MODO AVIÓN

Buenos Aires to Los Angeles flight path

EZE → LAXEZELAX
The shortest path on the sphere. On a flat map it looks curved; on the globe it is a straight line.

Along the shortest route, the flight from Buenos Aires to Los Angeles covers 6,130 miles (9,860 km) — about 11 h 50 min with no wind. It passes over or close to Argentina, Chile, Mexico and the United States. It crosses the Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of California: 75% of the route is over water. Today you leave on UTC−3 and land on UTC−7.

Get Modo Avión for Android Share this route

From Ezeiza International Airport - Ministro Pistarini (EZE) to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) · EZE · LAX

EZEBuenos Aires
LAXLos Angeles
Great-circle distance
9,860 km
Duration, no wind
11 h 50 min
Over water
75 %
Time difference today
−4 h

The route drawn is the theoretical one — the shortest path on the sphere. The real aircraft follows airways, avoids storms and closed airspace, and rides the wind: it can be hundreds of kilometres off.

What countries do you fly over from Buenos Aires to Los Angeles?

  • Argentina
  • Chile
  • Mexico
  • United States
  • Pacific Ocean
  • Gulf of California

Which side of the plane to sit on to see Ojos del Salado

To see Ojos del Salado (6,880 m), sit on the left: it lies about 108 km from the route, ≈ 1 h 45 min into the flight.

Left window
  • Ojos del Salado (6,880 m) ≈ 1 h 45 min
  • Antofagasta ≈ 2 h 10 min
  • Picacho del Diablo (3,069 m) ≈ 11 h 05 min
  • Ensenada ≈ 11 h 15 min
  • Tijuana ≈ 11 h 20 min
  • San Diego ≈ 11 h 25 min
Right window
  • Rosario ≈ 35 min
  • Santa Fe ≈ 40 min
  • Llullaillaco (6,739 m) ≈ 1 h 55 min
  • Colima (4,330 m) ≈ 9 h 05 min
  • Tepic ≈ 9 h 25 min
  • Mazatlán ≈ 9 h 40 min
  • Culiacán ≈ 9 h 55 min
  • Mexicali ≈ 11 h 15 min
  • San Gorgonio Mountain (3,505 m) ≈ 11 h 30 min

Left and right facing forward, on the theoretical route. Times are from take-off, with no wind.

Leg by leg

2 h4 h6 h8 h10 hUTC−5UTC−6UTC−7UTC−3Pacific OceanPacific OceanPampasAndesAtacama DesertOjos del Salado 6,880 m 108 kmLlullaillaco 6,739 m 66 kmColima 4,330 m 33 kmSan Gorgonio Mountain 3,505 m 116 kmPicacho del Diablo 3,069 m 27 kmTijuana 20 kmSan Diego 14 kmMexicali 94 kmCuliacán 101 kmEnsenada 42 kmAntofagasta 0 kmMazatlán 65 kmEZELAX▲ Left window▼ Right window◀ Left windowRight window ▶2 h4 h6 h8 h10 hUTC−5UTC−6UTC−7Pacific OceanPacific OceanPampasAndesAtacama DesertOjos del Salado6,880 m · 108 kmAntofagasta0 km off routePicacho del Diablo3,069 m · 27 kmEnsenada42 km off routeRosario12 km off routeSanta Fe108 km off routeLlullaillaco6,739 m · 66 kmColima4,330 m · 33 kmTepic66 km off routeMazatlán65 km off routeCuliacán101 km off routeMexicali94 km off routeSan Gorgonio Mountain3,505 m · 116 kmEZELAXUTC−3

LandWaterCity, with its distance from the routePeakClock change

See the full list, leg by leg
  1. Take-off from Ezeiza International Airport - Ministro Pistarini
  2. Below: Pampas0 km · ≈ 15 min into the flight
  3. Rosario, Argentina — on the right, 12 km away285 km · ≈ 35 min into the flight
  4. Santa Fe, Argentina — on the right, 108 km away392 km · ≈ 40 min into the flight
  5. Below: Andes986 km · ≈ 1 h 25 min into the flight
  6. Ojos del Salado, 6,880 m — on the left, 108 km away1,280 km · ≈ 1 h 45 min into the flight
  7. Below: Altiplano1,280 km · ≈ 1 h 45 min into the flight
  8. Below: Atacama Desert1,450 km · ≈ 1 h 55 min into the flight
  9. Llullaillaco, 6,739 m — on the right, 66 km away1,480 km · ≈ 1 h 55 min into the flight
  10. Antofagasta, Chile — on the left, 0 km away1,690 km · ≈ 2 h 10 min into the flight
  11. Pacific Ocean — 5,820 km without land1,710 km · ≈ 2 h 15 min into the flight
  12. Local time below changes: UTC−3 to UTC−52,240 km · ≈ 2 h 50 min into the flight
  13. Local time below changes: UTC−5 to UTC−67,490 km · ≈ 8 h 50 min into the flight
  14. Below: Sierra Madre del Sur7,530 km · ≈ 8 h 55 min into the flight
  15. Land again7,530 km · ≈ 8 h 55 min into the flight
  16. Colima, 4,330 m — on the right, 33 km away7,700 km · ≈ 9 h 05 min into the flight
  17. Below: Sierra Madre Occidental7,920 km · ≈ 9 h 20 min into the flight
  18. Local time below changes: UTC−6 to UTC−77,920 km · ≈ 9 h 20 min into the flight
  19. Tepic, Mexico — on the right, 66 km away7,950 km · ≈ 9 h 25 min into the flight
  20. Pacific Ocean and Gulf of California — 1,410 km without land7,950 km · ≈ 9 h 25 min into the flight
  21. Mazatlán, Mexico — on the right, 65 km away8,190 km · ≈ 9 h 40 min into the flight
  22. Culiacán, Mexico — on the right, 101 km away8,390 km · ≈ 9 h 55 min into the flight
  23. Below: Sonoran Desert9,370 km · ≈ 11 h 00 min into the flight
  24. Land again9,370 km · ≈ 11 h 00 min into the flight
  25. Picacho del Diablo, 3,069 m — on the left, 27 km away9,430 km · ≈ 11 h 05 min into the flight
  26. Below: Baja California Peninsula9,500 km · ≈ 11 h 10 min into the flight
  27. Mexicali, Mexico — on the right, 94 km away9,560 km · ≈ 11 h 15 min into the flight
  28. Ensenada, Mexico — on the left, 42 km away9,580 km · ≈ 11 h 15 min into the flight
  29. Tijuana, Mexico — on the left, 20 km away9,660 km · ≈ 11 h 20 min into the flight
  30. San Diego, United States — on the left, 14 km away9,680 km · ≈ 11 h 25 min into the flight
  31. San Gorgonio Mountain, 3,505 m — on the right, 116 km away9,770 km · ≈ 11 h 30 min into the flight
  32. Landing at Los Angeles International Airport9,860 km · ≈ 11 h 35 min into the flight

Times assume a typical jet speed, no wind and an on-time departure. Good for orientation, not for your watch.

Which side the sun, sunrise or sunset will be on

Enter the day and take-off time. Your phone does the maths: the sun's position on every leg of the route, relative to the nose of the aircraft.

Take-offLanding

Sky: light is daytime, amber is sunrise or sunset, dark is night. Left and Right show which side the sun is on for each leg.

Follow the route offline in airplane mode

All of this on board and with no signal: with your phone in airplane mode, Modo Avión shows where you are, what's below and how long is left. GPS still works, because it only listens to satellites.

Get Modo Avión for Android

Free · no account · no ads · 28.4 MB · Android 8 or newer

How to install it (Spanish)

Arriving in Los Angeles

Los Angeles
Los Angeles · Photo: Alek Leckszas · CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Flight time and distance

About 11 h 50 min with no wind, including half an hour of taxi, climb and descent. On a long flight the wind aloft can change that by more than an hour, differently each way.

6,130 miles (9,860 km, 5,320 nautical miles) along the great circle. The real flight covers a little more because it follows airways.

Time zones you cross

kmTimeZone
0 kmUTC−3Buenos Aires
2,240 kmUTC−5Lima
7,490 kmUTC−6Mexico City
7,920 kmUTC−7Mazatlan

Airspace (FIRs) along the route

Each is a control region: when the aircraft crosses the boundary, the centre talking to the pilot changes. Boundaries are approximate, from the VATSIM data set, not the official ICAO chart.

  • Ezeiza
  • Cordoba
  • Antofagasta
  • Lima
  • Guayaquil
  • Cenamer
  • Mexico
  • Los Angeles

FAQ

Where does the plane fly from Buenos Aires to Los Angeles?

Along the shortest route, the flight from Buenos Aires to Los Angeles covers 6,130 miles (9,860 km) — about 11 h 50 min with no wind. It passes over or close to Argentina, Chile, Mexico and the United States. It crosses the Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of California: 75% of the route is over water. Today you leave on UTC−3 and land on UTC−7.

What countries do you fly over from Buenos Aires to Los Angeles?

It passes over or close to Argentina, Chile, Mexico and the United States, and crosses the Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of California. This is the theoretical route: the aircraft may deviate for wind or closed airspace.

How long is the flight from Buenos Aires to Los Angeles?

About 11 h 50 min with no wind, including half an hour of taxi, climb and descent. On a long flight the wind aloft can change that by more than an hour, differently each way.

How far is Buenos Aires from Los Angeles by plane?

6,130 miles (9,860 km, 5,320 nautical miles) along the great circle. The real flight covers a little more because it follows airways.

How much of the flight is over water?

75% of the route, about 7,360 km. The longest stretch without land is 5,820 km.

Why doesn't the plane fly in a straight line on the map?

It does fly straight — on a sphere. On a flat map the shortest path looks curved; on the globe on this page it looks like what it is.

Does GPS work in airplane mode?

Yes. GPS is a receiver: it listens to satellites and transmits nothing, so it keeps working in airplane mode. What you won't have is a map unless you downloaded it; Modo Avión carries its own.

More routes

The way back: Los Angeles → Buenos Aires

Look up another route

How this was calculated

The route is the great-circle arc between both airports, split into 300 points. At each point a point-in-polygon test runs against 1,102 airspace regions, 418 time zones and 1,338 physical geography regions. Countries are those with a town within 25 km of the route: in empty areas one may be missing. Cities named have over 250,000 people and lie within 110 km.

Follow this route offline Get the app