As the BBC’s Race Across The World hits its nail-biting finale in southern India, OAG* couldn’t resist joining the global dash—albeit with fewer backpacks and more boarding passes.
OAG said: “We set ourselves a challenge: race around the world as fast as possible and as cheaply as possible.”
The Ground Rules:
- No backtracking—every leg must move us forward.
- Wherever possible, a different airline for each flight—because loyalty is overrated.
- And for added spice: one race with legacy carriers, the other with low-cost airlines.
So, which gets us around the globe faster? And which lets us keep more of our cash for airport snacks? Time to find out.
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✈️ The Legacy Lap: Classy, Costly, and Clocked In at 76 Hours
Start Line: London Gatwick, heading east
First stop: Jeddah, under cover of darkness. After a brief nap (or at least an attempt), it’s on to Dubai, arriving bright and early—just in time for overpriced coffee and a terminal change.
Next up: Delhi, with Air India doing the honors. After a five-hour pit stop (ideal for mediocre samosas), it’s onto a Thai Airways overnight to Bangkok, touching down at 5:05 AM. Barely time to smell the lemongrass before dashing to a Tokyo Narita flight.
A delightful daylight cruise to Japan courtesy of JAL, followed by a connection to Honolulu via ANA. Cross the International Date Line and—voilà!—you land before you even took off. Time travel: check.
In Honolulu, after pretending it’s still yesterday, it’s onto a United Airlines flight to Los Angeles—just in time for a rushed dinner. Then a red-eye via American Airlines to JFK, and finally a morning British Airways flight back to London Heathrow. Curtain closes at 19:45 Friday night.
Scorecard:
- ⏱ Duration: 76 hours
- 💰 Fare: £3,200
- 🧘♂️ Comfort level: Acceptable (just don’t think about seat 42C too much)
🧳 The Low-Cost Lap: Cheaper, Slower, and Heavy on Layovers
Also departing from London Gatwick, this journey begins with a Wizz Air hop to Jeddah, followed by a long overnight lounge-loitering session.
FlyNAS carries us to Dubai, and after another generous layover, IndiGo picks us up for a red-eye to Delhi, arriving in the bleary early hours. Seven more hours of quality time with the airport floor before continuing to Bangkok.
A slightly more civilized 15:55 arrival gives us some breathing room before an overnight ride to Tokyo Narita with ZipAir. There’s no rush—five more hours of downtime before hopping on the same airline to Honolulu. Still weird to land before you left, but at this point, time has lost all meaning.
From Honolulu, it’s a daylight jaunt with Southwest to Los Angeles—but at 23:25, so expect another impromptu overnight airport stay. JetBlue takes us to JFK, and with some terminal gymnastics, we just make it onto the Norse flight to London Gatwick, landing at 06:20 AM.
Scorecard:
- ⏱ Duration: 110 hours
- 💰 Fare: £1,800
- 💤 Sleep: Optional, but mostly in upright positions
- 😬 Energy: Low, like your phone battery at hour 80
🏁 And the Winner of Race Across The World is ….
Legacy airlines fly circles around their low-cost counterparts in speed, getting us around the globe in 76 hours. But low-cost wins the price war, saving a tidy £1,400—at the expense of 34 extra hours, a few questionable naps, and your will to live.
In the end, both get the job done. But unless you’re into collecting passport stamps and spinal cramps, maybe take the scenic route next time.
