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You can fly from California to Russia and back in less than 10.5 hours today, it's not that far from Alaska.

The difference is they were flying the long way, across the Atlantic, not the short way over the Bering Sea.

Here's the direct route:

http://www.gcmap.com/mapui?P=BAB-MMK

According to the article they passed south of Greenland, so they took a somewhat longer path. I assume that's because it helped them reach the tankers, or kept them within range of emergency landing spots or potential rescue forces.

Heck if you stand in just the right place, I've heard you can even see Russia from Alaska.

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