and 737 from SF to Houston.

 

[Knife]

Re: Flying times

That could be it or might be some airspace issues around vegas, don't know. I am a Tower guy there might be a radar guy hanging around that could give you a better answer.

 

[flyboy]

Re: Flying times

Number 1, flying west you generaly incounter more headwind than flying east, not always but mostly.

Number 2, I have a feeling it probably has something to do with the times that your flight was in or out of each airport. Hub airports like IAH, SFO, LAS, and many others have periods of time when they are about dead and within the hour they will have 300 planes moving on or around that airport. If your lucky that your flight is in or on the begining or end of one of the lulls in traffic, it will significantly reduce the flight time.

There are many other factors involved but those are probably the two that stand out the most to me.

 

[Lindy]

Re: Flying times

The jetstream runs from west to east.

I used to take Pan Am Flight 5 non-stop from SFO to Hong Kong. It was typically a couple of hours longer going than returning. Sometimes it had to stop in Okinawa for fuel going west.

The jetstream typically runs well over 100 knots. Flight times on an east-west axis are going to be heavily dependent on the location of the jet.

 

[flyboy]

Re: Flying times

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Lindy</div><div class="ubbcode-body">The jetstream runs from west to east.

I used to take Pan Am Flight 5 non-stop from SFO to Hong Kong. It was typically a couple of hours longer going than returning. Sometimes it had to stop in Okinawa for fuel going west.

The jetstream typically runs well over 100 knots. Flight times on an east-west axis are going to be heavily dependent on the location of the jet.
</div></div>

Or a large pressure system like the one that blew CA almost off the map.

 

[TOPO-sniper]

Re: Flying times

150 knot headwind from Houston to Vegas Thursday & 150 knot tailwind from Vegas to Houston Sunday....