Why west-bound flights always take significantly longer

pulse

November 17, 2017 8:36 PM

Flight routes are planned around jet streams to either take advantage of the help from the tailwinds or avoid flying into them because of the strong headwinds.

Ever wonder why your flight back from vacation feels so much longer than the one you took to get there? Part of it could be a vacation version of the "Sunday scaries," but it's also possible that your return flight is actually spending more time in the air.

"There's a very concentrated region of high headwinds called the jet stream," Massachusetts Institute of Technology Aeronautics and Astronautics professor R. John Hansman told Business Insider.

Flight routes are planned around the jet streams to either take advantage of the help from the tailwinds or avoid flying into them because of the strong headwinds.

This video was originally published on August 9, 2017.

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