Originally Posted by
OverRun
Deep down in the southern hemisphere, the Perth-Johannesburg leg gets some really strong winds. My fastest time going east was 8 h 15 mins, and going westwards, times can be well over 11 hours. Not too many refuelling stopsin between, unless you deviate rather far north to Mauritius.
That's a different matter. The aircraft in question is nowhere near the limit of its endurance, and there is further contingency fuel taken where there is no possibility of a fuel stop (although presumably Durban westbound offers an opportunity).
In contrast 757 operations across the Atlantic, especially to somewhere as far west as Chicago, is knowingly pushing things to advertise nonstops in winter, but can be done because they do have all sorts of options along the way, and the stop, as here, may well be anticipated.
Correct me, somebody, but are the major US carriers worse at scheduling such maximum endurance flights for smaller types than others ? There are so many accounts of transatlantic 757s (a US carrier speciality in this market) needing fuel stops westbound in winter, and exactly the same with A320s and 737NGs making full US transcontinental flights and having to fuel stop at Las Vegas or somewhere, in comparable conditions - neither of these missions being what the aircraft in question were designed/optimised for.