{"id":138815,"date":"2018-06-09T21:45:10","date_gmt":"2018-06-09T21:45:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/freeonlinetranslators.net\/news\/english\/its-the-worlds-longest-non-stop-flight-for-now\/"},"modified":"2018-06-09T21:45:10","modified_gmt":"2018-06-09T21:45:10","slug":"its-the-worlds-longest-non-stop-flight-for-now","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/freeonlinetranslators.net\/news\/english\/its-the-worlds-longest-non-stop-flight-for-now\/","title":{"rendered":"It’s the world’s longest non-stop flight… for now"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"SingaporeImage copyright Airbus
Image caption Singapore Airlines' A350-900 ULR (ultra long range), taking off on its first test flight <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Move over Qatar, and back off Qantas. Singapore Airlines (SIA) is reclaiming the world's longest non-stop flight. <\/p>\n

From October, passengers will be able to fly from Singapore to Newark, New Jersey - a journey that will take nearly 19 hours. <\/p>\n

The longest non-stop flight available at the moment is Qatar's 17.5-hour Auckland to Doha route.<\/p>\n

That's closely followed by Qantas' 17-hour non-stop flight between Perth and London, which launched earlier this year. <\/p>\n

But reclaiming the world's longest route is a bittersweet victory for Singapore's national carrier. <\/p>\n

From 2004 to 2013, it offered the same non-stop service, from Singapore's Changi airport to Newark's international airport, which services New York City.<\/p>\n

But a rise in oil prices, among other factors, meant the fuel-guzzling plane it was using - Airbus' A340-500 - became too expensive to run. <\/p>\n

The route was cancelled and, luckily for the airline, it was able to return the jets to Airbus. <\/p>\n

What's changed? <\/h2>\n
Image copyright Airbus
Image caption Airbus made fuel system changes to its existing A350-900 aircraft to allow for an extended flight range - giving it the name A350-900 ULR (ultra long range) <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

SIA is about to get its hands on a brand new Airbus model, which it hopes will make the non-stop Singapore to Newark route commercially viable again.<\/p>\n

The A350-900 ULR (ultra long range) belongs to Airbus' family of long-range, twin-engine aircraft that have been designed to replace the older Boeing 777 series. Airbus reckons they use about 25% less fuel than the 777s did. <\/p>\n

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    Cathay and Singapore Airlines already operate a number of "dash-900s", as they're affectionately known within the industry, across a number of long-haul routes. <\/p>\n

    But the A350-900 ULRs have been modified to meet the requirements for non-stop Singapore to Newark flights. <\/p>\n

    "These aircraft have the longest capability of any aircraft flying today," says Sean Lee, an Airbus spokesperson in Singapore.<\/p>\n

    "They can fly for up to 9,700 nautical miles non-stop - that's over 20 hours of flying time. And they can do that because we have modified the existing fuel system so they can carry an additional 24,000 litres of fuel."<\/p>\n

    But there's no economy class? <\/h2>\n
    Image copyright EPA
    Image caption Qantas is using a 787-9 Dreamliner for its Perth to London route <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    No, there's no economy. Just business class and premium economy. <\/p>\n

    SIA's new planes will seat 161, including 67 business passengers and 94 premium economy passengers. That's compared to 253 seats across four classes on SIA's other A350-900s. <\/p>\n

    "If they had economy seats as well, it would mean more people, and more weight on board," explains Ellis Taylor, from the online publication Flightglobal.<\/p>\n

    "Singapore Airlines is also making it very clear that this is a premium service and that fares will be higher than normal."<\/p>\n

    But Mr Taylor predicts SIA will not struggle to get people on board. <\/p>\n

    "There is now real customer demand, particularly from business travellers," he says. <\/p>\n

    "When SIA last operated those flights, while seasonal, it appeared to show that there was demand for people to fly non-stop from the US to Singapore, and with trade relations growing, that market has grown."<\/p>\n

    What will passengers notice?<\/h2>\n
    Image copyright Airbus
    Image caption Airbu's A350 XWB airspace cabin concept <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    Compared to older jets, the A350-900 ULRs have higher ceilings, larger windows and lighting designed to reduce jetlag.<\/p>\n

    But if you don't know very much about planes, you probably won't notice much else, says Geoffrey Thomas, editor-in-chief of airline rating site Airlineratings.com.<\/p>\n

    "The plane's take-off weight has been increased to allow it to carry more fuel in its existing tank set up, that's the biggest difference," he explains. <\/p>\n

    New technology also allows for "higher humidity settings, and lower cabin altitude settings," he adds.<\/p>\n

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      This comfort comes at a hefty price, however, with premium economy prices ranging from about 2,200 Singapore dollars ($1,649; \u00a31,229) to more than double that for entry level business tickets.<\/p>\n

      While some passengers would baulk at the idea of being above the clouds for the best part of a day, there are clearly enough who prefer to avoid stopovers, even if they're travelling in economy. <\/p>\n

      Most of the passengers on board Qantas' inaugural 17-hour-long flight between Perth and London told the BBC they'd enjoyed the journey immensely.<\/p>\n

      Qantas has told the BBC that their Perth to London route is "performing very strongly in all cabins, including regular economy seats". <\/p>\n

      Are these long flights a sign of things to come? <\/h2>\n

      In 2005, a Boeing aircraft flew a record-breaking 13,422 miles the "wrong way" from Hong Kong to London - that is, the longer route over the Pacific, the United States and the Atlantic Ocean.<\/p>\n

      Airlineratings.com's Geoffrey Thomas was on board, with 35 others.<\/p>\n

      "It was most enjoyable," says Mr Thomas. "I hate stopping, along with most business travellers.<\/p>\n

      "There's evidence to show that when an airline offers a non-stop flight, there is a three-fold lift of traffic on that route," he adds. <\/p>\n

      What does the future hold? <\/h2>\n
      Image copyright Airbus
      Image caption Airbus is looking at possible under-floor sleeping cabins for some of their next generation ultra-long haul aeroplanes <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

      Airbus and Boeing are currently working on a project called Qantas Sunrise, which would offer Australia's flag carrier a plane that could carry 300 passengers from Sydney to London or New York to Sydney, without stopping.<\/p>\n

      The route has been described as the final frontier of aviation. <\/p>\n

      Airbus is considering building under-floor sleeping pods in the cargo area of the specialised plane - a bit like the sleeping pods that are provided for flight and cabin crew on some long-haul flights.<\/p>\n

      Other cargo areas may even be turned into conference rooms, or play areas for children. <\/p>\n

      Meanwhile, it's been rumoured that Air New Zealand is shopping for a plane that will carry passengers non-stop from Auckland to New York.<\/p>\n

      But how far is too far when it comes to ultra long haul? <\/p>\n

      "I don't think we will see much beyond 21 hours, as that sort of flight almost covers any two worthwhile points on the globe," says Mr Thomas. <\/p>\n

      The longer the flights go, the more they are the province of business or premium economy passengers, because of the comfort levels required, he added. <\/p>\n

      "Having said that, Qantas is getting excellent feedback on its Perth to London flight from economy passengers, so who really knows?"<\/p>\n

      Additional reporting by Ana Nicolaci da Costa<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      Image copyright AirbusImage caption Singapore Airlines' A350-900 ULR (ultra long range), taking off on its first test flight Move over Qatar, and back off Qantas. Singapore Airlines (SIA) is reclaiming<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":138816,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-138815","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-english"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/freeonlinetranslators.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/138815","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/freeonlinetranslators.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/freeonlinetranslators.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/freeonlinetranslators.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/freeonlinetranslators.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=138815"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/freeonlinetranslators.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/138815\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/freeonlinetranslators.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/138816"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/freeonlinetranslators.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=138815"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/freeonlinetranslators.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=138815"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/freeonlinetranslators.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=138815"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}