There’s a new longest flight in the world starting today: Singapore Airlines’ 19-hour, 9,500-mile-long flight between Singapore (SIN) and Newark (EWR) takes off for the first time. The world’s #1 airline will fly this route 3x weekly for the next week, starting daily service from each airport beginning Oct. 18th.
Despite the fanfare of this inaugural flight, it’s not exactly new. Singapore previously flew between its SIN hub and EWR until 2013, when it scrapped the costly route flown by a gas-guzzling plane. After indicating it would resume the route years ago, the airline confirmed it in May. In July, Singapore announced it would also restart nonstop service from SIN to Los Angeles (LAX). Those flights begin Nov. 2nd.
With today’s flight, Singapore reclaims the mantle of the world’s longest flight. It beats out Qatar Airways’ 18-hour flight from Doha (DOH) to Auckland (AKL) by 500 miles. New, fuel-efficient planes have made these mammoth nonstop flights possible again. Singapore is using an Airbus A350-900ULR, a souped-up version of Airbus’s latest and greatest plane designed specifically to make the long trip.
If you’re hoping to score a cheap fare on this flight, you’re probably out of luck: These A350s don’t have economy seats. and instead, are filled with 67 business class seats and 94 premium economy seats. But at 18 hours and 45 minutes, you may not want to be in economy. And business class is worth the splurge.
Singapore’s business class is among the best in the world, combining chic and unbelievably spacious seats with the unbeatable service that makes Singapore the world’s top airline. After a recent flight in Singapore business class, I can attest: It lives up to the hype.
The plane making the trek from SIN to EWR is equipped with the same business class seats that fly on Singapore’s standard A350 planes. It’s what they’re currently flying between San Francisco (SFO) and SIN, as well as the awesome Houston (IAH) to Manchester (MAN) route.
Buying a business class flight on these birds isn’t cheap, but they’re relatively easy to book with miles. The price might seem steep, starting at 92,000 Singapore KrisFlyer miles. But Singapore miles are among the easiest to get in the world, as you can transfer points directly from Chase, American Express, Citi and Marriott. And award availability is excellent.
Singapore’s premium economy is top-notch as well, and well worth considering if you have some cash to spare but don’t want to splurge on a business class ticket. At 70,000 miles, it’s also easy to book with Singapore miles.
Bottom Line
It’s always exciting to see one of the world’s best airlines start a new flight to and from the U.S. The fact that it’s the longest flight in the world is just a bonus.
Lead photo credit: Singapore Airlines. All Rights Reserved
