- Great circle
- 7,702 km
- 4,786 mi
- Estimated in the air
- 10h 04m
- block time
- Furthest from equator
- 67.5°N
- at 46% along
- One lap of Earth
- 19.2%
- of 40,075 km
Of the 292 routes catalogued here, this is the 87th longest.
What the aircraft actually flies over
From London the path crosses United Kingdom, then 2,311 km of open water, then Greenland, then 443 km of open water, then Canada, then 558 km of open water, then Canada, then the United States.
The great circle reaches 67.5°N, inside the Arctic circle — which is why the route looks like a detour over the top of the world on a flat map, and like the obvious line on a globe.
Flying the line that looks straight on a Mercator map — one constant compass bearing — would cover 8,811 km. That is 1,109 km further, about 14% more, and roughly 1h 23m of extra flying.
Leaving London the aircraft points north-west (322°); it arrives into Seattle heading south-west (214°). That is 108° of drift without a single turn — the compass moves because the path is a curve on a sphere, not because the aircraft does.
SEA
Seattle–Tacoma
Seattle, United States · North America
47.4°N, 122.3°W
London to Seattle, asked and answered
- How far is London to Seattle?
- London to Seattle (LHR to SEA) is 7,702 km, or 4,786 mi, measured as great circle distance between the two airports.
- How long is the flight from London to Seattle?
- About 10h 04m 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 Seattle flight take?
- The great circle passes over United Kingdom, then 2,311 km of open water, then Greenland, then 443 km of open water, then Canada, then 558 km of open water, then Canada, then the United States. It reaches 67.5°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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