Airlines' Most Unusual Routes
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Airlines' Most Unusual Routes — Daily trivia Wednesday, September 2, 2026: questions and answers
All 10 questions with answers and explanations. Play this daily
Q 01A short flight from Samoa to American Samoa lands on which day?
- AThe day before it took off
- BThe same day
- CThe day after it took off
- DEither, depending on the season
Show answer
The day before it took off
The day before it took off: the International Date Line runs between the two Samoas, putting them a full calendar day apart, so a Monday morning departure from Apia lands in Pago Pago on Sunday morning.
Q 02Which of these US city pairs is farthest apart by air?
- AMiami to Seattle
- BNew York to Anchorage
- CBoston to Honolulu
- DAtlanta to Los Angeles
Show answer
Boston to Honolulu
Boston to Honolulu spans about 5,100 miles, farther than New York to Anchorage; it has been flown nonstop as the longest domestic route in the US, no passport needed.
Q 03Which Scottish islands are home to a two-minute scheduled flight?
- AShetland
- BOrkney
- CInner Hebrides
- DOuter Hebrides
Show answer
Orkney
Orkney's Loganair hop between Westray and Papa Westray is timetabled at about two minutes, and with a tailwind the wheels-up-to-wheels-down time has been well under a minute, long billed as the shortest scheduled flight in the world.
Q 04Which Scottish airport's runway is a beach?
- AKirkwall
- BIslay
- CStornoway
- DBarra
Show answer
Barra
Barra's three runways are marked out with poles on the cockle-shell sand of Traigh Mhor beach; they vanish under the sea at high tide, so the timetable follows the tide tables.
Q 05Which two cities launched the first scheduled airplane service in 1914?
- ASt. Petersburg and Tampa
- BLondon and Paris
- CBerlin and Weimar
- DKey West and Havana
Show answer
St. Petersburg and Tampa
St. Petersburg and Tampa: on 1 January 1914 Tony Jannus flew a Benoist flying boat 23 minutes across Tampa Bay on the first scheduled airline flight; the Florida line lasted only a few months.
Q 06Which European country counts a 9,000 km flight as domestic?
- AFrance
- BPortugal
- CUnited Kingdom
- DNetherlands
Show answer
France
France: Reunion is a full overseas department, so Paris to Saint-Denis, roughly 9,400 km, counts as domestic, a longer hop than London to Los Angeles.
Q 07Which South Atlantic island waited until 2017 for its first scheduled flights?
- ASt. Helena
- BAscension Island
- CFalkland Islands
- DTristan da Cunha
Show answer
St. Helena
St. Helena's airport was finished in 2016, but wind shear on the approach grounded the planned Boeing jets; a smaller Airlink Embraer from Johannesburg finally began weekly service in October 2017, retiring the island's Royal Mail ship.
Q 08Which airline's Pacific 'Island Hopper' carries a mechanic on every flight?
- AUnited Airlines
- BHawaiian Airlines
- CFiji Airways
- DAir New Zealand
Show answer
United Airlines
United Airlines' Island Hopper, begun by Continental's Air Micronesia in 1968, threads Guam to Honolulu through Chuuk, Pohnpei, Kosrae, Kwajalein and Majuro, islands with no maintenance crews, so a mechanic rides the whole day-long trip.
Q 09Which US airline flew Concorde subsonically between Dallas and Washington?
- APan Am
- BTWA
- CBraniff
- DAmerican
Show answer
Braniff
Braniff crews flew Air France and British Airways Concordes between Washington Dulles and Dallas in 1979-80, held below Mach 1 over land, before the jets continued supersonic to Europe.
Q 10Which airline opened the first scheduled trans-polar route, in 1954?
- APan Am
- BSAS
- CBOAC
- DKLM
Show answer
SAS
SAS opened Copenhagen to Los Angeles across Greenland and the Canadian Arctic in November 1954, refuelling its DC-6Bs at Søndre Strømfjord and Winnipeg, and added a polar Copenhagen-Tokyo route via Anchorage in 1957.
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