Originally Posted by
sailingfun
You can as I posted always take a longer route. It's hurts you from a competitive standpoint however if the competition is going the shorter route.
The shortest and most efficient route is over Russia. Not only do you increase the mileage going south you put yourself right into the Pacific Jet Stream.
You're splitting hairs and being ridiculous.
First of all there are no competitors. No airline from any country flies directly from the US to Bangkok. We'd be the only one. Everyone else has to connect somewhere which is FAR less efficient.
Also flying SFO-BKK overflying NRT vs SFO-BKK great circle adds a whopping 80 miles. We could even fly SFO-ICN-BKK and its adds FIVE MILES to the route. Somehow we fly SFO-ICN already without flying into Russia.
EVERY route we fly to Asia from ORD, EWR, IAD would fly over Russian airspace in a great circle route. They also have the same issue with the jetstream as does every flight off the west coast to Beijing, Seoul, Shanghai. They can't just go further north because of Russia so we all go firther south and somhow we make it. EWR-NRT great circle is FAR more into Russia than SFO-BKK but somehow we fly it, make money, and our "competitors" don't have a massive advantage because they can fly over Russia.
You're also not including Russian overfly fees and a fee for every radio communication made in Russian airspace. Probably cheaper to avoid Russia anyway.
You're analysis that the 80 mile difference gives our competitors, which there are none, a massive cost edge is ridiclous.