Secret Behind Exaggerated Flight Times

Passenger jets have become a lot more advanced in the past few decades. 2011 saw the introduction of Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner which was smoother, safer, quieter and far more efficient than the other passenger jets around that time. Since then newer models like 737 MAX and Airbus A320neo and many other have been added to airline fleets. The recent flight of a 737 Dreamliner from JFK Airport, New York to London Gatwick was completed in five hours and thirteen minutes, three whole minutes faster that the best time set in 2015 by British Airways. Although record breaking feats are being conducted by airlines, the flight durations of most flights have not changed a bit. In fact. Telegraph Travel reporters state that the journey time has increased by 50%.
The Heathrow to Dublin route is considered to be the busiest international route in Europe. In 1996, this route was covered within 60 to 74 minutes. However, 22 years later, the same journey takes 75 to 89 minutes, while some airlines take almost 90 minutes even. Although the airline industry denies this fact, these additional minutes added to the journey time is referred to as schedule padding by the experts in the industry. These minutes are added to help the airlines improve their punctuality. By overestimating the flight time, airlines are able to turn their tardy service into an on time one
Frequent fliers have often witnessed the situation where they are left waiting for over thirty minutes on the runway, yet still, manage to land on time at their destination airport. Telegraph Travel looked into four routes and has uncovered the following information:
· Flights between Heathrow and JFK used to be around 7 hours and 30 minutes in 1996, but it has increased to 8 hours and 30 minutes in the current day.
· Flight duration between Gatwick and Palma used to take only 2 hours or 2 hours and 15 minutes back in 1996. However, today the same flight takes almost 2 hours and 30 minutes and sometimes even more.
· The flight duration between London and Edinburgh was 1 hour and 15 minutes in 1996, yet it is 1 hour and 25 minutes at present.
· Flight durations have increased form 2 hour in 1996 to 1 hour and 20 minutes currently.

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Importance Of Developing A Universal Flu Vaccine

The flu outbreak puts millions of people at risk every year. This year’s flu outbreak has been deemed to be the worst of the decade. One of the reasons behind this is the unfortunate failure of this year’s flu vaccine. This vaccine is said to be only 25% effective against the most often identified virus of this flu season. According to the experts, time and money can solve this issue hopefully before the next flu outbreak. Drug companies have already gotten their best teams on creating a more effective flu vaccine for the upcoming year.

In any given flu season, flu shots are said to be effective anywhere between sixty to forty percent. However, this year, the mark fell way below that, causing many people to fall victim to the flu in spite of getting the flu shot. Every year the drug companies try to come up with a better vaccine similar to the measles inoculation. The flu shot is targeted at a couple of the commonly seen strains of flu, making people vulnerable to the other strains of flu. The ideal flu shot needs to be able to protect people against at least 90% of the flu strains out there.

Since the flu virus is always mutating, it makes it difficult to come up with a single flu shot that works for all strains. There are hundreds of different viruses and vaccines can protect humans for only a couple of these viruses. However, the current flu outbreak has put a lot of attention on the importance of coming up with a flu shot that is effective and will last a lifetime as well. Many drug companies like Sanofi are trying their best to deal with the situation. In fact, Sanofi has even signed a deal with SK Chemicals Co that is related to developing a universal vaccine against different flu strains.

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Budget Airlines Encourage Long-Haul Destinations During Bank Holidays

With Britons opting for exotic destinations during their bank holidays on the rise, it has led to an increase in long distance flights, especially over the weekend according to the latest figures. The introduction of low-cost airlines that offer long distance flights has made it possible for passengers to choose travel destinations that are further away than the usual traditional destinations. Gatwick Airport has reported a rise of fourteen per cent in the passengers who are choosing a long distance flight compared to the Bank Holiday weekend in August last year.

The 2nd biggest airport in the UK is expecting at least 631,000 travelers to pass through it the coming weekend. There has also been a reported an increase of 125 per cent to the number of people travelling to Oakland (one of the 10 popular routes to the US) this year. There has been a reported increase of 55% in passengers travelling to New York and an increase of twenty nine per cent in travelers to Los Angeles compared to last year’s figures. This increase in numbers is being credited to the introduction of low budget airlines like Norwegia, Wow Air and Westjet Airlines as it allows people to fly longer distances at a lower cost.

The low cost budget airlines enable people to travel to destinations other than Europe like the US, Dubai and even India. By taking Friday off, the Bank Holiday can be extended allowing families to go to different destinations for a 3-night and 4-day break. Airline Thomas Cook has seen a marked increase in the families travelling to farther destinations like New York and other American cities. People are also open to booking in advance to make sure they get a lower fare to the US rather than take a trip to the Mediterranean for the long weekend.