West Coast USA to Asia: Distance by Air & Sea (No Land Route)
No land route exists — Pacific Ocean separates. Distance depends entirely on mode and specific endpoints.
Air Routes (Great Circle)
| City Pair | Distance | Flight Time | Typical Route |
|---|
| LAX (Los Angeles) → NRT (Tokyo) | 8,800 km / 5,470 mi | 11–12 hr | North Pacific great circle (Aleutians) |
| SFO (San Francisco) → ICN (Seoul) | 9,100 km / 5,650 mi | 11–12 hr | North Pacific |
| SEA (Seattle) → PVG (Shanghai) | 8,700 km / 5,400 mi | 10–11 hr | North Pacific (shorter great circle) |
| LAX → HKG (Hong Kong) | 11,600 km / 7,200 mi | 15–16 hr | Transpacific (longer) |
| SFO → SIN (Singapore) | 13,500 km / 8,400 mi | 17–18 hr | Ultra-long-haul (SQ nonstop) |
Sea Routes (Commercial Shipping)
| Route | Distance | Transit Time | Notes |
|---|
| LA/LB → Shanghai / Ningbo | ~11,500 km / 6,200 nmi | 14–18 days | Main transpacific lane |
| LA/LB → Busan / Yantian | ~10,500 km / 5,700 nmi | 13–16 days | Korea / S. China |
| Seattle/Tacoma → Tokyo / Yokohama | ~8,300 km / 4,500 nmi | 10–13 days | Northern route (shorter) |
| Oakland → Singapore | ~15,500 km / 8,400 nmi | 20–25 days | Via Malacca Strait |
The Bering Strait "Shortcut"
- Narrowest point: 85 km (53 mi) — Cape Dezhnev (Russia) to Cape Prince of Wales (Alaska).
- Not navigable for commerce: Ice-covered 8+ months, shallow (<50m), no infrastructure, EEZ/territorial disputes.
- Future? Arctic shipping (NSR) may create seasonal Europe-Asia shortcut — but not US West Coast to Asia (wrong vector).
Key Variables
- Great circle vs. rhumb line: Ships follow great circle (weather/ice adjusted); planes fly great circle + winds.
- Jet stream: Westbound flights +1–2 hr (headwinds); eastbound -1 hr (tailwinds).
- ETOPS: Twin-engine diversion rules shape routes (180/207/330 min).
- Seasonal: Typhoon season (Jul–Oct) reroutes flights/ships south.
Bottom line: Fly 10–18 hrs; sail 10–25 days. The Bering Strait is a geographic curiosity, not a transport corridor.
Wanderlust World