Which flight typically comes the closest to the North Pole?

The flight route that typically comes closest to the North Pole is the one from Vancouver to Hong Kong. This route often takes an arctic path that arcs far north to take advantage of the great circle route, which is the shortest distance between two points on the surface of a sphere. Flights on this path may cross near or over the Arctic regions, bringing them closer to the North Pole than other routes.

In contrast, the other listed routes generally do not approach the North Pole. The flight from Fairbanks to Seattle primarily traverses regions in Alaska and western Canada, without nearing the Arctic Circle. The Reykjavik to London flight is over the North Atlantic and southern regions of Greenland, staying significantly south of the North Pole. Lastly, the Dubai to Los Angeles route travels primarily over the middle latitudes, staying well away from polar regions.

Thus, the Vancouver to Hong Kong flight represents the route that takes advantage of higher latitudes, making it the closest to the North Pole.