I spent €60 to fly (tomorrow) on the world's longest flight: here are the TOP 10 "Ultra Long" routes of 2024
As a true airplane and aviation aficionado, I couldn't help but put an iconic route on my wish list, [...]
United Airlines
Singapore Airlines
Qantas
Emirates
Air New Zealand
Air India
Star Alliance
SIN
United States of America
As a true airplane and aviation enthusiast. I couldn't help but put on my wish list an iconic route, indeed "The Route" par excellence, namely the world's longest flight, the direct, nonstop connection between Singapore and New York JFK.
In this article:
E tomorrow is the big day, penultimate leg of my world tour made (almost) solely using points from various loyalty programs.
The numbers of the world's longest flight
The flight from Singapore to New York is operated by Singapore Airlines and Was inaugurated in 2018. The route crosses a huge distance of about 15,343 kilometers, making it the longest nonstop commercial flight in the world. The average flight duration is about 18 hours and 45 minutes westbound and 18 hours and 30 minutes eastbound. Initially the connection was operated out of Newark Airport, then in 2020 it was moved to JFK becoming even longer.
The best bonuses
To cover this route, SQ operates an Airbus A350/900ulr (Ultra Long Range) set up in only two classes: business and premium economy. There are 67 business class seats with 1-2-1 layout and 94 premium economy seats (2-4-2) on board.
The cabin layout is the same as that found on Singapore's entire A350 fleet, the only difference being precisely the lack of economy class seats for a total of up to 161 passengers, whereas the other versions of Singapore's A350 carries no fewer than 253 passengers in the 3-class version, and 303 in the two-class one Used for short- and medium-haul routes.
The ticket cost me less than 60€.
Of course, this time too, as well as the trip to the Premiere to Tokyo, I booked this ticket with loyalty points and it ended up costing me less than 100€.
I used 111,500 KrisFlyer points and paid less than $60 in taxes. A saver ticket in one of the "hottest" weeks of the year since it is Chinese New Year's Eve was too good a fare to pass up.
What are the 10 longest commercial flights in the world in 2024
Of course, this ranking could change quickly with the launch of a new route, but right now the top 10 longest routes in the world are as follows:
In tenth position is the flight United Airlines Houston (IAH) to Sydney (SYD). The flight takes 17 hours and 30 minutes, covers a distance of 8,596 miles and is operated with a 787/9.
The ninth position is occupied by Qantas with the flight from Darwin (DRW) to London (LHR), the 8,620 miles are covered in 17 hours and 55 minutes. Again, the route is operated with a 787/9
In eighth position is a New entry compared to last year, è Air India Who with a 777/200LR flies from Bangalore (BLR) to San Francisco (SFO) for 8,701 miles, but stays in the air almost two hours less than Qantas. The flight takes "only" 16 hours and 10 minutes.
In seventh poisition there is really Singapore Airlines with the flight to Los Angeles, the Airbus A350-900ULR takes 15 hours and 10 minutes to cover the 8,770 miles between the two cities.
Also outside the top 5 is the flight from Dubai (DXB) to Auckland (AKL) by Emirates. The 777/200LR flies 8,824 miles for about 15hrs 55mins.
In queinta position is the flight Air New Zealand by Auckland (AKL) to New York (JFK), the Dreamliner flies 16 hours and 15 minutes, and lands after reaching the Big Apple 8,828 miles away.
The Qantas flight from Melbourne (MEL) to Dallas (DFW) is at the foot of the podium, we are at 8,892 miles flown for the Australian 787/9 for a total, by air of 18 hours and 15 minutes.
The three longest flights in the world in 2024
To get to the podium you have to fly at least 9 thousand miles, although in a few years even these distances may not be enough as the arrival of the A350/1000ULRs will enable Flying, nonstop, from the east coast of Australia to London.
In third place today is Qantas itself with the direct connection Perth (PER) to London (LHR) taking 17 hours and 32 minutes to cover the 9,010 miles of the more classic cangaroo route with the 787/9. The flight over Rome And what will start this summer on Paris fly the same route, but are (naturally) shorter in distance traveled.
Singapore Airlines as mentioned takes gold and silver. The flight over EWR takes second place with its 9523 miles, while the flight over JFK is longer by only 14 miles for a total of 9,537. Both flights are operated with the A350ULR. If, on the other hand, we talk about time spent in the air, the flight over Newark takes 18 minutes longer-18 hours and 25 minutes versus 18 hours and 7 minutes.
Distance counts, not flight time
Always when ranking the longest flights in the world, the distance flown is taken into account, not the duration of the flight. As can be seen from the ranking, these two values are not necessarily consistent, quite the contrary. If on the contrary one read the ranking by time the longest flight would be the flight that lands in New Jersey and not Queens.
Project Sunrise will upset the rankings
The new A350/1000ULR is expected to arrive by 2025. ordered by Australian airline Qantas. Thanks to the fuel-efficient engines, and the performance of the flagship Airbus it will be possible to fly from Sydney to New York or London nonstop, and consequently also cover other routes that today are covered with stopovers such as flight Rome Sydney, with a stopover in Perth.