Surely you know that airliners almost always fly at the same altitude, approximately 30,000 feet. After the take-off, it takes about 20 minutes to reach its cruising altitude.
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The Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental, the most recent 747 passenger variant, has a typical cruise speed of Mach 0.86 while flying at an altitude of 35,000 feet, according to Boeing.
At 30,000 feet and higher, it is also possible for aircraft to avoid weather systems, making it more comfortable onboard. Referred to as turbofans, the engines on modern jet-powered airliners are most efficient when used at high altitudes.
Therefore, routes are often broken up using smaller aircraft along the way. Altogether, commercial airliners have the physical capability to travel up to 43,000 feet.
The highest verified altitude you can skydive from in the United States is 30,000 feet. For context, this is in the range of standard cruising altitude for a commercial airline and about 7 miles up. In other words, much higher than your average skydive at 10,000 feet or nearly 2 miles up!
Aircraft with fixed wings cannot stand still in the air, unless we are talking about VTOL (Vertical Take Off and Landing) aircraft. Lift is created by air flowing around the wing. Too little forward speed, and the wing will stall (loose lift).
An airline transport pilot can fly up to 8 hours per 24 hour period and up to 10 hours if a second pilot is aboard. Pilots are required to rest a minimum of 16 hours postflight.
As the plane descends into ground effect, it may actually accelerate if the engines are producing enough thrust, since in ground effect the plane requires much less power to keep flying. Power from the engines will translate into speed, if not height.
The longest over water route in the world is the stretch between the U.S. mainland and Hawaii. Even between Hawaii and Tokyo there are alternate airports available, such as Midway Island (hence the name “Midway”). Going across the North Atlantic, alternates include Iceland and Greenland.
When flying over land, of course it is more likely that there will be more airfields closer to the aircraft at any given time. However, because of lessons learned from its history and the improvements in aircraft and engine reliability, crossing the oceans is deemed as safe as flying over land.
At night pilots will turn their gaze from outside to inside and use the artificial horizon. The artificial horizon is normally a simply globe split into two hemispheres. Using this instrument, the pilot can determine whether the aircraft is in a climb, a dive, or rolling.
Specifically, the cruising speed of commercial airliners is typically around 550-600 mph, or Mach 0.85. Takeoff and landing speeds are much slower, typically between 130-180 mph, depending on the aircraft and weather conditions.
For best protection, you are encouraged to use supplemental oxygen above 10,000 feet MSL. At night, because vision is particularly sensitive to diminished oxygen, a prudent rule is to use supplemental oxygen when flying above 6,000 feet MSL. So, when you fly at high altitudes, supplemental oxygen is the only solution.