Weather is rough flying, depending on heading

“Strong Headwinds Impact Transatlantic Flights

by Sean Breslin, weather.com

In a story released by CBC News and the Wall Street Journal, several Continental Airlines flights from Europe to the Eastern U.S. have encountered a new hurdle -- a need to make unscheduled refueling stops in Canada and elsewhere

This is because the planes are fighting through the strongest headwinds in more than 10 years, the report states. Parent company United Airlines has decided to use smaller jets for their Transatlantic flights, which usually pays off in light winds and helps the company save money on fuel and crew costs. But when the winds pick up as they have lately, it leads to unexpected stops to refuel the planes.

So, in other words, the stops are adding operating costs anyway, and the passengers are forced to deal with delays.

This can actually be a good thing for airports along the East Coast of North America that have seen a decline in landings recently. For example, the Wall Street Journal states that Gander and Goose Bay, both airports in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador, could see tens of thousands of dollars in unexpected revenues from these refuelings every month. Since these airports took a hit when airlines started using bigger planes with enough fuel to shoot past their hubs and continue further west, the return of business for refuelings is welcomed.

Flights from Europe to Philadelphia, Pa., Washington, D.C. and Newark, N.J. have all been affected since December, and U.S. Airways and Continental Airlines have been included in the wind issues, according to the report.”