Is it smoother flying east or west?

Clear-air turbulence. Jet streams are, at their most basic, high-altitude air currents caused by atmospheric heating and the inertia of the earth's rotation—and they're the reason why flights from west to east are faster than the same route traversed in the opposite direction.



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Flying east or west makes a difference to jet lag Travelling eastwards, however, runs in direct opposition to the body clock. If you suffer badly from jet lag, it may be worthwhile considering a westerly travel route if possible.

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In all cases, the key is the direction of the airplane relative to the wind. In terms of safety, both scenarios are equally safe during normal flight at cruising altitude.

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It's been established that the Pacific Ocean is big ... really big. And with greater distances come greater costs since the plane needs more fuel. Executive Flyers writes that while you could just charge passengers more to fly that distance, this may lead to lots of unhappy customers and airlines losing out on sales.

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In summary, jet streams are the reason why flights take shorter when flying from the west to the east. While they do help to shave off up to a few hours from long flights in some cases, they are not entirely without drawbacks.

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Everything on earth, not just the ground, but also the water (and even the atmosphere), is rotating in the same direction, Forbes reported. Since planes in the sky are being pulled eastward with the earth, it takes more time to go west. Think of it kind of like walking against the wind.

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It's rare for short-haul flights to Europe to suffer more than a short stretch of light turbulence. Meteorologists inform pilots in advance of bad weather, allowing planes to re-route and avoid the worst. Passengers can get their own predictions on websites such as turbli.com.

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The worst seats on an airplane for turbulence are the jump seats in the back of the plane, where the flight attendants sit, followed by the passenger seats towards the back of the aircraft.

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Sleep Foundation notes that jet lag happens when we travel across three or more time zones. And, there's bad news for anyone traveling from the U.S. to Europe: jet lag is worse when you travel east than it is when you travel west. Why is this?

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Jet lag symptoms usually occur within a day or two after traveling across at least two time zones. Symptoms are likely to be worse or last longer the farther you travel. This is especially true if you fly east. It usually takes about a day to recover for each time zone crossed.

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So, you have to treat your body well and help it along with a few easy steps:
  1. Drink water. On an international flight, I generally board the plane with a full liter of water. ...
  2. Don't drink alcohol. ...
  3. Sleep when flying TO Europe. ...
  4. Stay awake. ...
  5. Go to bed. ...
  6. For 3-4 nights: take Tylenol PM (or something similar). ...
  7. No napping.


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The most common reason is that there are no airstrips or airports on many of the small islands, so if a plane had to make an emergency landing, it would be difficult to find a place to land. Additionally, the Pacific Ocean is vast and remote, so if a plane were to go down, it would be very difficult to find.

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Most people find that jet lag is worse when traveling east than it is when traveling west. View Source . Jet lag differs based on the direction of travel because it's generally easier to delay your internal clock than advance it. Jet lag does not occur on north-south flights that do not cross multiple time zones.

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One study claims it only takes two-thirds of a day per zone, or about six days to adjust to a nine-hour time difference (west to east). For westward flights it is somewhat easier to adjust to the time-zone shift, only requiring about half a day per time zone.

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If you cross the International Date Line on a journey towards the east, then 24 hours are subtracted from your time. If you cross it when going west, then 24 hours are added to your time. Similarly, for every 15° crossed when heading east, you earn an hour and for every 15° crossed when heading west, you lose one.

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Less traffic and a cool breeze also make for a smoother flight, if you don't take into account unexpectedly bumping into clouds. On clear nights, there is less friction against the wings which makes for obstruction-free sailing across the sky.

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What is the longest flight in the world by distance? The longest flight in the world by distance is New York (JFK) to Singapore (SIN) on Singapore Airlines clocking in at 9,537 miles. What plane can fly the farthest in the world?

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