Passengers Buckle Up for the World’s Longest Flight

On Thursday 11 October, Singapore Airlines Flight SQ22 heading to New York will claim the title of the longest ever nonstop flight. The record-breaking flight will transport 161 passengers from Changi Airport to Newark International Airport in a scheduled 18 hours and 25 minutes.

The longest direct flight before was Qatar Airways Flight QR921 – a marathon 17.5-hour journey between Auckland, New Zealand and Doha, Qatar.

The flight, covering 9,537 miles, has no economy class seats – only business-class and premium economy. It sounds generous to offer only luxury to passengers, until you realise the economy seats were purchased for a hefty $2,155.

Are 18-hour Nonstop Flights the Future?

The Airbus A350-900ULR is the first of seven aircraft scheduled to complete nonstop journeys in a record time. On November 2, two will travel to and from New Jersey, while the other five will be be used for a Singapore to Los Angeles service.

This is only the beginning of ultra-long-haul flights. Boeing and Airbus have been busy creating planes capable of flying for extensive periods of time. Earlier this year, Qantas launched a 17-hour nonstop service from Perth to London and has promised by 2022, they will offer 20-hour direct flights from London to Sydney.

It’s an exciting time for aviation – records seem to be broken at an almost constant rate. The new age of ultra-long-haul is here to stay, which is great if you don’t get travel sickness and enjoy a movie marathon.

If the future really is extra-extra-long-haul, then it’s best to start preparing. We’ve put together some top tips to help you survive extensive journeys.

How to Survive an Ultra-long-haul Flight

• Save up and treat yourself to premium economy or business class. If not, try to pick a seat with some extra legroom (usually near emergency exits or the front of cabin sections)
• Bring a wide variety of snacks – and LOADS of them. There’s nothing worse than being hungry for 18 hours
• Comfy clothes, always. Don’t turn up for a nearly day-long journey in a suit or heels!
• That brings us onto comfy socks – they’re a must! Everyone likes to take their shoes off on a long journey, but don’t be “that” passenger stinking out the whole cabin
• Bring as many activities as you can fit in your hand luggage – books, magazines, headphones, a tablet or mobile phone and games. Don’t sit there twiddling your thumbs, because even with all the latest Hollywood blockbusters on tap, an 18-hour journey can end up feeling like a 48-hour one
• Sleep if you can – those little neck pillows kind of work, so if you haven’t got one, grab one at the airport pre-flight

Track the Longest Flights in the Air Now

Track marathon flights, like QF9 and SQ22, with Plane Finder – the real-time flight tracker. Our iOS and Android app puts flight tracking at your fingertips.