[ad_1]
SINGAPORE — I flew a lot last week, also as an airline reporter. My journey also helped me earn a mean right of way. He took the world’s longest flight from New York to Singapore from March 11th to 13th, returning home on March 16th.
I flew as a guest of Singapore Airlines, covered the latest on their premium economy service, and experienced the world’s longest flight yet. Australian airline Qantas plans to stake its claim from Singapore when it launches direct round-trip flights from Sydney to New York and London in mid-2026.
These Qantas flights are expected to take up to 20 hours each way, but at present Singapore’s regular 18+ hour service between New York and Singapore, even if a tailwind allows the distance to be covered faster. It remains the longest commercial flight.
Ultra-long-haul flights are similar to other flights in many ways. So you’re still screaming through the troposphere inside a pressurized metal tube, but as I heard from Singapore Airlines executives, and as I witnessed for myself, in-flight service becomes even more important. When I spent almost the entire day in the air.
So, I’d like to introduce you to what happened on the world’s longest flight.
importance of meals
Singapore Airlines food and beverage director Antony MacNeil said the timing and structure of meals can make a big difference to passenger comfort on ultra-long-haul flights.
“The aim is to already start the first meal service within three hours of departure,” he said. “Then six or seven hours later (after) the crew comes back, so you end up eating quite a bit of food during the flight. If you want to sleep when you leave, you know you’re not going to miss out.” ”
Mr McNeil said on such long flights it was important to ensure that passengers did not feel bloated from the meal.
“The meals we serve at that time of the flight allow you to rest more comfortably,” he said. “It’s designed to keep you full for a long time, so you’re not looking for a snack. Some American airlines on long-haul flights offer really creamy dishes, creamy pasta. But they’re heavy and you don’t feel good after eating them, but we want to reverse that. In the opposite direction. Feel better, feel better for longer, and enjoy the experience. please.”
I ate something like this on my way to Singapore.
- smoked salmon salad
- garlic bread
- Sea bass with potatoes (if I remember correctly)
- lindor chocolate balls
- Noodles with chicken
- lamb chops
- red wine
- tea
- kit kat bar
I received this on the way home.
- plenty of tea and water
- smoked salmon salad
- garlic bread
- duck meat confit
- chocolate mousse cake
- red wine
- chicken satay
- beef au jus with polenta
- Crisps
- cheese and onion potato chips
- kit kat bar
Meals can help break up these ultra-long flights into more manageable chunks, even if you can’t get enough sleep.
Flights from New York JFK depart every day at around 11:30pm and arrive two days later at around 6am (so my flight departs on the evening of March 11th and arrives on the night of March 13th). (I arrived in Singapore in the morning). I slept a lot on the flight to Singapore, so I wasn’t able to experience the full service flow, but on the way back, the flight departs from Singapore around 12:30pm and arrives in New York around 6pm, so the timing of the meal was very good. I was very grateful. This was perfect for watching a movie or taking a nap between services, and helped make the nearly 18-hour flight time feel probably reasonable.
Comparison with short-haul flights
Mr McNeil said longer flights would allow Singapore Airlines to offer longer delivery times for each meal service.
“Compared to short-haul, let’s say it takes an hour and 40 minutes from here to Jakarta. It’s one meal service. First class, business class is a tray, everything is on the tray.” He said. “On medium-haul flights, a table layout may be used for service. Once you receive your tray, salad, and appetizer, they will remove the tray and bring you a plated main course. There are various service elements that vary from flight departure, distance and, of course, what the crew can provide within safety requirements.”
Singapore Airlines also operates special aircraft on ultra-long-haul routes. The airline’s Airbus A350-900ULR jets have only two classes of service: Premium Economy Class and Business Class, meaning all travelers will experience elevated in-flight service on the airline’s longest flight.
Tips for sleeping like a pro on a plane
One thing I’m very lucky about is that I tend to sleep a lot on planes, even in the cheapest seats. Although I wasn’t paying much attention, I think I got a total of 8-10 hours of sleep on the way to Singapore. In any case, I slept well enough that one of the flight attendants commented as we were preparing to land that he was impressed with my ability to pass out. On the way home, I tried to stay awake so I could go to bed at normal New York time, but I still took two two-hour naps between meals.
Just before leaving for Singapore, I also flew back from another assignment in Cape Town. During the 16-hour flight to Atlanta, I was able to get another 7-8 hours of sleep.
I’m not saying all this to brag, but to help.
what is my secret? I was extremely exhausted on my trip to Singapore, but on most flights of 10 hours or more, I have a routine that helps me get off the plane.
I try to book flights as late in the evening as possible, so I’m already tired by the time I leave. I do my best to stay awake until the first meal (which usually happens within the first hour or two of the flight) and eat dinner so I don’t wake up hungry halfway through. . Then I take a dose of a well-known over-the-counter cough and cold medicine (in gel cap form) to keep me awake and wait for my food tray to empty.
We understand that there is some debate about the safety of taking sleeping pills on airplanes. I know that if there’s an emergency, you’re not going to fire on all cylinders if you wake up from a medically induced stupor and evacuate, but that’s dangerous. I was willing to take the risk in order to catch Z and get the flight through faster.
This cold medicine habit has helped me log nearly a full night’s sleep on most of the 10+ hour flights I’ve taken over the past few years. I’m here to share my professional traveler’s wisdom with you.
So next time you’re flying a particularly long distance, watch what you eat and consider taking a sleep aid that you know is well tolerated.
Also, don’t forget to drink lots of water. It’s a well-known fact that your body dries out after a long airplane ride.
The reporter for this article received access to this event from Singapore Airlines. USA TODAY maintains editorial control of content.
Zach Wictor is a travel writer for USA TODAY based in New York. Please contact us at zwichter@usatoday.com.
[ad_2]
Source link
