Singapore Airlines Announces World's Longest Flight

"ttyymmnn" (ttyymmnn) 05/31/2018 at 09:45 • Filed to: planelopnik

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But the real question is, who wants to sit in a plane for 19 hours only to end up in Newark?

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Singapore Airlines will be the first to utilize the new Airbus A350ULR, or Ultra Long Range. The flight covers just over 9,500 miles and will put current record holder Qantas, and their flight from Doha to Auckland, into second place. Seating on the A350 will be reduced from its usual 300 seats to just 161, 97 of which will be lie-flat seats. The remainder will be so-called premium economy, with larger seats and more legroom than coach. Singapore hopes the route will appeal to the business set, who will likely leave Newark quickly for NYC.

facw > ttyymmnn 05/31/2018 at 09:43

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For my money, Newark is the least bad of the NYC airports. Maybe the new LGA will be nice?

WilliamsSW > ttyymmnn 05/31/2018 at 09:43

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Well if I had to go to Newark I would prefer to delay it as long as possible.

functionoverfashion > ttyymmnn 05/31/2018 at 09:48

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It just does not work in my brain that a plane that big can carry enough fuel to fly for that long, let alone bring along a substantial payload of passengers and cargo.

Also, very cool route to fly by the way. I’d love to do that... just maybe not for 19 hours straight.

SilentButNotReallyDeadly...killed by G/O Media > ttyymmnn 05/31/2018 at 09:52

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SIA used to do this same route up to 2013 using the Airbus A340-500 but quit when fuel prices went nuts...so it’s nothing new.

someassemblyrequired > ttyymmnn 05/31/2018 at 09:53

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I don’t really understand this one other than JFK sucks to get to from Queens, let alone Manhattan or CT. As much as I hate JFK, I’d far rather have the 2 hrs on the ground in Frankfurt to stretch the legs on the current JFK-FRA-SIN routing, where flying time is similar.

Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing. > ttyymmnn 05/31/2018 at 09:55

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I’m not sure why they keep trying these ULR routes. Years ago they tried it with the A340-500, first with 186 seats and then down to just 100; I’m sure it must have been quite comfortable, but at what cost? No cargo could be carried on those flights, and we had to use special lightweight baggage containers specifically for this flight. They never could make any money despite high, Concorde-like, fares.

The silly thing was that, despite a huge 777 fleet, they never ordered the 777-200LR, perhaps the only aircraft that might have been able to do these ULR routes profitably. Saving face, perhaps?

someassemblyrequired > SilentButNotReallyDeadly...killed by G/O Media 05/31/2018 at 09:56

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Yeah it was all business class though, the premium economy seats are new.

ttyymmnn > functionoverfashion 05/31/2018 at 09:58

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Even for a wannabe cartographer like myself, those polar great circle routes are hard for many people to get their head around. We grow up in school looking at Mercator’s flattened out map of the world, and we forget that the quickest way for airplanes (and ICBMs) is often over the top. This route broke the great circle mapper I used first.

Mercator maps are great for sea captains and GPS maps, but they suck for lots of other uses.

Ash78, voting early and often > ttyymmnn 05/31/2018 at 10:00

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Lie-flat seats:

“These seats are very comfortable”

“Our movie selection is outstanding”

“Newark offers easy access to everything”

“You’re good enough, you’re smart enough, and doggone it, people like you”

ttyymmnn > Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing. 05/31/2018 at 10:00

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My guess is that they are looking at the cost as good PR. We’re talking about them, aren’t we?

Thomas Donohue > ttyymmnn 05/31/2018 at 10:21

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Bring back globes!!!

Also fun to play with:

https://thetruesize.com

Argentina dwarfs Greenland!!!

functionoverfashion > ttyymmnn 05/31/2018 at 10:31

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lol that’s a great comparison!

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > ttyymmnn 05/31/2018 at 10:38

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19 hours is a long time, even lying down.

PatBateman > ttyymmnn 05/31/2018 at 10:51

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After reviewing the route, I am now nicknaming it “The Singapolar Express”.

M.T. Blake > ttyymmnn 05/31/2018 at 11:35

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This is fake news. We all know the longest flight in the world is any with children. Ask me how I know.

BahamaTodd > functionoverfashion 05/31/2018 at 12:01

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Those arctic routes can be pretty scenic if its the clear and the right time of year. This was in April 2011. Newark to Shanghai on a United 777. About 15 hours.

ttyymmnn > M.T. Blake 05/31/2018 at 12:01

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Your own kids, or somebody else’s? We have flown with three young boys, two of which were twins and were still in car seats. So we brought our Britax seats on board and strapped them in. They were more comfortable because they were in a seat they knew, and they slept much of the way. However, lugging those big-ass seats through the airport was a chore. The trick was bringing enough toys, like this folding Matchbox airport. You can see the car seat by the window.

M.T. Blake > ttyymmnn 05/31/2018 at 12:55

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Mine stay awake. Don’t listen. Drop food everywhere. Play on the floor. Try to remove the life jackets. And my son almost beaned another passenger with a fast pitched Hot Wheels car to the head.

You’re a lucky person to have kids that fly well behaved. I’d rather be on the Singapore flight than one with my kids. The Singapore flight would be shorter!

Sampsonite24-Earth's Least Likeliest Hero > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 05/31/2018 at 15:26

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yeah i feel like they need like a few tredmills on board to get the blood flowing