it never really made sense to me how you could travel the same distance in less time if the airplane isn’t going any faster. how is the time reduced?
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> …if the airplane isn’t going any faster.
Sometimes the plane **is** going faster. Others have mentioned wind speed, but something to consider is that airliners aren’t always going maximum speed at all times. Fuel is a big cost for airlines so an important aspect when flying is to consider doing so as efficiently as possible. Pilots will tend to cruise along at the most efficient speed for the aircraft to save money, but they *can* go faster if circumstances demand it.
An example might be if speeding up would better fit the schedule of the airline such as by allowing a connection to be made, or to fill in for a different aircraft with problems. The extra fuel spent would be made up for by avoiding a delay or cancellation of another flight, so the pilots just throttle up and go a bit faster that normal.
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