Flights Arriving Nearly an Hour Early Thanks to Intense Winds

Historically fast air travel is happening across the country as flights going west to east have been arriving way ahead of schedule due to record-breaking tailwinds working in their favor.

Some flights going from Los Angeles to Boston are arriving as much as 54 minutes early, while other flights heading from San Francisco to New York City are arriving as much as 47 minutes early.

Planes normally fly around 560 miles an hour. But one Virgin Atlantic jet actually clocked in at 800 miles an hour thanks to the tailwinds.

WCBS New York Chief Weathercaster Lonnie Quinn told Inside Edition it is all thanks to a stronger-than-normal jet stream.

“Jet stream, simply put, it is a river of air that flows way up above the surface like around 35,000 feet which is exactly where airliners fly,” he said. 

Patrick Smith, airline pilot and air travel blogger, told Inside Edition that jet steams can help push planes along.

“You can often see jet streams well in excess of 100, 150 miles an hour," he said.

There's a downside to the record-setting jet stream. If you're traveling east to west, it may add as much as half an hour of flying time. 

RELATED STORIES