Originally Posted by
HkCaGu
In a perfect world, from YYZ to HKG you could take advantage of winds and fly over Europe and Siberia. However, with all the restrictions there are over Russia and China and countries in between, the polar route is easiest.
That means beside favorable winds, the reason you fly HKG-YYZ over the Pacific is the freedom flying across the Pacific and Alaska.
I have flew a couple times EWR-HKG when the flight path took us over Greenland, Polar Region, Finland and Russia. Wind speed and direction play a huge role in routing planning.