The (re-inaugural) World's Longest Flight
- CP
- Oct 22, 2018
- 2 min read
SQ21. ~9,700 miles. ~17 hours 35 minutes (only!).
Ever since the news dropped that Singapore Airlines would be relaunching its non-stop service between Newark and Singapore there has been a special buzz in the travel industry. The restoration of a highly desired/demanded route, and the introduction of the brand new A350-900 ULR (Ultra Long Range) brought a lot of implications for the future of long-haul travel. There was a lot to take in, and I have a lot of thoughts about the seat, service, etc. but that’s for another time. I want to focus on the flight itself.
It was absolutely incredible. And that’s an undersell.
The atmosphere was electric from start to finish. At the gate, a performance by “America’s Sweetheart’s”, speeches by both a Singapore Airlines exec and a Newark Port Authority exec, and a ribbon cutting ceremony (just to name a few) all occurred well before boarding began! This was my first inaugural/ceremonious type flight, but I could tell this flight was unique.
Upon boarding passengers were given a decorative flower and the attentive touches that precisely depict what is Singapore Airlines continued from there. A gift bag with a commemorative letter and a scale model of the plane was waiting in every seat along with an amenity kit and eye shades. We received a water canon solute as we began to taxi, and shortly after we were airborne out of Newark.
We headed north over Canada, and thanks to routing passengers got some pretty sweet views over the arctic. We also, as our captain mentioned, flew at 87 degrees north which brought us ever so close to directly over the North Pole. Over Siberia, China, and Thailand there was plenty of sights for inflight entertainment as we made our way into Singapore.
A couple hours before we reached the North Pole the stewardesses began the first of 2 meal services. Regular catering wouldn’t suffice for the worlds longest flight, so Singapore Airlines partnered with Canyon Rock to create the meals. Additionally, we were served 2 snacks or refreshment courses, so we were well fed over the 17+ hours.
Of course there was ample inflight entertainment for the whole flight and then some. There was approximately 1,200 hours of movies or TV shows for passengers to enjoy, so if you weren’t busy looking out your window or conversing with other excited passengers, there was plenty to keep you occupied!
Singapore Flight 21 is undoubtedly one of the most noteworthy flights to date, and the A350-900ULR is just as noteworthy of a plane. Not only do passengers, both business and leisure, have the ability to fly direct from NYC to Singapore, but a solid basis for even larger ambitions such as Qantas' challenge "Project Sunrise" was formed. Being able to travel a distance such as SQ21 accomplishes in such a fashion that Singapore Airlines executes is phenomenal. However, as flight and aircraft technology advance, it is just a stepping stone to possibly flying as far from a certain point as possible -- nonstop.
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