UA857 distance and great-circle path
UA857 covers 9,877 km, or 6,137 miles. That makes it an ultra-long-haul flight, near the limit of what most twinjets can fly non-stop. Of the 255 routes we track, it ranks 61 by distance.
The plane leaves San Francisco heading north-west. On the map above, the line looks curved. That is normal. The shortest path over a round planet never looks straight on a flat screen. Our guide explains how the SFO–PVG route appears on a tracker map.
Why UA857 block time differs from cruise time
The schedule allows 12.5 hours from gate to gate. That works out to about 790 km/h. A Boeing 777-300ER cruises faster than that. The gap is taxi time, climbing, descending and holding.
Flying west, this route pushes against the wind. The trip back east is usually shorter, even though the distance is the same. See why long flights take odd-looking routes.
Can the Boeing 777-300ER comfortably fly UA857?
Not really. It uses about 72% of the Boeing 777-300ER's range. That leaves room for a full load of passengers and bags. The full numbers are on our aircraft page for the Boeing 777-300ER.
What to know about UA857
- Time change: you land 15 hours ahead of the time you left. That is enough to cause jet lag. Here is how pilots handle it.
- Crosses the date line: the calendar date changes while you are in the air.