Why is the plane trip to New York longer than the plane trip back, if it is the same distance?

It is faster to fly from America to Europe than the other way around. The answer to this curious fact is found in jet streams, called ‘Jet Streams’. Air navigation expert Carola Moltó explains to the Sixth that these air currents are produced at a height of ten thousand meters. “They play an important role in the aviation industry because, if harnessed by airlines, on long-haul flights they can have significant improvements in both journey time and fuel consumption,” he adds.

What is a jet stream?

The expert explains that a ‘Jet stream’ is a current of air that flows very fast and moves in an undulating manner in the direction from West to East. “There are two types of jet streams. On the one hand, the polar stream where speeds of up to 300 kilometers per hour can be reached, is created by strong temperature changes between cold polar and hot subtropical air. On the other hand, the subtropical current is generated by equatorial air currents. Both streams, as they head towards the poles, are affected by a force called the Coriolis force that is produced by the rotation of the earth and is responsible for the jet streams flowing from West to East.”

Molto points out that getting into these currents implies that turbulence can occurbut they are not dangerous. It is a type of turbulence that is not associated with clouds, which is why it is known as turbulence in clear air or Clear Air Turbulence (CAT). “Usually this turbulence is reduced to simple bumps. With short, repetitive jerks, it can be uncomfortable for passengers, rather than dangerous to flight safety.”

For all these reasons, the Madrid-New York route, as it is a flight from East to West, takes approximately eleven hours. However, from New York to Madrid it is reduced to nine and a half hours.