The blistering speed was reached while at 10,700 meters above Pennsylvania. The Boeing 787 aircraft was given a boost by a furious jet stream, the high-altitude air current along which storms travel, Fox News reported.
“Never ever seen this kind of tailwind in my life as a commercial pilot,” tweeted Peter James, a jet captain.
Monday’s record was above the speed of sound which is 1234km/h - however, whether air travel breaks the sound barrier is dependent on its airspeed, not ground speed. Commercial aircraft are not designed to fly at supersonic speeds.
The Virgin Atlantic flight arrived in London 48 minutes early. The Boeing 787 airliner has reached top speeds of 1248km/h before and has a cruising speed of around 903km/h.
Several other high speeds were recorded in the United States on Monday. A flight from Los Angeles to New York City hit 1091km/h at 11.9km, over Ohio, while a 737 aircraft en route from Chicago to New York passed 1126km/h on Tuesday morning.
The jet stream was so strong, flight times from Dallas to Boston dipped below three hours.