Passengers ‘fly back in time’ on Hong Kong flight

A group of people will have the chance to raise a toast to the New Year twice thanks to crossing the International Date Line (IDL) during their flight.

The IDL is an imaginary line across the Pacific Ocean that demarcates two consecutive calendar dates.

In other words, for anyone crossing the lDL travelling East they will lose a day and for those going West, they will gain a day.

These passengers will therefore leave Hong Kong in the early hours of New Year’s day and arrive in LA on New Year’s Eve.

The IDL has no legal international status but is widely understood as the separation between Eastern and Western hemispheres.

Those aboard Cathay Pacific flight from Hong Kong will get a whole other evening of celebrations in when they touchdown in the US at about 8pm.

The National US Ocean Service said: “When you cross the date line, you become a time traveller of sorts!

“Cross to the west and it’s one day later; cross back and you’ve ‘gone back in time’.”

So for anyone looking to keep the party going this year - perhaps a time travel flight is just the ticket.

This comes as New Year’s Eve celebrations are kicking off - or have already finished - across the globe.

In London, The iconic New Year’s Eve fireworks is set to go ahead as planned at midnight despite serious concerns over the weather.

A London mayor spokesperson confirmed the event will continue with revellers already preparing for the shift into 2025.

Ticketholders for the event and the “many millions watching around the world” should be set for “a spectacular night of fireworks from the banks of the Thames to welcome in the new year,” the spokesperson added.

Source: The Sun
--Agencies