Posted on 09/23/2018 12:16:37 PM PDT by Simon Green
Singapore Airlines Ltd. took delivery of the Airbus SE A350-900 ultra long range aircraft to start a non-stop service to New York, a journey of about 19 hours that will become the world’s longest.
The first commercial flight between Singapore and Newark Liberty International Airport will be on Oct. 11, Singapore Air said in a statement yesterday. This is the first of the seven A350-900ULRs the carrier has on firm order with Airbus.
Reviving the route that the Singapore flag carrier scrapped more than four years ago will help the airline fill a gap in its U.S. network that has benefited rivals including Qantas Airways Ltd. and Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd. Singapore Air’s new service -- which will overtake Qatar Airways’ Doha-Auckland route as the world’s longest -- will initially offer three flights in the first week, increasing to daily from Oct. 18.
Singapore Air will use the aircraft for non-stop services to Los Angeles in November.
Here are some of the features of Singapore Air’s A350-900ULR:
The plane is capable of flying about 20 hours non-stop. The flight to New York will cover a distance of approximately 16,700 kilometers, with traveling time of up to 18 hours and 45 minutes.
The aircraft is configured in a two-class layout with 67 business class seats and 94 premium economy seats.
The ULR is a variant of the A350, with the main change over the standard aircraft being a modified fuel system. This will help the plane carry 165,000 liters of fuel, an increase of 24,000 liters.
The plane also features a number of aerodynamic enhancements, including extended winglets.
Does sound like there will be much fuel left to circle the airports, will be landing really light. Then there are head winds on the return ...
Gosh, whatta great thought.
19 hours in Economy.
Lucky them.
This is a sophisticated route on a great airline for a sophisticated clientele. Not the kind of riff-raff that flies Spirit Airlines or Southwest airlines.
OK, if I had a tiny suite all to myself, like they used to have on railroads, then I could do it...
19 hours on a plane? Can they sedate me or put me in stasis or something?
Actually, there is no economy on this plane...just business and premium economy, which isn't that bad.
I'd enjoy it in business class.
Hmmm, the route is almost directly over the North Pole, so there is very little difference in the distance between the two cities no matter which "direction" you are going. They may just "keep going" in the same direction on the "return" flight to avoid the headwinds.
Maybe someone with a little more aeronautic knowledge than I have can chime in as to the feasibility.
Yeah, the shortest distance arc is about due north. At either end of the flight there aren’t a lot of choices for a divert field if headwinds or an issue with fuel burn rates (engine performance) have them low on fuel. Most divert choices are pretty close to the regular destination- not really saving much flying time.
I have little knowledge of air traffic, but would it be very expensive for airlines to get re-fueled in the air like our military can?
I’ve been on several 14 hour flights and one flight of 15:55...all but one of them in Coach.Can’t imagine 19 hours.
Americans are dumb
we are giving away jobs
the Western portal of the US should be Guam
from Guam to the mainland
should be on a US airline
You would have to force me on that flight at gunpoint. Then you still may have a little trouble.
I get pretty stir crazy after 10 hours, even in business class. Ugh!
19 hours on a plane? Can they sedate me or put me in stasis or something?
...
I see that in the future, and then the passenger will be jammed into a cargo pod.
Cathay Pacific, all the way in the back, but the food was great.
Amtrak still better.
19 hours on an Amtrak would be better because you can move around from car to car. But the bad thing is 19 hours on an Amtrak will only get you about 500 miles, not halfway around the world.
Yeah, saw that...it’s still not a lay flat.
Crossed the pond too many times in Biz to go back to economy, even if it’s “premium”.
The answer is to make airplanes faster, not longer legged.
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