Shortest transatlantic flight from Europe to somewhere, so that continental US can be reached by land (with possible ferry)
I am trying to find a route from Helsinki, Finland to Washington, DC, USA so that the air time is minimized, as the person travelling is afraid of an air travel. Assume, visas are not a problem.
Basically, I am looking for a shortest non-stop transatlantic flight originating in Europe and landing somewhere, from where Washington, DC can be reached by land (with possible ferry).
It seems there are 2 possible routes:
- land/ferry to Iceland, then Keflavik -> (Greenland, ferry) -> Canada -> Land to US
- Land to London, then LHR -> Canada -> Land to US
Specific subquestions:
- What is the absolute shortest flight time from KEF to any point in Canada?
- What is the absolute shortest flight time from London to any point in Canada?
- I was not able to find any regular transportation between points in Greenland and points in Canada. Did I miss something?
- What are good points of embarkation in Canada? Halifax? St John's?
Any other possible routes I missed?
I am seeking a factual basis to decide between:
- investing in air-travel phobia therapy and attempting regular HEL->JFK
- travelling via cruise liner
- travelling via freight vessel
- attempting to minimize air travel time by covering some part by land.
However, this question's scope is limited to just minimizing air travel time.
TL;DR
- The shortest flight would be either KEF->YHZ (Halifax) 4:30, seasonal
- Second shortest (but much more easy accessible from Europe) is DUB->YYT (St John's) 4:55, seasonal
and thank everyone who contributed to the whole spectrum of the answers collected
Best Answer
I would suggest to invest in a good phobia therapy; it will help in the long run.
Either with a private generalist therapist or with a specialist that , erm, specialized in air travel/flight phobia.
I know that some major airlines offer courses/therapy to help passengers get over their fears (or at least minimize them)
For example :
https://www.britishairways.com/en-gb/information/travel-assistance/flying-with-confidence
or (in french)
http://www.airfrance.fr/FR/fr/common/guidevoyageur/pratique/sante_anti_stress.htm
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What is the shortest flight from Europe to USA?
Unless I'm missing something, St John's to London is the shortest \u201ctraditional\u201d transatlantic flight, as it typically takes 4-5 hours.What is the shortest flight across the Atlantic?
The twice-weekly Air Canada service between London Heathrow and St John's, the capital of Newfoundland and Labrador, is the flight with the shortest route across the Atlantic, stretching just 2,315 miles and taking under five hours.What is the shortest international flight?
There are shorter flights -- the hop from Westray to Papa Westray in Scotland's Orkney Islands clocks in at just 90 seconds -- but the flight between the Caribbean islands of Anguilla and Sint Maarten is currently the world's shortest international commercial flight.What is the shortest flight from UK to USA?
- Four hours and 56 minutes is all it took for BA112 to make it across the Atlantic Ocean last week. ... ...
- The British Airways flight has broken the subsonic record and it was just one minute shorter than a ... ...
- The jet was propelled by strong winds from Storm Ciara.
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Answer 2
If flight time is truly of the highest consideration, then this blog details one person's travel around the world desiring the least possible flight time in doing so.
Three options are proposed, but I can't confirm whether they are still current:
Fly from Vladivostok (or Khabarovsk) to Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, then get a flight from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky to Anchorage, Alaska, with Yakutia (www.yakutia.aero), a Russian airline. It’s about a 3 hour flight and goes every Saturday from 11th July to 29th August as it’s a seasonal flight.
Travel from Vladivostok to Provideniya, the furthest airport towards the Bering Strait, from there, you can charter a plane from Bering Air, an Alaskan company.
You can walk across the Bering Strait when it is frozen solid, however, it’s about 53 miles of ice, after 800 miles of no roads
Perhaps it may be worth corresponding with the author to further investigate these options. I'm envious of someone who tries option 3!
Answer 3
St. John's seems like the best jumping-off point, as the easternmost major airport in North America. If having the shortest flight possible is really the goal, Air Canada has a flight from St. John's to London Heathrow, 5:05 eastbound, 5:50 westbound. In summer only, WestJet does St. John's to Dublin, 4:30 eastbound, 4:55 westbound. Here's information on the London flight and the Dublin flight. One can get from Dublin to mainland Europe by a combination of land and sea much more easily than one can get from Reykjavik to mainland Europe - see for example the seat61 guide to Ireland and to Iceland.
Answer 4
Occasionally (but no longer seasonally), you can cross the Atlantic with a series of flights not much longer than 3 hours:
Ottawa to Iqaluit (domestic flight Canada) is 3 hours 5 minutes.
Iqaluit (Canada) to Nuuk (Greenland). Most difficult bit. Used to operate a a scheduled service summer only in 1 hour 45 minutes, now charter only.
Nuuk (Greenland) to Keflavík (Iceland) direct, once weekly, is 3 hours 10 minutes.
Although the total adds up to more than the other alternatives, each segment is shorter than the 4½ hours for Keflavík – Halifax, and there's a lot to see on the way. It only works in summer, but ferries between Denmark and Iceland aren't advertised in the winter season either (they reportedly do operate but are unpredictable). It's going to be expensive (>$5000). Keflavík — Halifax is far cheaper and probably a better option, but I'm just putting it here as an adventurous alternative.
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
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