Surprising occurrence: planes flying over the Atlantic at remarkable speeds
In the last 24 hours, passenger planes traveling from the USA to the East across the Atlantic have attained remarkable speeds, resulting in many of them landing well ahead of schedule.
6:21 PM EDT, November 2, 2023
An unfolding cyclone ravaging the western part of Europe has triggered a peculiar situation in the skies. Planes are setting new speed records, flying over 199 mph more than their typical cruise rates. This drastic increase in speed is due to a powerful jet stream headed towards Europe.
According to a report from CNN, Emirates Airlines flight number 222, flying from Dallas to Dubai, arrived 57 minutes earlier than scheduled on November 1. It attained a peak speed of 675 knots or 777 mph near Newfoundland's coastline.
Normally, flights toward Europe are slightly shorter than those in the opposite direction, but the current situation has significantly amplified the difference.
Unexpected early landings
A case in point is American Airlines flight number 106 from the USA to Heathrow. It achieved an unusually early landing by 54 minutes on Wednesday morning. The actual flight time was only six hours and seven minutes. Do note, it reached an impressive 778 mph peak speed near Newfoundland.
In a similar vein, Delta's flight number 186, flying from Los Angeles to London, recorded a top speed of 760 mph and landed half an hour ahead of schedule.
Even the KLM cargo plane, which commenced its flight on November 1 with nearly a four-hour delay, managed to arrive in Amsterdam from Miami with just under a two-hour delay.
However, as CNN highlights, none of these ultra-swift passenger planes surpassed the speed of sound.
