John Levine wrote:
John Levine wrote:
I'm surprised a 737 can fly for 7 hours without refueling. What ****ty budget
airline was dishing them up for long haul? Let us know so we can avoid it.

It's the 737-700ER, with a range of 5,630 nm. That's enough to get
from London to anywhere in the continental US.

Not I suspect if you include fuel safety margins.

It depends on the wind and the loading. LHR-LAX is 4741 nm, so well within
the nominal range, but if the 737 has max payload and there's the usual
headwind, it may be insufficient.

I suppose, but since the last third of the flight is over southern
Canada and the US, there'd be plenty of places to land and refuel if
need be.

True, it wouldn't be unsafe, but if headwinds are going to add an hour to
the flight, and if the plane is fully loaded (and therefore unable to carry
max fuel), they might as well plan a tech stop.