Forget Supersonic: Norwegian Dreamliner Breaks Transatlantic Speed Record…

People often ask if I’d rather have a bed from New York to London – or from London to New York. My answer often surprises people: I’d rather have a bed from London to New York. The answer is simple, you’re not on the plane long enough to sleep properly from New York to London anyway. Norwegian just took that sentiment to new extremes, breaking the flight time record between the two cities.

New Record

Five hours and thirteen minutes was all it took. Norwegian’s Boeing 787 Dreamliner flew from New York JFK Airport to London Gatwick in under five and a half hours. The Telegraph reports the aircraft reached a top speed of 776 miles per hour, breaking a previously held record by Britain’s Red and Blue airline, British Airways. This was largely thanks to a whopping 202 mile an hour tail wind. Not bad, not bad at all!

Could’ve Been

Though five hours and thirteen minutes seems incredible, and is actually faster than many New York to California flights, it could have been faster. Turbulence slows flights down as pilots must throttle back to account for the bumps, much like driving a car on bumpy roads. Flight times in the other direction would’ve been well over seven hours, during day time, which explains why I prefer a comfy perch to relax. On a five hour flight, you barely have three useable hours to sleep by the time the plane levels off and begins vectoring towards it’s London descent.