Airline Track Diversion

[TheTraveler]

To the commercial guys who hang out way up there burning jet fuel...I've got a question.

I've flown way more than my fair share as a passenger on Int'l flights multiple directions, including over to Europe and back multiple times per year. The track heading back to the US from Europe, the Middle East, etc., in my experience, is nearly always the same...comes off the European continent, avoids Iceland by quite a ways, just touches the bottom tip of Greenland, and over to Canada.

I've been watching this Turkish flight TK5 today, and I'm surprised on how far off the track it is. I've never been on a flight crossing the Atlantic that has gone this far north (except the once in a while Asia flights that jump the pole). I see it's also delayed, likely because of this changed track.

What do you think the reason would be for heading so far off track to the north? Simply weather and turbulence? Something else?

 

[Jeff Oslick]

Going to guess this has something to do with the diversion.

Much more favorable winds and conditions found on the north side of that low.

 

[azblackbird]

My guess would be avoiding turbulence.

 

[Larry in TN]

The North Atlantic Tracks (NATs) change every twelve hours.

Here are the current tracks: https://pilotweb.nas.faa.gov/common/nat.html

Here is the Wikipedia article on the NATs: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Atlantic_Tracks

Here is a program on the NATs, specifically Shanwick Control:

 

[TheTraveler]

Wow, very cool info, thanks for sharing. I had no idea about the NAT's. Certainly not needed for domestic VFR flight, and as far as commercial passenger, I've just been used to glancing at the moving map in my seat which is always very similar to each flight. I've just never seen it go that far north, perhaps by chance.

 

[kgruber]

And, crossing the Atlantic, one might not be in the tracks at all. We routinely flew over central Greenland.

 

[MD11Pilot]

Like has been said above....NATs are primarily for a couple of passenger pushes every day. Freighters tend to be opposite time wise and we rarely are ever on the tracks but do random routes. These routes are based upon winds, traffic loads etc. and become defacto tracks. We also, on occasion do "Blue Spruce" routes due to weather/winds and aircraft capabilities such as minimum equipment I.e. HF radios or navigation system backups. These routes can actually be done with VHF only

 

[Art VanDelay]

Yesterday coming back from Frankfurt we had some very southerly tracks. Did not coast in until about Norfolk.