World’s longest flight will have no economy seats
Airbus plying on route can carry 161 passengers
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About six months after Qantas Airways Ltd. started a direct service from Perth to London, Singapore Airlines Ltd. is bringing back its 10,400mile (16,898km) jump to New York on October 11, pipping Qatar Airways’ Doha-Auckland route to reclaim the title of the world’s longest commercial flight.
Last month, Singapore Airlines took delivery of the first of seven A350-900 Ultra Long Range aircraft that it will use on the route as well as for non-stop services to Los Angeles starting in November.
The Airbus jet that will ply the route carries a maximum of 161 passengers, compared with 253 on the airline’s existing A350-900s. That means more space, with 67 flatbed seats in a 1-2-1 configuration for business class and 94 premium economy places in a mostly 2-4-2 arrangement at the rear.
Singapore Airlines says it will serve dishes on superlong routes that try to offset the effect of being stuck in a seat for a day. The ‘Wellness Set Menu’ offers prawn ceviche, organic chicken and zucchini pappardelle. The flight offers Wi-Fi, for a price. A business-class ticket gets 30 megabytes of data for free. An additional 20MB, just enough for an hour on Facebook, costs $6 (Dh22)
The plane has a higher ceiling, bigger windows and a wider body, with LED lighting designed to reduce jet lag.