All oceanic flights include diversions

Question: I will be going on a trans-Atlantic flight, and I am a little nervous. I was wondering if there are places to land in case of emergency.

– Jeanne H., Philadelphia

Answer: Yes, all oceanic flights include diversion alternates. For transAtlantic flights, these include Iceland, Canada, Greenland and sometimes the Azores. A flight is usually less than three hours away from an airport on any trans-Atlantic route.

Q: When flying from Chicago to London, how long are you actually over water?

– Karen Dunholter

A: Usually the over-ocean part of the flight, known as “coasting out,” is near Gander, Newfoundland, Canada. The “coast in” is the Irish coastline. Of the 3,435 nautical miles between Chicago and London, about 1,700 nautical miles is over the Atlantic.

Q: Would it be possible to fly and land a Boeing 787 across the ocean on one engine if it was necessary?

– Michael, Wichita, Kansas

A: Yes a 787, or any other twin-engine airplane certified for extended range flight, is capable of flying to its destination or to an alternate airport should an engine fail. Modern jets, such as the 787, may be more than three hours from an airport, but the engines have proven themselves to be so reliable that it is safe. Flying with an inoperative engine is a skill pilots practice frequently in simulator training sessions.

Do you have a question about air travel? Send it to travel@usatoday.com.

John Cox is a retired airline captain with US Airways and runs his own aviation safety consulting company, Safety Operating Systems.