Storm Éowyn stuns British Airways passengers on Vegas to London flight for wild reason
Storm Éowyn stuns British Airways passengers on Vegas to London flight for wild reason
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A British Airways flight reached almost record speeds thanks to jet-stream winds powered up by Storm Éowyn. The transatlantic flight was propelled by high-speed winds in its journey from Las Vegas to Heathrow on Wednesday, reaching incredible speeds of 814mph. Flight 274's impressive momentum was a result of of fast winds blowing across the Atlantic, known as the jet stream, about 30,000ft above the surface - the same altitude as a long haul flight.
Because of this, flights between the US and Europe are often much quicker and fuel-efficient, but will take longer when making the same journey in the opposite direction. The record subsonic speed record for any flight is 835mph during a New York to London trip in 2020, taking just four hours and 56 minutes - two hours and 4 minutes faster than the average time for that route. The average speed for a cruising flight meanwhile is around 600mph.
Other recent flights have also come close to smashing the speed record, with a New York to Doha flight by Qatar Airways reaching 833mph earlier this week, The Times reports, landing 50 minutes ahead of schedule. The strong jet stream winds were blowing Storm Éowyn towards the British Isles, as it now ravages the UK causing power outages and damage to buildings and power grids.
In Ireland, record-breaking gales of 114mph recorded in Co Galway. The storm however is not good news for travellers on the ground. One in five flights from UK and Ireland airports have been cancelled so far on Friday, while others were thrown into major disruption.
