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The Pacific Ocean which happens to be the largest and deepest of Earth’s five oceanic divisions and extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, and is bounded by the continents of Asia and Australia in the west and the Americas in the east seems to be a bit uncomfortable for pilots.
According to HPL magazine, commercial airlines avoid flying directly over the Pacific Ocean, instead opting for “curved” routes that hug land masses. Aeroplanes don’t fly over the Pacific Ocean because curved routes are shorter than straight routes. Flat maps are confusing because the Earth isn’t flat. As a result, straight routes don’t offer the shortest length between two points. Commercial airlines fly a northern curved route that goes over Canada and Alaska for emergency landings if needed. There is no place to land on the ocean.
Radar services are almost non-existent in the Pacific Ocean. So there is no mode with which the pilot can communicate with the ground. To fly at a safe distance, aeroplanes have to land in the lower part of the stratosphere where air turbulence is strong and oxygen level is low. This makes the manoeuvring of the aircraft more difficult. Flying through a storm is usually not something a pilot will choose to do.
Jet streams are occurring around the earth, flowing from West to East due to the earth’s rotation. Flying into the jet stream slows the plane down significantly.
