Following the Leader: Los Angeles – Sydney

It is a long way from Los Angeles to Sydney - 6,510 nautical miles to be precise - and around 14 hours depending on which airline you select. Five airlines, Qantas, American, Virgin Australia, Delta and United operate the route but none publish the same elapsed time for the journey. 

The five are a mix of legacy and low cost, include all three global alliances, and yet the schedule choice is limited, if indeed there is any!

In scheduling terms, there is clearly a “window of opportunity” for departures from Los Angeles as all five services depart between 22:30 and 23:10 local time, with corresponding arrival times in Sydney between 06:20 and 07:15. Heading northbound the schedules are also similar, departing between 09:30 and 11:15. While this provides efficient utilisation for the US carriers, with turnaround times of between two and three hours, what’s the fascination with departing at such similar times?

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