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Circumnavigating the globe by UA flyers

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Old Sep 29, 2018, 10:06 pm
  #46  
 
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Does it include stops in EWR and HKG?
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Old Sep 29, 2018, 10:10 pm
  #47  
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Originally Posted by 5khours
Sorry no hints for now!
Just to be clear, are we defining 'circumnavigating the globe' as crossing every longitude and the equator? (Or as an alternative, crossing every latitude twice? Although I believe that is surely not possible with commercial travel.)

Originally Posted by Air Houston
Does it include stops in EWR and HKG?
I do believe an answer to that would constitute a hint.
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Old Sep 30, 2018, 12:26 am
  #48  
 
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Sometimes the EWR-HKG flight flies a route which is technically east bound (although still goes quite near the pole). E.g. https://flightaware.com/live/flight/...925Z/KEWR/VHHH
Then from HKG you can continue eastward and end up in EWR again (it almost always routes via Japan/North Pacific/Alaska).

Last edited by Ryu2; Sep 30, 2018 at 12:34 am
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Old Sep 30, 2018, 1:53 am
  #49  
 
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Originally Posted by fumje
Just to be clear, are we defining 'circumnavigating the globe' as crossing every longitude and the equator? (Or as an alternative, crossing every latitude twice? Although I believe that is surely not possible with commercial travel.)
I was assuming just the longitudes, but you could include the equator as well. It would take a couple of extra flights, but it's still possible.

Ryu2 got it. A RT from any city east of the Mississippi (and North of the Mason Dixon line) to Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, or Hong Kong usually goes east the entire trip and will cross all the longitudes. If you want to cross the equator as well, you would to need jog down to UIO or LIM on your way back (or you could back track to SYD or MEL.)
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Old Sep 30, 2018, 2:14 am
  #50  
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I have been doing *A RTW itineraries every year since 2008. Usually doing it in the minimum time allowed (10 days).

When PMUA flew RTW all on its own metals, I have done it a few times as well.

Note: this topic is not UA related
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Old Sep 30, 2018, 5:07 am
  #51  
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Originally Posted by Ryu2
Sometimes the EWR-HKG flight flies a route which is technically east bound (although still goes quite near the pole). E.g. https://flightaware.com/live/flight/...925Z/KEWR/VHHH
Then from HKG you can continue eastward and end up in EWR again (it almost always routes via Japan/North Pacific/Alaska).
Originally Posted by 5khours
I was assuming just the longitudes, but you could include the equator as well. It would take a couple of extra flights, but it's still possible.

Ryu2 got it. A RT from any city east of the Mississippi (and North of the Mason Dixon line) to Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, or Hong Kong usually goes east the entire trip and will cross all the longitudes. If you want to cross the equator as well, you would to need jog down to UIO or LIM on your way back (or you could back track to SYD or MEL.)
Clever.

edit add:
For fun, here is an approximate depiction of how EWR-HKG-EWR can do RTW (longitude only).




And here is EWR-HKG-SFO-IAH-LIM-EWR (longitude & equator).
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Last edited by fumje; Sep 30, 2018 at 9:28 am Reason: add pictures
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Old Sep 30, 2018, 9:59 pm
  #52  
 
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Seems pointless to me other than the MQM to stick to UA metal.
The "just slightly east of the North Pole" is not really circumnavigating anything. If you walk around the North or South Pole, you have not traveled around the world ...
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Old Sep 30, 2018, 10:26 pm
  #53  
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Originally Posted by fumje
Clever.


And here is EWR-HKG-SFO-IAH-LIM-EWR (longitude & equator).
i have done an itinerary almost identical to the one above except replacing HKG with PEK:

PEK-SFO-EWR/LGA-IAH-LIM-IAH-FLL-EWR-PEK
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Old Oct 2, 2018, 3:11 pm
  #54  
 
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In 2015 I did IAH-DME-SIN on SQ followed by SIN-NRT on NH and finally NRT-IAH on UA.
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Old Oct 10, 2018, 4:22 pm
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Did a W->E:
OGG-SFO-SEA-IAD-JNB-CPT-JNB-SIN-NRT-HNL-OGG

and an E->W:
OGG-HNL-NRT-DOH-DXB-IAD-JAX-ORD-DAY-ORD-LAX-OGG

All booked in segments (not a RTW ticket).
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Old Oct 12, 2018, 6:47 am
  #56  
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Originally Posted by Mwenenzi
With Air NZ used to be able to do AKL-LAX-LHR-HKG-AKL all on Air NZ aircraft
Great Circle Mapper
Now LHR-HKG is on CX
KiwiFlyer and I did this 11 years ago, in under 60 hours, and in Y...
Around the World in Under 60 Hours

Originally Posted by jp12687
just completes an around the world trip. Did it in 12 days. EWR-AMS; BRU-MUC-HKG: TPE-SFO-EWR.

i have another one in 16 days in january EWR-HKG-SIN-AMS-EWR.

my question is who has done this? How quick of a routing? How many stops?

i used UA for everything except the BRU-HKG segment in the middle
On NZ, in under 60 hours, that was 3 stops, well connections really and we only left the airport at 1.
Around the World in Under 60 Hours

Will be doing it on SQ next month, JFK-FRA-SIN-EWR in J, but will be staying there for 4 days. The NZ trip was departing after work on Friday night, AKL-LAX-LHR maybe 8 hours in the UK, then LHR-HKG-AKL, and back for work on Monday AM. I guess this is 2 stops, although 1 is a connection and the other is a stop.

Last edited by WineCountryUA; Oct 12, 2018 at 1:13 pm Reason: merging consecutive posts by same member
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Old Oct 13, 2018, 12:21 pm
  #57  
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GC Mapper today features a map for SQ's SIN/EWR service that circumnavigated the globe, which coincidentally happens to do a similar routing to the earlier-discussed EWR/HKG. Wonder if Mr. Swartz noticed my futzing around to make the maps for that.



Singapore Airlines just completed the first round-trip of their renewed Singapore to Newark (New York) non-stop, the longest non-stop airline route at 8,285 nm. Singapore Airlines last flew this route in October 2012 with Airbus A340-500 aircraft seating just 100 passengers, all in Business Class. The new flights use the Airbus A350-900ULR (Ultra Long Range) with 161 seats, including 67 Business Class seats and 94 Premium Economy Class seats. The first of these aircraft was delivered 2.5 weeks ago; the flights will operate thrice-weekly until 18 October 2018 when delivery of a second aircraft will allow the start of daily operations.

Delivery of the remainder of Singapore Airlines' order for seven A350-900ULRs will enable the resumption of non-stops to Los Angeles on 2 November 2018 (a route which United is dropping at the end of this month in favor of twice-daily SFO-SIN service), and an expansion of the current daily service to San Francisco (which uses standard A350-900 aircraft).

Today's Featured Map shows the path of this first round trip, along with the most northerly point on each flight path, plus the great circle path and the Arctic Circle in red. SQ 22 departed Singapore just before midnight Thursday and rode tailwinds to the east, gradually tracking somewhat north but never crossing into the Arctic region. In contrast, yesterday's return from Newark as SQ 21 followed the great circle route quite closely, flying nearly due north and within 125 nm of the north pole before continuing south to Singapore.
Singapore Airlines Resumes Singapore to Newark Non-Stop (13 October 2018) - Featured Map - Great Circle Mapper
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Old Oct 13, 2018, 12:35 pm
  #58  
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Originally Posted by fumje
Clever.
And here is EWR-HKG-SFO-IAH-LIM-EWR (longitude & equator).
Hmm. I've got some vacation in November with no plans... I'm tempted to do something like this for the heck of it (and lack of anything else to do around that time). I'm mid trip right now, but I wonder how many days one would need to make it possible. 4? 5?
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Old Oct 13, 2018, 12:56 pm
  #59  
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Originally Posted by fezzington
Hmm. I've got some vacation in November with no plans... I'm tempted to do something like this for the heck of it (and lack of anything else to do around that time). I'm mid trip right now, but I wonder how many days one would need to make it possible. 4? 5?
Go for it, I say! (What else would I say? )

I think you have to overnight at HKG. You might be able to line up a connection from HKG-SFO and SFO-IAH without spending a day at SFO. It looks like you can do an immediate turn at LIM, although I've never been, so I have no idea how easy or difficult that actually would be.

So it seems like 4 is theoretically the minimum, but 5 would probably be a lot easier on the body.
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