How is flight distance calculated?

This calculator uses the great-circle distance: the shortest path between two airports over the surface of the Earth, worked out from each airport's latitude and longitude with the haversine formula and an Earth radius of 3,958.8 miles.

Is the great-circle distance the same as the distance my plane flies?

No. Aircraft follow air routes, avoid weather and closed airspace, and use jet streams, so the distance flown is usually a little longer. Airline loyalty programmes that price by distance use great-circle figures like these.

Which award programmes price reward flights by distance?

Qantas prices Classic Flight Rewards in 10 distance zones, and Aeroplan uses distance bands for each pair of zones. British Airways prices reward flights by route, so its price does not come from the distance.

How do I calculate a trip with a connection?

Enter up to six airports in order, for example LHR-JFK-LAX. The calculator shows each segment and the total. Qantas and Aeroplan price a connecting trip by the total distance flown, so the trip price can be different from the sum of the segments.

Calculators · Great circle mapper

Flight distance calculator and great circle mapper

Enter 2 to 6 airport codes to get the great-circle flight distance in miles and kilometres for each segment and the whole trip, a map of the route and what distance-based award programmes charge. For example, London Heathrow to New York JFK is 3,442 miles (5,539 km).

Calculate a route's distance

LHR → SYD

10,576 miles (17,020 km)

Segment	Airports	Miles	Kilometres
LHR → SYD	London Heathrow to Sydney Kingsford Smith	10,576	17,020

Search award seats from LHR to SYD

Award price by distance

One-way reward prices from the published charts Award Travel Finder holds, shown only where a programme's rules apply to the route. Qantas zone prices are for flights operated by Qantas, so they show only for segments to or from Australia or New Zealand; partner airline rewards cost more. Aeroplan bands apply when one end is in North America and we know the other end's zone. British Airways prices by route from London Heathrow, not by distance, so it shows only for Heathrow segments in its route table and never for a whole connecting trip.

LHR → SYD (10,576 miles)

Programme	Economy	Business	Rule
British Airways Avios	55,000	159,500	Avios. Priced by route from London Heathrow, not by distance. Off-peak, one way.
Qantas Frequent Flyer	63,500	166,300	Qantas Points. Zone 10 (9,601–15,000 miles). One way, for flights operated by Qantas. Partner airline rewards cost more.

Flight distances for popular routes

Route	Cities	Miles	Kilometres
LHR → JFK	London to New York	3,442	5,539
LHR → DXB	London to Dubai	3,416	5,498
LHR → SIN	London to Singapore	6,762	10,882
LHR → LAX	London to Los Angeles	5,443	8,760
LHR → HKG	London to Hong Kong	5,985	9,632
LHR → SYD	London to Sydney	10,576	17,020
LHR → DOH	London to Doha	3,257	5,242
LHR → BOS	London to Boston	3,256	5,240
LHR → SFO	London to San Francisco	5,354	8,616
LHR → NRT	London to Tokyo	5,960	9,592
LHR → MIA	London to Miami	4,417	7,108
LHR → YYZ	London to Toronto	3,546	5,707
SYD → LAX	Sydney to Los Angeles	7,494	12,060
SYD → LHR	Sydney to London	10,576	17,020
JFK → LAX	New York to Los Angeles	2,470	3,975
JFK → CDG	New York to Paris	3,625	5,834
DXB → SYD	Dubai to Sydney	7,484	12,044
SIN → SYD	Singapore to Sydney	3,911	6,294
LAX → NRT	Los Angeles to Tokyo	5,439	8,753
MAD → JFK	Madrid to New York	3,580	5,761

Great-circle distance, one way.

How great-circle distance works

The Earth is close to a sphere, so the shortest path between two airports is an arc of a great circle: a circle with the same centre as the Earth. On a flat map this arc looks curved, which is why a flight from London to Los Angeles goes over Greenland.

The calculator takes the latitude and longitude of each airport and uses the haversine formula to find the great-circle distance in statute miles. It converts miles to kilometres at 1.609344 km per mile. For a trip with connections, it adds the distance of each segment.

Airlines that price reward flights by distance use these great-circle figures, not the distance the aircraft actually flies. A connection that is out of the way can push a trip into a higher distance band.

Questions about flight distance

How is flight distance calculated?: This calculator uses the great-circle distance: the shortest path between two airports over the surface of the Earth, worked out from each airport's latitude and longitude with the haversine formula and an Earth radius of 3,958.8 miles.
Is the great-circle distance the same as the distance my plane flies?: No. Aircraft follow air routes, avoid weather and closed airspace, and use jet streams, so the distance flown is usually a little longer. Airline loyalty programmes that price by distance use great-circle figures like these.
Which award programmes price reward flights by distance?: Qantas prices Classic Flight Rewards in 10 distance zones, and Aeroplan uses distance bands for each pair of zones. British Airways prices reward flights by route, so its price does not come from the distance.
How do I calculate a trip with a connection?: Enter up to six airports in order, for example LHR-JFK-LAX. The calculator shows each segment and the total. Qantas and Aeroplan price a connecting trip by the total distance flown, so the trip price can be different from the sum of the segments.