Atlantic jet stream push five passenger airplanes to supersonic speeds

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Freak winds in the Atlantic jet stream push five passenger airplanes to
supersonic speeds of over 800mph - faster than the speed of sound
This weekend several planes travelling west to east benefited from speed
boost
Were you on board Virgin Atlantic Airways flight 22, British Airways
flight 292, British Airways flight 216, United Airlines Flight 64 or
American Airlines Flight 120? Email jonathan...@mailonline.co.uk
By JONATHAN CHADWICK FOR MAILONLINE

PUBLISHED: 09:11 EST, 20 February 2024 | UPDATED: 04:04 EST, 21 February
2024

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Passengers on board commercial flights over the weekend were in for a
wild ride, as freak winds pushed their flights to faster than the speed
of sound.

Virgin Atlantic Airways flight 22, British Airways flight 292, British
Airways flight 216, United Airlines Flight 64 and American Airlines
Flight 120 all reached speeds of over 800mph by travelling along the jet
stream.

For comparison, the typical cruising speed of a passenger plane is
roughly 575mph.

The jet stream moves from west to east and can cut flight times and get
passengers to their destination ahead of schedule.

However, the trade-off from a trip along the jet stream is more severe
turbulence, scientists have also warned.

According to the US National Weather Service, winds reached speeds of
265mph at around 35,000 over Washington – the altitude that planes fly
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According to the US National Weather Service, winds reached speeds of
265mph at around 35,000 over Washington – the altitude that planes fly

According to the US National Weather Service, winds reached speeds of
265mph at around 35,000ft over Washington - the altitude that planes fly
According to the US National Weather Service, winds reached speeds of
265mph at around 35,000ft over Washington - the altitude that planes fly

READ MORE: Planes can use 16 PER CENT less fuel by hitching a ride on
the jet stream
Using the jet stream can reduce carbon emissions too, UK researchers found
Using the jet stream can reduce carbon emissions too, UK researchers found

On Saturday, a Virgin Atlantic flight from Washington to London reached
nearly 802mph (1,290kph) by surfing the jet stream.

According to the Washington Post, the Virgin Atlantic Flight 22 took off
from Washington at 22:45 on Saturday and reached the speed at 23:20
while just east of Long Island.

The US National Weather Service said winds reached speeds of 265mph at
around 35,000ft over Washington – the altitude that planes fly.

'This evening's weather balloon launch detected the 2nd strongest
upper-level wind recorded in local history going back to the mid 20th
century,' the National Weather Service for Baltimore and Washington
posted on X.

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'Around 34,000-35,000ft, winds peaked around 230 knots (265mph!).

'For those flying eastbound in this jet, there will be quite a tailwind.'

After it exited the jet stream further north, its speed leveled off to
between 600mph and 700mph.

This is still faster than typical cruising speed (roughly 575mph),
allowing the plane to reach its destination around 45 minutes ahead of
schedule.

A passenger aboard Virgin Airways Flight 22, Michelle, told MailOnline
it was a 'very fast duration' but that there was 'nothing different
detectable in the cabin'.

Jet streams form because of the contrast between cold, dense air at the
poles and warm, light air in the tropics, in combination with Earth's
rotation. Pictured, jet stream winds (fastest in dark red)
+8
View gallery
Jet streams form because of the contrast between cold, dense air at the
poles and warm, light air in the tropics, in combination with Earth's
rotation. Pictured, jet stream winds (fastest in dark red)

READ MORE Global warming is speeding up winds in the jet streams, study says
Global warming is speeding up winds in the jet streams, due to density
changes in the air of Earth's atmosphere
Global warming is speeding up winds in the jet streams, due to density
changes in the air of Earth's atmosphere

Two British Airways flights also reportedly received a speed boost from
the jet stream on Sunday evening.

According to Fox Weather, British Airways Flight 292 from Washington to
London arrived 32 minutes early, while British Airways Flight 216 along
the same route was 20 minutes early.

A passenger aboard BA 292, Eliza, told MailOnline: 'My husband was
looking at the map at one point and told me we were going 700mph.

'There was a few brief moments of turbulence but the captain never
turned on the fasten seatbelt sign.

'Our early arrival included us circling Heathrow in a holding pattern.'

Meanwhile, a United Airlines flight from Newark departed at 20:35
Saturday and reached 835mph just off the East Coast before reaching its
destination in Lisbon 20 minutes early.

Lastly, American Airlines Flight 120 from Philadelphia to Doha reached
840mph at around 22:15, about 30 minutes after takeoff.

The plane made up for lost time after its departure came more than 30
minutes late, according to Trip.com.

Although all three planes reached over 800mph, well over the speed of
sound, Jeff Berardelli, meteorologist for WFLA Tampa Bay, said they did
not technically break the sound barrier.

He posted on X: 'The plane is embedded in 200 mph + winds, so it's
traveling with the wind and thus the plane itself does not actually
travel greater than 767 relative to the environment it's in.'

Famously, the only aircraft to break the sound barrier is the retired
Concorde, which could reach a whopping 1,350mph.

The commercial plane was retired in 2003 in the years following a
catastrophic crash in France in July 2000, but NASA is among those
working on a successor that can go at 937mph.

Jeff Berardelli, meteorologist for WFLA Tampa Bay, said a plane does not
technically break the sound barrier if it does not travel greater than
767mph relative to the environment it is in
Jeff Berardelli, meteorologist for WFLA Tampa Bay, said a plane does not
technically break the sound barrier if it does not travel greater than
767mph relative to the environment it is in

Concorde was the world¿s first supersonic airliner and operated for 27
years, but it was grounded in October 2003. Pictured is British Airways
Concorde G-BOAB taking off with its landing gear still extended over the
Cotswolds town of Fairford, Gloucestershire on July 20, 1996, during the
annual RAF Fairford airshow
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View gallery
Concorde was the world's first supersonic airliner and operated for 27
years, but it was grounded in October 2003. Pictured is British Airways
Concorde G-BOAB taking off with its landing gear still extended over the
Cotswolds town of Fairford, Gloucestershire on July 20, 1996, during the
annual RAF Fairford airshow

Supersonic aircraft could fly from London to New York within four hours,
but until then pilots are able to reduce journey times thanks to jet
streams.

The jet stream forms due to the contrast between the cold, dense air at
the poles and the warm, light air in the tropics, in combination with
the rotation of the Earth.

Scientists already know that one potentially positive effect of the jet
stream is faster flights, depending on what direction a plane is heading.

Planes can 'surf the breeze' to get a speed boost and cut flight times,
while also burning less fuel and in turn reducing carbon emissions.

A University of Reading study found commercial transatlantic flights
could use up to 16 per cent less fuel if they made better use of
fast-moving winds.

Redirecting transatlantic flights to take better advantage of favourable
winds at altitude could save fuel, time and emissions
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View gallery
Redirecting transatlantic flights to take better advantage of favourable
winds at altitude could save fuel, time and emissions

A University of Reading study found airplanes could reduce their carbon
emissions by hitching a better ride on the jet stream more often
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View gallery
A University of Reading study found airplanes could reduce their carbon
emissions by hitching a better ride on the jet stream more often

While faster transatlantic flights might not seem so bad, the flip side
is that planes are likely to experience more turbulence due to a faster
jet stream.

Last year experts reported in a study that global warming is speeding up
winds in the jet streams due to density changes in the air of Earth's
atmosphere.

These faster wind speeds cause more violent updrafts and downdrafts –
resulting in severe turbulence for planes.

'Turbulence arises when there is a large change in wind speed with
height,' Osamu Miyawaki, a climate scientist at National Center for
Atmospheric Research in Colorado and one of the study authors, told
MailOnline.

'When layers of air move at different speeds, the air starts to mix at
the interface of the layers. This mixing air grows into a rotating
vortex, or an eddy, which we feel as turbulence when airplanes fly
through it.

'A faster jet stream means larger changes in wind speed with height
which makes these eddies more energetic and intense.'

How does global warming make clear air turbulence worse?
New research from the University of Reading shows that clear air
turbulence, which is invisible and hazardous to aircraft, has increased
in various regions around the world.

The researchers say this increase has happened in tandem with global
warming increases - and that the two are linked.

Isabel Smith, a PhD student at the university's meteorology department,
told MailOnline: 'Clear air turbulence (CAT) is generated due to
shearing of winds and so has a strong link to jet streams, which are
fast flowing bands of wind that propagate around the world.

'Global warming refers to the rapid warming of the lowest layer of the
atmosphere, which we live in, called the troposphere.

'There are several layers within the atmosphere and the layer above the
troposphere is the stratosphere.

Troposphere is where humans live and weather exists, the lowest layer
stretching up to about six miles
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View gallery
Troposphere is where humans live and weather exists, the lowest layer
stretching up to about six miles

'The increase in greenhouse gases traps heat within the troposphere,
which would usually be emitted into the stratosphere.

'Therefore, the stratosphere is cooling at a rate similar to
tropospheric warming.

'This creates a strong temperature difference vertically across the
atmosphere.

'A stronger vertical temperature gradient will lead to a stronger and
more chaotic jet stream.

'As jet streams get stronger, it gets more chaotic and unstable, and the
number of CAT encounters increases.'

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push five passenger airplanes to supersonic speeds of over 800mph -
faster than the speed of sound