The jet stream is widely recognized for shaving off around an hour from long-haul west-to-east flights, saving many a painful pair of legs.However, it’s now working particularly hard for economy class passengers, as flights from the US to Europe are reaching speeds equal to sound due to a strong jet stream across the Atlantic.According to NASA, sound travels at a little over 661 knots, or 761 mph, or 1,100 feet per second, under “sea level standard conditions.”Furthermore, passenger planes crossing the Atlantic from the US to the east have attained speeds of up to 778 mph in the last 24 hours. That’s around 200 miles per hour quicker than typical cruising velocity.

Image source – https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/jet-stream-flights-speed-of-sound/index.html

These passenger flights, while fast, did not break the sound barrier, however, they did shorten flight times. According to flight tracking website Flightaware, Emirate flight 222 from Dallas to Dubai arrived 57 minutes early on November 1, reaching a top speed of 675 knots, or 777 mph, off the coast of Newfoundland. There is a difference between speed in the air and ground speed. According to the UK Met Office, the jet stream is a “core of strong winds around five to seven miles above the Earth’s surface, blowing from west to east.”

Flights heading eastward are often shorter than those heading westward, long-haul flights can have time disparities of up to an hour or more, depending on which way they are traveling. Since seven miles is equal to around 37,000 feet above the surface of the globe, airplanes at cruising altitude may readily enter the jet stream. Moreover, according to CNN meteorologist Sara Tonks, the quickly cooling weather in the United States this week—which is now making its way to Europe in the shape of Storm Ciaran—is to blame for the accelerate

Buckley, J. (2023, November 1). Transatlantic airplanes are flying at the “speed of sound” right now. here’s why. CNN. https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/jet-stream-flights-speed-of-sound/index.html