Travel

Norwegian Airlines Sets Record for Fastest Transatlantic Flight

But even faster flights may be right around the corner.

An employee carries out checks on a Boeing Co. 787 Dreamliner passenger aircraft operated by Norwegian Air Shuttle AS, at Gatwick Airport outside London. — An employee carries out checks on a Boeing Co. 787 Dreamliner passenger aircraft operated by Norwegian Air Shuttle AS, at Gatwick Airport outside London.
Photographer: Simon Dawson/Bloomberg

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By Rachel Tepper Paley

January 19, 2018 at 5:13 PM UTC

Updated on

January 19, 2018 at 6:23 PM UTC

To the envy of plane-weary travelers everywhere, passengers aboard a Norwegian Airlines flight from New York to London on Jan. 15 were treated to a pleasant surprise: They arrived 53 minutes ahead of schedule, making theirs the fastest transatlantic flight ever recorded on a subsonic commercial aircraft. The final flight time: five hours and 13 minutes.

The good time came thanks to better-than-expected weather conditions and a hefty tailwind, which helped the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner gain three minutes over the previous record, held by a 2015 British Airways route that spanned five hours and 16 minutes. Still, the Norwegian flight’s captain said an even-faster time may be in the cards.