# Flights that arrive at the same time as when they departed
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flights-that-arrive-at-the-same-time-as-when-they-departed/628910
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [July 21, 2012, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flights-that-arrive-at-the-same-time-as-when-they-departed/628910 "2012-07-21T00:00:44Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Mangosteen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangosteen)
#### Post date: [July 21, 2012, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flights-that-arrive-at-the-same-time-as-when-they-departed/628910/1 "2012-07-21T00:00:44Z")
I once flew from Georgetown, Malaysia to Medan, Sumatra (Indonesia). The flight time was 30 minutes. The time zone in Medan was 30 minutes behind Georgetown so our arrival time was listed as being identical as the departure time.
Maybe this is more common than I think. I guess you would just have to take say a 3 hour flight across 3 time zones.
Is this common? Anyone done this?
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### Author:  [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)
#### Post date: [July 21, 2012, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flights-that-arrive-at-the-same-time-as-when-they-departed/628910/2 "2012-07-21T00:15:53Z")
Flint (Michigan) to Chicago is an hour and crosses one time zone. The [schedule](https://www.google.com/flights/?hl=en#search;f=FNT;t=RFD,PWK,ORD,MDW;d=2012-08-06;r=2012-08-10;s=0;q=flight+schedule+chicago+flint) today had a flight leaving and arriving at 6:00 AM.
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### Author:  [@dan1500](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dan1500)
#### Post date: [July 21, 2012, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flights-that-arrive-at-the-same-time-as-when-they-departed/628910/3 "2012-07-21T00:21:41Z")
It can happen from Fort Wayne to Chicago too.
[https://www.google.com/flights/?hl=en#search;f=FWA;t=RFD,PWK,ORD,MDW;d=2012-08-06;r=2012-08-09;tt=o](https://www.google.com/flights/?hl=en#search;f=FWA;t=RFD,PWK,ORD,MDW;d=2012-08-06;r=2012-08-09;tt=o)
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### Author:  [@Iggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iggy)
#### Post date: [July 21, 2012, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flights-that-arrive-at-the-same-time-as-when-they-departed/628910/4 "2012-07-21T00:35:54Z")
Cayman Airways flight #833 departs Havana at 4:20pm with arrival in George Town at 4:20pm in the summer months.
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### Author:  [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)
#### Post date: [July 21, 2012, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flights-that-arrive-at-the-same-time-as-when-they-departed/628910/5 "2012-07-21T00:49:01Z")
[Indianapolis-Chicago](http://www.southwest.com/flight/select-flight.html?disc=0%3A21%3A1342831618.285000%3A18325%40321FE34C3F4F347BB65878288BAC70CF9739CCA1&ss=0&int=&companyName=&cid=). Flight arrives five minutes before it leaves!
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### Author:  [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)
#### Post date: [July 21, 2012, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flights-that-arrive-at-the-same-time-as-when-they-departed/628910/6 "2012-07-21T01:04:17Z")
I’ve flown from Denpasar on Bali to Yogyakarta (pronounced Jogjakarta) on Java, which is one hour and crosses a time zone. Take off and land at the same time.
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### Author:  [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)
#### Post date: [July 21, 2012, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flights-that-arrive-at-the-same-time-as-when-they-departed/628910/7 "2012-07-21T01:21:16Z")
Last time i flew from Sydney, Australia to San Francisco, California, the plane departed at about 2.30 p.m. on Tuesday afternoon, and arrived at about 11.00 a.m. on Tuesday morning.
Of course, going the other way it’s a different story. Depart the west coast of the US on a Tuesday night, and arrive in Australia on Thursday morning. Where did Wednesday go?
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### Author:  [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)
#### Post date: [July 21, 2012, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flights-that-arrive-at-the-same-time-as-when-they-departed/628910/8 "2012-07-21T01:41:50Z")
> [@mhendo](#):
>
> Last time i flew from Sydney, Australia to San Francisco, California, the plane departed at about 2.30 p.m. on Tuesday afternoon, and arrived at about 11.00 a.m. on Tuesday morning.
A trans-Pacific flight could easily arrive the day before it departed.
(And the passengers would arrive a day younger too!)
(ETA: IIRC, this came up also with one of the recent eclipses that started in Asia and ended in the United States on the previous day.)
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### Author:  [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)
#### Post date: [July 21, 2012, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flights-that-arrive-at-the-same-time-as-when-they-departed/628910/9 "2012-07-21T02:08:47Z")
The Concorde, since it could fly faster than the sun moves across the sky, would typically land “earlier” than it took off when flying east to west.
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### Author:  [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)
#### Post date: [July 21, 2012, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flights-that-arrive-at-the-same-time-as-when-they-departed/628910/10 "2012-07-21T02:36:47Z")
A flight from Columbus to Chicago does this on a good day, although they’re usually scheduled to last 10 or 20 minutes longer.
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### Author:  [@Donnerwetter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Donnerwetter)
#### Post date: [July 21, 2012, 9:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flights-that-arrive-at-the-same-time-as-when-they-departed/628910/11 "2012-07-21T09:47:41Z")
Isn’t this somewhat common when you fly from Central Europe to the East coast of North America?
The time difference is 6 hours, roughly the same amount of time the flight takes.
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### Author:  [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)
#### Post date: [July 21, 2012, 10:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flights-that-arrive-at-the-same-time-as-when-they-departed/628910/12 "2012-07-21T10:18:43Z")
Ah yes, and flying from Lubbock, Texas to Albuquerque, New Mexico gets you landing at the same time as take-off. I’ve done that route before.
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### Author:  [@mcgato](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mcgato)
#### Post date: [July 21, 2012, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flights-that-arrive-at-the-same-time-as-when-they-departed/628910/13 "2012-07-21T13:21:26Z")
I’ve flown from Atlanta to Birmingham, Alabama before, and I arrived 15 minutes before I took off. The flight is 45 minutes, and it crosses a time zone.
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### Author:  [@Dano83860](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dano83860)
#### Post date: [July 21, 2012, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flights-that-arrive-at-the-same-time-as-when-they-departed/628910/14 "2012-07-21T14:13:53Z")
Depending on traffic the flight from Boise ID to Spokane WA can get in five minutes before it left.
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### Author:  [@JWT\_Kottekoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JWT_Kottekoe)
#### Post date: [July 21, 2012, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flights-that-arrive-at-the-same-time-as-when-they-departed/628910/15 "2012-07-21T14:19:10Z")
At the North and South Pole you can do this on foot.
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### Author:  [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)
#### Post date: [July 21, 2012, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flights-that-arrive-at-the-same-time-as-when-they-departed/628910/16 "2012-07-21T14:26:04Z")
This was years ago, but I know someone who had a flight from Boise to Portland that did this, to the minute. Did a quick check online, seems that most direct flights nowadays are listed as being about 1:20 long, so :20 clock time. Probably have to schedule more time due to PDX being a busier airport now.
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### Author:  [@Jaclofo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jaclofo)
#### Post date: [July 23, 2012, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flights-that-arrive-at-the-same-time-as-when-they-departed/628910/17 "2012-07-23T00:56:39Z")
“The time zone in Medan was 30 minutes behind Georgetown”
Are there 30 minute time zones? I thought time zones were 60 minutes apart???
Help. Im confused!!😕
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### Author:  [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)
#### Post date: [July 23, 2012, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flights-that-arrive-at-the-same-time-as-when-they-departed/628910/18 "2012-07-23T01:05:22Z")
> [@Jaclofo](#):
>
> “The time zone in Medan was 30 minutes behind Georgetown”
>
> Are there 30 minute time zones? I thought time zones were 60 minutes apart???
>
> Help. Im confused!!😕
Sure, most time zones are one hour but some are 30 minutes. For example, South Australia and the Northern Territory are both GMT + 9:30.
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### Author:  [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)
#### Post date: [July 23, 2012, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flights-that-arrive-at-the-same-time-as-when-they-departed/628910/19 "2012-07-23T01:09:49Z")
Didn’t the SR-71 leave New York and arrive in California over an hour earlier than it departed?
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### Author:  [@Mangosteen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangosteen)
#### Post date: [July 23, 2012, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flights-that-arrive-at-the-same-time-as-when-they-departed/628910/20 "2012-07-23T01:15:51Z")
> [@Jaclofo](#):
>
> “The time zone in Medan was 30 minutes behind Georgetown”
>
> Are there 30 minute time zones? I thought time zones were 60 minutes apart???
>
> Help. Im confused!!😕
Its a different country, but the distance is so little that they made it only a half an hour time difference.
Nowadays they are a full hour apart.
However, not all places on an even hour’s time, GMT
Some places/countries use time offsets not an integral number of hours from UTC/GMT.
```
Examples:
Newfoundland (Canada) is UTC/GMT - 03:30 (summer -02:30)
Australia (Northern Territory) is +09:30
Australia (South Australia) is + 09:30 (summer +10:30)
India is +05:30
Iran is +03:30 (summer +04:30)
Afghanistan is +04:30
Burma (Myanmar) is + 06:30
Marquises Islands is - 09:30
Norfolk Isl. (Australia) is +11:30
Lord Howe Island (Australia) is + 10:30 (summer +11:00)
Sri Lanka is +05:30
```
Some places use quarter / hour offset from UTC/GMT.
```
Examples:
Nepal is UTC/GMT +05:45
Chatham Island (New Zealand) is UTC/GMT + 12:45 (summer UTC/GMT + 13:45 or winter in the northern hemisphere).
Western Australia, Eyre Highway towns: Eucla, Caiguna, Madura, Mundrabilla and Border Village (South Australia) use UTC/GMT +08:45
```
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