TIME TRAVEL IS REAL! (Sort Of…)
Cathay Pacific Flight 880 took off from Hong Kong in 2025 and landed in Los Angeles in 2024, effectively ‘traveling back in time’ due to its crossing of the international date line.
Image Credit : Ignite (Threads)
Imagine ringing in the new year twice – sounds like a party, right? That’s exactly what happened for passengers on Cathay Pacific Flight 880, which took off from Hong Kong in 2025 and landed in Los Angeles in 2024. But before you start thinking about the possibilities of time travel, let’s break it down.
This phenomenon isn’t exactly quantum physics at play, but rather a clever trick of time zones and the international date line ¹. When Flight 880 crossed nine time zones and the date line, it effectively “traveled back in time.” The passengers got to experience a 14-hour flight and a second New Year’s Eve celebration – talk about getting the most out of your flight.
The international date line, established in 1884, runs through the middle of the Pacific Ocean. When you cross it from west to east, you essentially “gain a day,” while traveling from east to west makes you “lose a day.” It’s not exactly time travel, but it’s a pretty cool party trick.
Cathay Pacific Flight 880 wasn’t the only one to experience this phenomenon. Other eastbound trans-Pacific flights, like Hawaiian Airlines, Air New Zealand, and Fiji Airways, also “traveled back in time” ¹. Who knows, maybe one day we’ll have a time-traveling flight that actually takes us back to the past – but for now, we’ll just have to settle for this clever date line trick.
So, if you ever find yourself on a flight that crosses the international date line, just remember – you might just get to experience a little bit of time travel magic.
Anamika Chakravorty, Staff Reporter
