Private jets soar at higher altitudes than commercial airliners for many reasons that you may have never considered. Here are the interesting reasons why.
Airplanes cruise at altitudes of several thousand feet above the ground for most parts of their journeys. If the sole purpose were to avoid buildings, airplanes wouldn’t need to fly above 3,000 feet — even the Burj Khalifa could be avoided at that height. However, commercial airliners typically cruise at around 35,000 feet, and private jets can go even higher up to 51,000 feet.
The high cruising altitude for planes isn’t meant for avoiding obstacles on the way but an optimal way to minimize fuel consumption for the entire flight. If you’ve been on a mountain trek, you would have realized the air starts thinning as you climb. As air is denser closer to the ground, airplanes burn significantly more fuel while flying low. To enjoy reduced drag and subsequently reduced fuel consumption, airplanes cruise at thousands of feet above sea level.
However, if flying high has such crucial benefits, why don’t commercial airliners fly as high as private jets? Additionally, do private jets fly higher just for better fuel economy, or is there more to the story?Differences in aircraft design
A commercial airliner is designed to carry passengers, their baggage, and necessary fuel efficiently from point A to B. For this, commercial airliners are designed to carry more payload but have a lower power-to-weight ratio when compared to a private jet. This comparatively lower power-to-weight ratio limits how quickly airliners can climb, with most airliners having a ceiling height of around 41,000 to 43,000 feet.
