A non-stop flight is a
flight
Flight or flying is the process by which an object moves through a space without contacting any planetary surface, either within an atmosphere (i.e. air flight or aviation) or through the vacuum of outer space (i.e. spaceflight). This can be a ...
by an
aircraft
An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air. It counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engine ...
with no intermediate
stops.
History
During the early age of aviation industry when aircraft range was limited, most flights were served in the form of
milk run
The phrase milk run originated in World War II, when United States Army Air Corps and Royal Air Force aircrews used it to describe a mission with little danger.
Other sources show the term "milk run" to be in use in rural areas of the American Upp ...
, aka there were many stops along the route. But as aviation technology develop and aircraft capability improves, non-stop flights begin to take over and have now become a dominant form of flight in the modern times.
The
dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 eventually opened up Russian airspace, allowing commercial airlines to exploit new circum
polar route
A polar route is an aircraft route across the uninhabited polar ice cap regions. The term "polar route" was originally applied to great circle navigation routes between Europe and the west coast of North America in the 1950s.
The Arctic Early yea ...
s and enabling many new non-stop services, removing the need of making stopover in-between.
In the late 2000s to early 2010s, rising fuel prices coupled with
economic crisis
An economy is an area of the production, distribution and trade, as well as consumption of goods and services. In general, it is defined as a social domain that emphasize the practices, discourses, and material expressions associated with th ...
resulted in cancellation of many ultra-long haul non-stop flights.
[A new era of 'ultra-long-haul' aviation](_blank)
/ref> As fuel prices fell and aircraft became more economical the economic viability of ultra long haul flights improved.
Compare
Direct flight
A direct flight in the aviation industry is any flight between two points by an airline with no change in flight numbers, which may include one or more stops at an intermediate point(s). A stop may either be to get new passengers (or allow some ...
s and non-stop flights are often confused with each other. Starting March 31, 2019, American Airlines
American Airlines is a major airlines of the United States, major US-based airline headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, within the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. It is the Largest airlines in the world, largest airline in the world when measured ...
started offering non-stop flights from Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix ( ; nv, Hoozdo; es, Fénix or , yuf-x-wal, Banyà:nyuwá) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona, with 1,608,139 residents as of 2020. It is the fifth-most populous city in the United States, and the on ...
to London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
, England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
,direct flight
A direct flight in the aviation industry is any flight between two points by an airline with no change in flight numbers, which may include one or more stops at an intermediate point(s). A stop may either be to get new passengers (or allow some ...
simply means that passengers typically would not get off the plane if it stops (lands) at a location between the two cities.
See also
*Domestic flight
A domestic flight is a form of commercial flight within civil aviation where the departure and the arrival take place in the same country.
Airports serving domestic flights only are known as domestic airports.
Domestic flights are generally c ...
*Flight duration
In aviation, the flight length refers to the distance of a flight. Commercial flights are often categorized into long-, medium- or short-haul by commercial airlines based on flight length, although there is no international standard definition and ...
*Flight length
In aviation, the flight length refers to the distance of a flight. Commercial flights are often categorized into long-, medium- or short-haul by commercial airlines based on flight length, although there is no international standard definition and ...
*Longest flights
Over time, commercial airlines have established a number of scheduled ultra long-haul non-stop flights. These exceptionally long routes reduce the travel time between distant city pairs as well as the number of stops needed for passengers' trave ...
*ETOPS/LROPS
ETOPS () is an acronym for ''Extended-range Twin-engine Operations Performance Standards''—a special part of flight rules for one-engine-inoperative flight conditions. The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) coined the acronym for ...
*International flight
An international flight is a form of commercial flight within civil aviation where the departure and the arrival take place in different countries.
Regular international passenger air service began in August 1919 with a flight going from Lond ...
* Mainline
* World's busiest passenger air routes
Notes
References
External links
Understanding Travelspeak
{{Authority control
Civil aviation