The Flat Earth Map's Southern Hemisphere Advantage
On the standard flat earth map (Azimuthal Equidistant projection centred on the North Pole), the Southern Hemisphere cities are spread around the outer areas of the disc. Cities like Sydney, Johannesburg, São Paulo, and Buenos Aires are positioned relatively close to each other in the outer ring — all within 6,000-9,000 flat-map miles of each other along the outer arc, shorter than the distance routing through the Northern Hemisphere. On the globe, these cities are separated by distances that should make direct southern routes much shorter than routing through the Northern Hemisphere — but actual flight routes tell a different story.
The Sydney–Johannesburg Problem
Sydney, Australia to Johannesburg, South Africa: on a globe, these are on opposite sides of the Indian Ocean at roughly the same latitude (~34°S). A great circle route should go across the southern Indian Ocean — approximately 6,800 miles, theoretically an 8-9 hour flight. Qantas and South African Airways have operated this route — but historically with stopovers in Perth, WA, adding significant west-ward detour time. The direct routes offered are flown via Perth (almost 2,000 miles in the wrong direction on the globe) or via connecting cities in the Middle East or Asia — thousands of miles north.
Buenos Aires to Cape Town
Globe distance: approximately 4,200 miles, should be a quick southern route. Actual commercial flights route north via São Paulo + connecting through European or Middle Eastern hubs, adding thousands of miles. A direct BUE-CPT route has been commercially operated only very recently — and the flight times recorded are significantly longer than the globe geography should require.
Auckland to Santiago
New Zealand to Chile: opposite sides of the Pacific in the Southern Hemisphere. LAN Chile operates this route (1 of very few true Southern Hemisphere cross-Pacific flights). Flight time: approximately 11-12 hours. On the globe this should be approximately 5,500 miles (~6.5 hours). The extra time is attributed to jet stream routing around Antarctica — but on the flat earth, the great circle between these outer-map locations is genuinely longer.
Johannesburg to Sydney
This route has been operated only via Perth for most of its history — adding a 2,000-mile westward detour. On the globe, a direct JNB-SYD great circle path doesn't require going to Perth. On the flat earth, the efficient routing from the outer-disc African position to the outer-disc Australian position passes through or near the southern outer portions of the disc — where there are no intermediate airports. Hence the Perth stopover is the nearest hub on the actual route.
Absent Routes That Should Exist
Under globe geometry, Sydney–Santiago (direct), Johannesburg–Buenos Aires (direct), and Cape Town–Perth (direct, not via Johannesburg or Middle East) should be some of the world's most efficient routes — all at roughly equivalent Southern latitudes. None of these has sustained commercial service with the frequency their globe-distance implies they should. They only make limited commercial sense because on the flat earth, these cities are further apart along the outer arc than they appear in globe projections.
The Absence of Antarctic Overflights
On a globe, the shortest route between many city pairs in the Southern Hemisphere would traverse Antarctic airspace. For example: Sydney to Cape Town shortest globe path crosses significant Antarctic territory. No commercial route does this — the Antarctic Treaty prohibits overflight except for approved scientific or emergency operations. Even accepting this restriction, the alternate routing adds thousands of extra miles that are not explained by simple Antarctic prohibition — they are explained by the flat earth model routing correctly.