GLA-SFB direct on 757 !!

[Fokker-off]

I had a friend on a GLA-SFB flight 28/06 (Finnair...but SCY flight numbers !?!) who told me this flight went direct...was due to tech stop in Ganda but didnt need to.

How is this possible ??

[johnwalton]

Favourable weather conditions and lower than expected fuel burn I expect...

[Courtman]

err, quite easily!

Could be any number of reasons. Its only about 7.5hrs from GLA so not too bad, and if the load was low-ish they could have uplifted more fuel. A full load means a 757 will be unable to lift full fuel by a large margin - empty a 757 can go direct to the Caribbean, 9hrs+.

There could also have been better than normal tailwinds (or less headwinds westbound) which helped.

When the flight is planned in advance they look at high loads and average winds, which means a tech-stop is on. If on the day they can get away without a tech-stop, then it saves the airline money and gets happy punters to Mickey quicker!

[johnwalton]

Also, I think due to the jetstreams over the Atlantic, you are almost guarenteed a tailwind for one leg of the journey but not for the other, which is why a fuel stop is sometimes needed.

[Courtman]

The jetstream blows easterly, so you are headwinds going to Mickey and tailwinds coming home. Typically an LGW-SFB leg is about 9:00, return can be as quick as 7:30.

[Mark McG]

Flt was full, however with the school holidays having just started up here, there is a high number of children on the flight, which helps to keep the ZFW down. The Finnair 757's being used by Air Scandic for these flts have a 115T MTOW, which if the winds are favourable with full fuel means SFB is possible on the 757 direct from the UK.
GLA-SFB is usually an 8h30m flt on a 767.

[chiglet]

Spoke to Air2Bob about this a "few" years ago. Westbound, it is cheaper to uplift fuel at Gander, than "tank" it.
'Tother way, "normally" a tailwind, so less fuel burn :ok:
watp,iktch

[Twiglet is back!]

Think you will find it is spelt T U T H E R?

not sure what a tother is? :ok:

[BlueEagle]

Tother = The Other, so should be T' Other.:D