Flights from Atlanta to Seoul are already among the longer ones operated out of Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.
The flight lasts more than 14 hours, depending on the weather and other factors. But fallout from the Russian invasion of Ukraine thousands of miles away has taken off the map the shortest preferred route available to connect the two former Olympic cities, which enjoy strong economic and social ties.
Before the war, flights between Atlanta and the South Korean capital often crossed over Russia, Canada and Alaska on a northerly "great circle" route that's shorter because of the earth's curvature. But Russian airspace is now off limits amid simmering geopolitical tensions.
