- Great circle
- 8,760 km
- 5,443 mi
- Estimated in the air
- 11h 23m
- block time
- Furthest from equator
- 62.3°N
- at 35% along
- One lap of Earth
- 21.9%
- of 40,075 km
Of the 292 routes catalogued here, this is the 66th longest.
What the aircraft actually flies over
From London the path crosses United Kingdom, then 2,124 km of open water, then Greenland, then 1,051 km of open water, then Canada, then 635 km of open water, then Canada, then the United States.
The furthest the great circle gets from the equator is 62.3°N, 35% of the way along.
Flying the line that looks straight on a Mercator map — one constant compass bearing — would cover 9,732 km. That is 972 km further, about 11% more, and roughly 1h 13m of extra flying.
Leaving London the aircraft points north-west (312°); it arrives into Los Angeles heading south-west (214°). That is 98° of drift without a single turn — the compass moves because the path is a curve on a sphere, not because the aircraft does.
LAX
Los Angeles
Los Angeles, United States · North America
33.9°N, 118.4°W
London to Los Angeles, asked and answered
- How far is London to Los Angeles?
- London to Los Angeles (LHR to LAX) is 8,760 km, or 5,443 mi, measured as great circle distance between the two airports.
- How long is the flight from London to Los Angeles?
- About 11h 23m in the air. That is an estimate from the distance at a typical airliner block speed, plus half an hour for taxi, climb and descent; published schedules vary with winds and routing.
- What route does a London to Los Angeles flight take?
- The great circle passes over United Kingdom, then 2,124 km of open water, then Greenland, then 1,051 km of open water, then Canada, then 635 km of open water, then Canada, then the United States. It reaches 62.3°N at its furthest from the equator.
Where these numbers come from
Distances are computed from the two airports’ own coordinates, not looked up from published routes. Times are estimates, not schedules.
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