Yes, airplanes are significantly faster than clouds.
Understanding the Relative Speeds
Clouds appear to move slowly from the perspective of a passenger on a plane because the plane itself is moving at a much higher speed. While clouds are not stationary and move with the wind, their speed is typically far less than that of a commercial airliner. As one reference states, clouds "are just moving very slow relative to the plane." [Reference: Sept 25, 2023, The Conversation article]
- Plane Speed: Commercial airplanes typically cruise at speeds exceeding 500 mph (800 km/h).
- Cloud Speed: Cloud movement is dictated by wind speed, which varies greatly depending on altitude and atmospheric conditions. However, even strong winds rarely reach speeds comparable to a plane's cruising speed. A Reddit thread confirms this, stating that unless the wind is moving at an exceptionally high speed (e.g., 600 mph), a cloud will not be faster than a plane. [Reference: Jun 10, 2019, Reddit r/NoStupidQuestions thread]
This difference in speed explains why clouds seem to drift slowly past an airplane's window, even when the plane is traveling at high speed. The plane's velocity is the dominant factor in the perceived motion. [Reference: Sept 15, 2017, Quora thread]
Additional Perspectives
It's important to note that "speed" in this context is relative. The speed of a cloud is relative to the ground, while the speed of a plane is relative to both the ground and the air mass it's moving through.
Furthermore, the interaction between aircraft and clouds is a complex topic, relevant to studies on contrails and their effect on climate change. [Reference: Nov 30, 2022, Imperial College London news article] However, this complexity does not negate the fundamental difference in the speeds of a plane and a cloud.
