{"id":178098,"date":"2025-04-09T03:50:23","date_gmt":"2025-04-09T03:50:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/peraltafinancing.com\/airline\/time-flies-on-the-worlds-longest-flight-jfk-sin-airlinereporter\/"},"modified":"2025-04-09T03:50:23","modified_gmt":"2025-04-09T03:50:23","slug":"time-flies-on-the-worlds-longest-flight-jfk-sin-airlinereporter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=178098","title":{"rendered":"Time Flies on the World\u2019s Longest Flight (JFK-SIN) : AirlineReporter"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Two years ago, I got to experience the world\u2019s longest flight, Singapore Airlines\u2019 route between Singapore and New York. It was a big item to cross off my AvGeek to-do list and the experience itself was a blast<\/a>. Since then I\u2019ve been wondering how I could ever top that flight. In the end, there was only one way: flying the route in the opposite direction (which has a longer average time aloft) and in more style. After biding my time for a while and snagging a lucky booking, I got the chance. <\/p>\n

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When I flew from Singapore to NYC in 2023, a stiff tailwind helped us make great time: under 17 hours aloft. Flying the return route to Singapore would be a full two hours longer. Even for an AvGeek, the idea of over 19 hours onboard a single flight was intimidating. I was honestly worried that partway through this marathon of a flight, the magic would wear off and I\u2019d get bored. <\/p>\n

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Well, I was completely wrong about that. It was a LONG flight to be sure. But between the comfy seat, beautiful views, wide array of entertainment options, and signature Singapore service, it was a blast from start to finish. I also got to learn about the unique features that make these ultra-long-haul services tolerable (and even fun!) for passengers onboard. <\/p>\n

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Read on for the full scoop on this one-of-a-kind route. We hope the walkthrough will help you decide whether a flight this long is worth your time. <\/p>\n

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Before I begin, shout out to a special story from the AirlineReporter archives. Back in 2013 David Parker Brown flew the previous iteration of the Singapore-NYC route, operated at that time by an Airbus A340-500. If you\u2019re looking for a historical comparison (or maybe just for a bit of AvGeek nostalgia) check out that classic story.<\/a><\/p>\n

On the ground at New York JFK<\/h2>\n

Singapore Airlines currently operates out of Terminal 4 at JFK. The airline doesn\u2019t operate its own lounge here. Biz class and other qualifying passengers could use the PrimeClass contract lounge, the Air India Lounge, or request a $50 meal voucher. There\u2019s also an AMEX Centurion Lounge and Chase Sapphire Lounge in the same terminal for anyone with the right credit card perks. <\/p>\n

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For long-haul flights, I\u2019m used to boarding around an hour before departure time. But because Singapore\u2019s A350-900ULRs are in a low-density configuration, boarding started only 30 minutes pre-departure. People still lined up early to board, which was funny since they were about to be confined to the cabin for almost a full day. <\/p>\n

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From the outside, the aircraft looked like a regular A350, but on the inside she was a totally different animal. We\u2019ll tell you why. <\/p>\n

A unique subfleet<\/h2>\n

Singapore operates a super-specialized subfleet of just nine A350-900ULRs. The last three letters stand for ultra-long range. With its modified fuel system the ULR offers an insane range of up to 9,700 nautical miles and capability to handle 20 uninterrupted hours of flight. <\/p>\n

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Another key difference between Singapore\u2019s ULRs and its non-ULR counterparts is the cabin layout. Singapore didn\u2019t even bother including an economy class cabin on its ULRs. That was to reduce weight, but also because most people wouldn\u2019t want to spend 18+ hours in an economy seat. There are two massive business class cabins occupying the front two-thirds of the plane, offering an impressive 67 total seats. In the rear third of the plane there\u2019s a premium economy cabin with 94 seats in a 2-4-2 configuration. In total, the plane carries just 161 passengers, compared with 253-303 passengers on the various configurations of Singapore\u2019s non-ULR A350-900s.<\/p>\n

Meet the seat<\/h2>\n
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After stepping onboard, I headed into the forward business class cabin and took stock of my home for the next 20 hours. The seat is the same as on Singapore\u2019s standard A350s. It\u2019s an eye-catching design, with lots of purple and golden accents. <\/p>\n

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The cabin layout is 1-2-1 across. Seats in the middle have a sliding privacy divider between them. <\/p>\n

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I had picked a window seat on the left side. <\/p>\n

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The seat itself was impressively wide. The side of the seat enclosure blocked one of my windows, but I had a good view through the other one. <\/p>\n

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Singapore doesn\u2019t offer a suite style product in business class (yet) but the dividers between seats still do offer some privacy. <\/p>\n

The console beside the seat came stocked with an amenity kit, menu, and a few other goodies. <\/p>\n

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Beside each headrest was a reading light, power outlet, and small storage area. <\/p>\n

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At the front of each seat compartment there was a large screen, a small ledge for holding a drink, and another small storage area with a door. <\/p>\n

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As I got settled in the purser came by to introduce himself. I was then offered a choice of drinks, though the pre-departure service was limited to water and juice. <\/p>\n

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It was a late-night departure. The NYC area was sparkling at night and my eyes stayed glued to the window for the entire climb along the length of Long Island. <\/p>\n

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