Flights traveling from east to west consistently take longer than the same routes flown west to east because of high-altitude winds known as jet streams.

A closer look

Flights traveling from east to west consistently take longer than the same routes flown west to east because of high-altitude winds known as jet streams. You might think the earth spinning on its axis has something to do with your agonizing fourteen-hour journey to Los Angeles, but it just boils down to massive invisible rivers of air pushing against your metal tube. These jet streams are caused by the planet's rotation combined with atmospheric heating, flowing west to east at speeds reaching over two hundred miles per hour. When you fly east, your plane surfs this wind current, saving fuel and time. Flying west means you are fighting nature itself, burning extra fossil fuels just to arrive slightly more exhausted at your overpriced vacation destination