Strangely, the FAA doesn't have total control over all airlines operating on the multitude of routes across the Pacific, especially ones operated by non US airlines operating flights not touching US territory. History, especially aviation history, tells us that if the envelope can be pushed, one day it will be and that isn't limited to test pilots.
But I'm still waiting to hear where the need is for a 370 minute ETOPS. Even Boeing admits that the majority of airlines need only 240 minutes and the 330 minutes pioneered by Air New Zealand between Auckland and North and South America is probably exceptional, the other possibilities being trans North Pole flights when Siberian airports are socked in and trans Antarctic flights.
Of course any ETOPS flight only operates at maximum range from its nearest diversion point for a small percentage of the journey but Sods Law says that one day a shut down will occur at the furthest point and how many on here would sit happily in their seat, either at the pointy end or down the back, on a single engined 300 plus seater, for six hours and ten minutes over open ocean or uninhabited wastes. Squeaky bum time springs to mind.
Last edited by philbky; 8th Jul 2016 at 22:23.
Reason: additional phrase