2 years earlier, I reached experience the globe’s longest trip, Singapore Airlines’ route between Singapore and New York. It was a large product to go across off my AvGeek order of business and the experience itself was a blast Ever since I have actually been questioning just how I can ever before top that trip. Ultimately, there was only one means: flying the route in the opposite direction (which has a longer average time up) and in even more style. After biding my time for a while and getting a fortunate reservation, I got the opportunity.
When I flew from Singapore to New York City in 2023, a rigid tailwind helped us make great time: under 17 hours aloft. Flying the return course to Singapore would be a full 2 hours much longer. Even for an AvGeek, the idea of over 19 hours onboard a single flight was daunting. I was truthfully worried that partway via this marathon of a trip, the magic would certainly diminish and I would certainly get tired.
Well, I was completely wrong regarding that. It was a LONG flight to ensure. But between the comfortable seat, stunning sights, large selection of home entertainment options, and signature Singapore solution, it was a blast from start to finish. I also got to learn about the distinct attributes that make these ultra-long-haul services bearable (and also enjoyable!) for guests onboard.
Keep reading for the complete scoop on this distinctive route. We really hope the walkthrough will certainly help you determine whether a trip this long deserves your time.
Prior to I start, proclaim to a special story from the AirlineReporter archives. Back in 2013 David Parker Brown flew the previous version of the Singapore-NYC route, ran at that time by a Jet A 340 – 500 If you’re seeking a historic comparison (or maybe simply for a little AvGeek nostalgia) take a look at that timeless story.
On the ground at New York JFK
Singapore Airlines presently runs out of Terminal 4 at JFK. The airline company does not operate its own lounge here. Biz course and various other certifying guests might utilize the PrimeClass contract lounge, the Air India Lounge, or request a $ 50 dish voucher. There’s additionally an AMEX Centurion Lounge and Chase Sapphire Lounge in the exact same terminal for anybody with the ideal charge card benefits.
For long-haul flights, I’m made use of to boarding around an hour before departure time. Yet since Singapore’s A 350 – 900 ULRs remain in a low-density arrangement, boarding began just 30 minutes pre-departure. Individuals still aligned very early to board, which was funny given that they will be constrained to the cabin for almost a full day.
From the outside, the airplane resembled a routine A 350, yet on the within she was an entirely various animal. We’ll tell you why.
An one-of-a-kind subfleet
Singapore runs a super-specialized subfleet of just nine A 350 – 900 ULRs. The last three letters mean ultra-long variety. With its modified gas system the ULR uses a crazy range of as much as 9, 700 nautical miles and capability to manage 20 nonstop hours of trip.
An additional crucial difference in between Singapore’s ULRs and its non-ULR counterparts is the cabin design. Singapore really did not even trouble consisting of a cheap airfare cabin on its ULRs. That was to reduce weight, however likewise since most individuals wouldn’t intend to spend 18 + hours in an economy seat. There are 2 substantial business course cabins inhabiting the front two-thirds of the plane, using an outstanding 67 complete seats. In the back third of the aircraft there’s a costs economic situation cabin with 94 seats in a 2 – 4 – 2 setup. In total, the plane carries just 161 travelers, compared with 253 – 303 guests on the different arrangements of Singapore’s non-ULR A 350 – 900 s.
Fulfill the seat
After tipping onboard, I headed into the forward company course cabin and analyzed my home for the next 20 hours. The seat coincides as on Singapore’s requirement A 350 s. It’s an appealing style, with great deals of purple and gold accents.
The cabin layout is 1 – 2 – 1 across. Seats in the center have a moving privacy divider in between them.
I had actually chosen a window seat on the left side.
The seat itself was remarkably large. The side of the seat enclosure obstructed one of my windows, however I had a great sight with the various other one.
Singapore does not offer a suite style item in organization course (yet) yet the divider panels in between seats still do use some personal privacy.
The console close to the seat came stocked with a facility package, food selection, and a few other goodies.
Beside each headrest was a reading light, power electrical outlet, and small storage space location.
At the front of each seat area there was a big screen, a little ledge for holding a beverage, and an additional little storage space area with a door.
As I obtained resolved in the purser dropped by to present himself. I was then supplied a choice of drinks, though the pre-departure solution was limited to water and juice.
It was a late-night departure. The NYC location was shimmering in the evening and my eyes stayed glued to the window for the whole climb along the length of Long Island.
On a side note, I had actually expected the globe’s lengthiest trip to have an insane lengthy launch roll. Yet we took off hardly midway into the 12, 079 -foot runway 22 R– and with only a nine-knot headwind. Respectable efficiency for an airplane presumably tanked up to the border with gas.
Service gets started
After departure the crew came around with nuts and a beverage to trend us over while they prepped the dinner solution.
This was the food selection for the preliminary dish:
Singapore’s Book the Cook alternative allows you pre-select an entree prior to the flight.
Below’s a check out the red wine checklist for the flight:
And right here are some of the other drinks they offered:
Singapore runs some amazing providing partnerships for its long-haul trips. One is with AeroFarms, an indoor vertical farming business. The salad we began with included their environment-friendlies.
The sea bass meal was best.
And a mango + passion fruit berry cremeux rounded out a terrific dish.
Customarily, the Singapore Airlines flight attendants were brightened, positive, and made the effort look very easy.
Settling in for the LONG haul
Singapore does inflight features a bit differently than most other airlines do. Instead of a greatly stocked facility package for every guest, they use specific products in the lavatories.
The business class cabin had four bathrooms. Four lavs in between 67 passengers is a quite tight proportion. There were times near to nourishments and landing where there went to the very least a short line for them.
For this flight they did additionally supply a light amenity set at each seat, with just a couple of things, along with some socks + slippers + eye masks.
Singapore’s A 350 seats go fully level, but not in the common way. Rather than the seat squashing out right into a bed under a guest’s control, the whole seat turns onward to open up the bed. That process requires a steward’s involvement.
It’s a polarizing layout option. On one hand, you do not have as much adaptability to go into and exit fully-flat mode. On the other hand, Singapore’s style provides a firm helpful material for seat setting yet a different softer bed surface in rest mode. I certainly valued the distinction.
In this seat design the footwell in bed setting is off sideways and a little bit cramped, though at torso degree the bed is way wider than standard.
Thanks to the A 350’s cabin style, and also due to the fact that I was sitting in the forward-most cabin, it was an unusually peaceful ride. Phone sound meters might not be one of the most exact, however I was satisfied that mine gauged the ambient noise degree at 77 decibels. That’s substantially quieter than several various other aircraft kinds.
In between the soft surface area, outstanding bed linen, and peaceful adventure, I got some incredible rest on this flight.
Normally I attempt to rest the bare minimum called for when I get on a treat-myself fancy trip. However with an almost 19 -hour trip time I really did not stint rest. I awakened as we were crossing right into Turkey. It was 10 complete hours after departure … and we were barely halfway through the flight. Crazy!
While I was sleeping the sunlight had come up outside.
Just as I was wondering what to do with all the staying flight time, the staff began a midflight meal service.
I’ll admit the food selection option felt a bit odd. It was a dish being served at around 9 AM in New york city time. I would certainly have believed most travelers would be craving breakfast. Yet the recipes were more like a second supper. However, it’s unfair to be too Western-centric in my assumptions concerning meals considering that US-style eggy and sweet breakfasts aren’t the standard in the majority of locations.
What mattered most was that it was another extremely delicious dish. And also very easy on the eyes, with wonderful presentation and plating. My main dish (Moroccan smoked lamb chops) was another culinary collaboration, this moment with The golden state’s Golden Door health club and wellness resort.
I took my time consuming (I suggest, what else was I going to do?) and by the time treat rolled around the sun was starting to establish. That noted the second nighttime I experienced throughout this flight. Because of the flight size and the moment zone difference, this flight lands 2 (!!) days after it takes off.
Killing time
Having actually consumed and slept to my heart’s material, I transformed some interest to the amusement system. The display size was impressive. Strangely, it wasn’t a touch screen. But you could at the very least attach your phone to the system to utilize it as a remote, in addition to the wired physical remote alongside the seat.
The earphones they supplied were pretty good, though the quiet cabin also indicated there was less background nose to block as a whole.
There was endless free of charge Wi-Fi, which was a significant plus.
The speeds were sensibly helpful for inflight net, though the coverage removed a couple of times over the course of the long path.
Generally, Singapore uses a wonderful amusement system and web content collection. There were just 2 IFE downsides. One was that there were a lot of advertisements. The various other was that there weren’t any kind of outside cam views. On the AvGeek bright side, the moving map was superb: both high-res and interactive. Looking at the map mid-flight and discovering all the nations we would certainly flown over, it actually sank in exactly how insanely long this flight was.
Singapore’s A 350 s supply a few of the most classy cabin illumination I have actually ever seen. The seat itself had several lights you might control to get exactly the vibe you wanted.
Unsurprisingly, the staff maintained the cabin dark for the majority of the trip to permit people to rest as much as they wanted.
Unfortunately, that suggested that I couldn’t truly watch out of the window a lot– at the very least not without swamping the cabin with a lots of light and waking individuals up.
It wasn’t an issue though, due to the fact that I had lots of material on the IFE system to remain delighted. I additionally passed the time with some coffee and a pre-arrival bowl of noodles.
For the second fifty percent of the flight the crew participants primarily maintained to the galleys yet were receptive when I needed them.
Even the world’s longest flight eventually ends
It was virtually a shock when the team announced we will start our descent. I benefited from the heads-up-display option on the inflight map as we made our technique.
We obtained a consider the common expanse of waiting ships during the final descent right into Changi.
Right here’s a window-seat view of the descent and landing:
And with that said, our marathon of a flight concerned an end.
Evaluating the world’s longest flight
To begin, this flight would certainly have deserved it for the uniqueness aspect alone. I mean seriously, just have a look at just how much ground we covered:
So from an AvGeek point of view this trip is well worth it. Yet if you’re considering whether to go down some major cash/miles/points on this flight you most likely appreciate more than just the route size. The guest experience issues. So exactly how does Singapore objectively get on there? Well, it’s an uphill struggle to keep travelers delighted on a flight this lengthy. Yet I have to state Singapore Airlines did a fantastic task with this ultra-long-haul solution.
The positives:
— Singapore is understood for providing several of the best service in the sky. My trip’s team was on their A-game and they were the single most favorable component of the experience.
— In terms of the basic dimensions the seat is kindly spacious.
— The inflight dining was remarkable, both in regards to flavor and presentation. The special provider partnerships (like AeroFarms for the salads or the Golden Door meal) were an enjoyable spin. Singapore’s superb red wine and coffee checklist should have particular appreciation.
— The IFE screen was large, and the collection of web content was exceptional.
— The A 350 is a wonderful system for this ultra-long-haul service, compared to the noisier fuel-guzzling A 340 – 500 that made use of to operate the NYC-SIN course. The fairly peaceful cabin quantity, soothing lighting, and boosted humidity and pressurization are particularly practical on ultra-long-haul flights.
If I had to indicate a few small downsides:
— Singapore’s long-haul biz course seats are dropping further and better behind the reducing side. At least the airline is aware of this, and recently they dropped hints regarding a significant upcoming seat redesign. With their next generation of seats, I wouldn’t be stunned if Singapore joints the suite elite.
— Not having the capability to take the seat between upright and fully-flat modes was unpleasant.
— Like the food was, it was weird to not have a morning meal alternative for a full-day trip.
— The reduced lavatory-to-passenger ratio implied sometimes needing to wait. A minor aggravation, yet a nuisance nonetheless.
— What does an AvGeek have to do to get external cam views around below??
As constantly, if any one of you have tried this flight out yourself (or aspire to!) and have thoughts, share them in the remarks section listed below.
Logistical note: Singapore has several everyday flights right into and out of the New York City location. Because of all of that capacity there are sometimes great deals on their ultra-long-haul flights with miles or cash money. I reserved this trip with miles.
&# 13;