The flight from Washington, D.C. to Hanoi flies east across the Atlantic Ocean, Europe, and then to Asia, rather than west. This is the origin of the Great Circle Route, which is the shortest distance between two points on a sphere (earth). In fact, from a globe, the Great Circle Route from Washington, D.C. to Hanoi flies over the Atlantic Ocean and Europe, then into Asia and finally to Vietnam. This route is shorter, more efficient, and more cost-effective because it bypasses the wider Pacific or South China Sea area and flies more directly to Vietnam via Southeast Asia, which is also more time-efficient. This is a strong wind at high altitude, so it has a great impact on the flight planning process.
Generally speaking, in the Northern Hemisphere, the jet stream flows out from high in the troposphere and blows from west to east. Tailwinds are more favorable to eastward routes than westward routes because they blow in the same direction. Therefore, flying eastward can save fuel and use tailwinds to increase speed, while flying westward against the jet stream at the same altitude and speed is both time-consuming and fuel-intensive. The Coriolis effect has little effect on routes and flight plans - instead it becomes turbulence, overflights, wind direction, weather, etc., all of which easily give way to the route itself, allowing the flight to fly east without question. So the advantages of flying east seem to be more. Geopolitically and operationally, it may be more difficult to get permission to fly if you fly west, without alternate or emergency airports... Flying east is the standard route. The eastern route from Washington to Hanoi. In short, the normal route for pilots from Washington to Hanoi is east because the normal route is the most direct, the flight time is short, the airfare discounts are not in line with the cost of the trip, and there are usually good preferred seats. That's it.
|