Originally Posted by
TightSlot
It seems to me that the answer to the problem is rather more difficult?
TS
Actually the answer is quite straightforward; it is to assign an aircraft type to the flight which has adequate endurance to handle likely weather conditions. Needing to do a fuel stop on Transatlantics has only come back in any way in the last few years as 757s have come onto these flights at the edge of their range. Before that, when 767-200s and A310s were the smallest types on such services such stops had been unknown for years.
It's not that 757s had not done Transatlantics previously, they have done charters from Europe to Florida and the Caribbean for many years, but these have always been broken down into two medium haul sectors, say London to Gander and Gander to Montego Bay.
US carriers don't care about onward connections from westbound Transatlantic flights, because they have the belief that rebooking can always be sorted out on arrival at the hub, onto their next "frequent" flight to any of their destinations. Regular travellers who have experienced this situation, however, know differently !