Continental Airline Tickets

Why do trans-continental flights arc upto the poles instead of flying straight across to their destinations?

I recently returned from a trip from the US to India. I noticed that my India-bound flight arced up to northern Russia and then down towards India. Same thing on the return, returning to New York from Greenland and north eastern Canada. Why do they not just fly east-west? I have noticed the same thing on trans-Pacific flights as well (say, between Hong Kong and LA).

Public Comments

1. since the earthe is a sphere it is the shortest distance to fly like that
2. Two reasons: 1.) Approved flight paths across other countries; 2.) Shortest distance to fly.
3. The America FAA and various international equivalents currently require that international flights be no more than 90 or 120 minutes from land in case of a need to land. This is a bit of a hold-over from the days when the airplane prop and jet engines were nowhere near as reliable and powerful as they are now. That is also the same reason 3 and 4 engine jets were so common for international jets. I believe that the air travel groups and airplane manufacturers are trying to to get the certification requirements updated to allow 2-engines. HUGE weight savings = fuel savings
4. It's because it is the shortest way. http://www.airplanes.se
5. Take a globe, 2 pins and a piece of yarn and you'll see why. It is simply shorter flying across the north pole. Other reasons why are the following: 1) The earth is not a perfect ball but an ellipsoid. It is flatter on the poles, thus the way across the poles can be shorter than across the equator. 2) It is not very economical to fly against the wind so airlines try to avoid the jetstreams. 3) Airplanes have fixed routes. To the uninitiated it might look like there are no rules in the sky. However there are several "highways" the planes have to follow when they fly. It is a matter of safety. One of these highways (perhaps the busiest) goes northeast from New York to Greenland and then Europe (this is the shortest way to London,btw.).