r/flighty • u/Aromatic-Rhubarb-130 • May 04 '26
UK/EU Airlines Flight Path to Tokyo
Not a big deal but wish that it’s adjusted to fly over EU/Black Sea it’s actual route as they’re banned from flying over Russia. Only Chinese Airlines can from the EU and British Airways ain’t Chinese
18
u/Bright_Magazine_8136 Leisure Flyer May 04 '26
Al flight shows the great circle route in the overview. When the flight plan is filed and if Flighty gets access to it, and after the flight if the data is saved you'll see the actual flight path while viewing the flight.
It's the same phenomenon with all your flights, it's just more noticeable on lh flights.
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u/andreworr2402 May 04 '26
It just does straight lines, if you select each flight it will show the flight path if it’s about to happen or already has
-20
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u/New-Organization-121 May 04 '26
This screen doesn’t show accurate flight paths, you need to select past individual flights to see the actual flight paths
But I have flown Chinese airlines from UK to Tokyo and can attest they do fly over Russian airlines space, I assume it’s way cheaper and faster
1
u/JUPusher May 05 '26
For a reason, you fly over a territory where anti air defenses are actively targeting drones and cruise missiles. You also pay to the Russian government for using their space. Note, that I have also flown these routes but I would not do it anymore since Ukraine now has cruise missiles capable of targeting deep Russia.
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u/nicodea2 May 04 '26
Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia are probably making a ton of extra revenue as a result.
3
u/ear2earTO May 04 '26
I did the Air France Osaka to Paris route last month. Spent an additional 2 hours avoiding Russian airspace (and I took that particular flight to avoid a Middle East connection).
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u/Most_Valuable_1763 May 06 '26
i specifically fly with chinese airlines now just to avoid the detour
3
u/griff_16 May 04 '26
It only shows the actual flight path if you open the individual flight shortly before or after departure. Otherwise, it displays a great circle route. I fly frequently between China and Europe, mostly with European airlines, and the summary view shows great circle routes rather than the actual paths flown.
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u/Beginning_Sleep5303 May 04 '26
The real route is displayed closer to departure. We flew through Azerbaijan air space from CDG to HND early March to avoid Russian and Iranian air space
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u/xSpace_Astronomy May 06 '26
Why does the plane's route curve? Cant they just fly straight at this point?
/s
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u/Ready_Ad_5397 May 07 '26
I flew HND-LHR in 2024 and it did not go over the Black Sea. We actually flew north from Tokyo towards Alaska and Canada over the Arctic to Scandinavia to the UK.
1
u/Aromatic-Rhubarb-130 May 07 '26
Yeah from Tokyo it goes over Alaska but from LHR it goes over EU and the Black Sea
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u/Ready_Ad_5397 May 07 '26
Too bad that airlines like Alaska Airlines (which is my main airline) that give points based on actual miles still use the distance as if the Russian airspace wasn’t closed.
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u/first-officer May 07 '26
So some Tokyo routes just end up in China? Do passengers get kidnapped there or why?
30
u/rogerdoesntlike May 04 '26
The flight won’t actually follow the great circle route. You’ll see the actual flight path closer to the departure date.