The Longest Commercial Flight Begins; Almost 19 Hours in the Air, Between Singapore and New York

Singapore Airlines relaunched its non-stop Singapore-New York route on 11 October, using the new Airbus A350-900ULR. The flight covers approximately 16,700 kilometres and takes up to 18 hours and 45 minutes.

That sounds like a nightmare to many  (including this writer). Just how many movies can you watch on a 13.3-inch screen before starting to go blind and how much stale air can you breathe before feeling like you’re suffocating? Which is probably why the plane has only two layouts: business and premium economy. The premium economy row measures 38 inches, 6 inches longer than the usual economy class seat on long-haul flights.

Definitely fly business class if you can.  

It was a route that Singapore Airlines had offered before—with an all-business layout—but had to cancel when fuel price increase made it no longer sustainable. Key to the reintroduction of this route is the Airbus A350-900’s fuel-efficiency, by a significant 25% compared to its predecessor (the A340-500s which flew the route previously were guzzlers) and can accommodate 6,300 gallons of fuel in its tanks, stretching its range to up to 11,100 miles. Singapore Airlines has ordered seven of this:

Source: Airbus

Higher ceilings, larger windows and jetlag-mitigating lighting are incorporated to make the flight more comfortable. The airframe, made from a carbon composite, is supposed to allow better air quality “due to optimised cabin altitude and humidity levels”, according to an earlier press release. At a point during the flight, the cabin lights transform to orange and slowly fade to dark, simulating sunset and helping passengers to sleep and adjust to time at the destination.

12 flight attendants tend to the 161 passengers in shifts and squeeze in five hours of rest in crew sleeping compartments. When on duty, they have to tend to the increasingly fidgety passengers and serve them their meals; while airplane food is notoriously high in sodium—because our taste buds are affected by the dry air and cabin pressure—Singapore Airlines worked with Canyon Ranch to create meals with heavy flavours but without over-salting.

CNN’s Richard Quest, who was onboard the inaugural flight, recorded his experience, including his very yummy-looking meal. Source. 

Singapore Airlines is known for its excellent service and decent meals. But even with that, almost 19 hours on a plane would tax the most seasoned traveller. Would you opt instead for a flight with a transit stop or reach for your drowsiest medication?