We may soon have a new excuse for being late to an international event. Climate change is modifying the patterns of the jet stream. Strong winds in the upper atmosphere are intensifying. For eastbound flights, the resulting extra tailwinds will help to shorten the flights. Unfortunately, the penalty induced for westbound flights will add time to the flight. That will lead to more time for your round trip and additional fuel costs for the airlines.
The study published in the journal Environmental Research Letters, looked at the effects of doubling the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere, which will occur within the next few decades unless emissions are cut quickly.
The average jet-stream winds along the flight route between London’s Heathrow airport and New York’s John F. Kennedy International airport are predicted to become 15 percent faster in winter, increasing from 77 to 89 km/hr (48 to 55 mph), with similar increases in the other seasons.
As a result, London-bound flights will become twice as likely to take under 5h 20m, implying that record-breaking crossing times will occur with increasing frequency in future. On the other hand, New York-bound flights will become twice as likely to take over 7h 00m, suggesting that delayed arrivals will become increasingly common.
The article goes on to point out why the airlines can't offset this effect efficiently:
Williams says airplanes can’t just fly faster to compensate because of another effect, air friction that builds up as the plane gets closer to breaking the sound barrier.
“Airplanes fly at about 550 miles per hour, or 75 percent speed of sound (767 miles per hour),” he said. “The closer they get to 80 percent, the fuel efficiency drops off a cliff and the airline has to put an afterburner, real gas guzzlers. That’s why they don’t go any faster.”
Here is the link to the full article: Climate Change May Delay Flights : Discovery News
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