You wouldn't think that something 93 million miles away could affect your next flight, but airlines are heeding warnings from scientists to stay away from the effects of the latest storms – solar storms, that is.

Solar activity is approaching a peak period which cycles every eleven years. During the period known as solar maximum, radiation from the sun bombards the outer layers of the earth's magnetic field. For stargazers and sky watchers in the farthest reaches of the northern and southern hemispheres, the result is a spectacular light show known as the aurora as the planet's magnetic field deflects the solar particles away from the atmosphere. For navigators in the air, the picture is not so pleasant. Charged particles that concentrate in the Polar Regions pose a threat to communication and navigation equipment that airlines rely heavily on in such remote regions.

This past week, flights that would normally take a polar route to shorten their long journeys were diverted to alternate (and longer) routes to avoid heightened radiation levels near the poles. Flights by Delta, Qantas, United and Air Canada between North America and Asia were particularly affected. How much longer did it make travel for those passengers? Diverting from the polar routes added 15-45 minutes to the average flight. Flights using the polar routes can save an additional hour of flying time, sometimes significantly more, depending on conditions.

The danger with heightened radiation levels is the interference it could cause with communication and navigation equipment. Not every plane can fly polar routes and those that do typically rely on line-of-sight satellite links for GPS navigation. This link fades away at such extreme latitudes. As an alternate, planes rely on high frequency radio communication but it is this technology that can be most affected by interference from solar storms hitting the earth. Fortunately, the newest satellite technology gives pilots the ability to communicate and navigate over long stretches of ocean, even at the Polar Regions. The first airlines to adopt the technology last summer were Continental, Cargolux and Hawaiian. More airlines are expected to upgrade their navigation equipment in the coming months and years. With the help of technology, there may soon be one type of storm that an airliner can fly through with no trouble at all.