The transatlantic trip between the two financial capitals was a route I had taken many times during my days writing about the aviation industry.
Not one from suffering from serious jet lag, it certainly helped that the seven-hour journey westbound was a daylight flight. Upon arrival in the Big Apple, I headed to my downtown hotel before going out for dinner with friends.
The following day I had free time to enjoy the sights and sounds of Manhattan. Come early evening, I gave myself sufficient time to get through congested traffic en route to Newark Liberty International Airport further west across the Hudson River.
It was 8pm and with suitcase in tow, I checked-in for my next flight. Departure time: 11pm. Destination: Singapore. Nothing special one may say.
But June 28, 2004 remains clearly etched in the history books as I was about to embark on another great chapter in aviation history.
I was set to take the longest commercial flight in the world – both in distance flown and time taken – as Singapore Airlines (SIA) was preparing to make headlines celebrating the launch of non-stop services between New York and the tiny island nation of Singapore in south east Asia.
Earlier, the same aircraft landed at Newark Liberty from Singapore as the longest flight in the world, a title it held for just a few hours. The return journey was to be longer due to headwinds.
An 18 hour 45 minute flight covering a distance of 15,343km flying in a metal tube at 35,000ft, this mammoth journey was not one for the faint-hearted.
My previous longest non-stop flight was 13 hours travelling from the Far East to the UK. With additional flying hours, I had to prepare myself for the journey ahead. How would I cope, how would I feel, how could I adjust the body clock flying different time zones for a journey half way around the world in total darkness.
Singapore Airlines had done its homework. There was a market for this route connecting two economic powerhouse cities with a non-stop flight that would lure business and leisure travellers keen to shave off precious hours from transiting through another airport in another country to get to their final destination. Space too was critical. Give passengers enough leg room and comfort to make it appealing.
The Airbus A340-500 plying the Newark – Singapore route was configured with just 181 seats in two classes – 64 Business and 117 Executive Economy. No First Class, nor standard Economy. The aircraft type is capable of seating double the capacity in three classes of travel, but Singapore Airlines chose a two-cabin layout, opting to provide maximum comfort for passengers for the long routings it had earmarked the aircraft to operate on.
Flight SQ 21 took to the skies in celebratory mood as passengers settled in for the journey ahead, clearly relishing being part of history but surely asking themselves the same questions as me.
The galleys were stocked with snacks and drinks – fruit, crisps, chocolate, beverages – for passengers to tuck into self-service during the flight. There was also a three-meal service – dinner, lunch and breakfast service in that order.
They say the best way to adjust to different time zones, particularly if you’re staying at a destination for a few days, is to switch to that city’s timing before take-off. Easier said than done!
So an 11pm departure from the US east coast is equivalent to noon in Singapore. Arrival time at Singapore Changi Airport around 6am, well suited for the clock-watching business traveller planning those arduous back-to-back meetings and keen to minimise time spent away from home.
Passengers were encouraged to walk around the aircraft, stretch their legs and, as often said on long-haul flights, drink plenty of water to prevent dehydration.
There was the huge selection of movies, TV programmes, music channels, radio shows and games in the seatback individual entertainment systems across both cabins that helped pass time.
An avid reader of newspapers and magazines, I managed to get through my quota fairly quickly. Sleep was readily easy, so too was my eating pattern, one which went against all the suggestions as I stuck to New York as opposed to Singapore timings.
Having crossed the imaginary international dateline across the Pacific, the flight navigated towards Asia for an early morning arrival into Singapore, two days after departing America.
Arrived refreshed, but travelling three quarters of the way around the world in the space of four days, soon took its toll. Yet the aura of flying such a distance non-stop on a modern jet remains one to remember for a lifetime.
But after a revamp of the service a few years later, reconfiguring the aircraft to a 100-seater all-Business Class flight at a return fare of $10,000, Singapore Airlines decided to call it quits.
Last weekend, SQ21 made its farewell non-stop journey and, with it, ended an historic keeper of the title, world’s longest flight.
The business was there, but the cost of operating such a flight with an A340 aircraft that has long been a thorn in an airline’s costs proved detrimental to the bottom line.
Poor fuel efficiency of this four-engined aircraft affected the economics forcing Singapore Airlines to drop the route and, like other carriers, plan a disposal of the fuel-guzzling wide-body aircraft; instead favouring more fuel-efficient long-haul planes.
With aviation fuel over $100 a barrel – four times what it was in 2004 – here is a cost that no airline can take lightly, particularly when aircraft have constrained seating capacity. SIA struggled to operate the route profitably even though it had passengers to fly non-stop.
Only last month SIA dropped the Singapore-Los Angeles non-stop route, also operated with an Airbus A340 for a journey time that was 16 hours upwards.
But with no other aircraft able to fly Singapore-New York or Los Angeles non-stop, the airline, like its regional neighbour Thai Airways which has also discontinued ultra-long-haul non-stop services to the US in recent years, is maintaining US operations via a choice of intermediary points in North Asia or Europe.
Manufacturing of the A340s has stopped but the aircraft remains in circulation. Driven out by major airlines from their fleets, these aircraft are being superseded by the more fuel-efficient long-range Boeing 777s, Airbus’ manufacturing rivals.
The end of SIA’s service will bring closure to a popular route, but not to ultra-long-haul flying. Today, commercial jets ply the skies linking continents on routes of 16, almost touching 17 hours, non-stop carrying 300 or more passengers. Such type of flying remains popular. Cost-effective improvements to technology, on board offerings and product innovation help keep the appetite strong for long-haul flights.
But a route can only break even or be profitable if airlines are able to balance the costs and revenue in a calculated way. Passengers are not the only consideration. Cargo carried also makes a difference.
Over the past 12 months, two key ultra-long-haul routes were scrapped, perhaps aided by the downturn in the US economy. Delta axed its 16-hour non-stop flight between Detroit and Hong Kong while American Airlines dropped its Chicago – New Delhi service which had a flight time of 15 hours.
Aircraft manufacturers are constantly pushing the boundaries to design new planes that can operate short- or long-haul distances with less fuel consumption.
Travellers today want convenience of getting to their final destination in the quickest possible time, avoiding the inconvenience of fuel stops or change of plane at a third airport.
The Boeing 777s serve this requirement and with only two, not four engines, able to fly 16 hours or so non-stop, pairing cities between the Middle East and South America; US and Asia; and Africa with the US.
As the world’s second largest operator of the Airbus A380 – Emirates being the largest – Singapore Airlines’ 19 super jumbos fly up to 13 hours non-stop serving destinations as far afield as London, Tokyo, Melbourne and Frankfurt non-stop from its Changi base.
For the record, the longest distance non-stop flight in the world today is operated by Australian carrier Qantas. A Boeing 747-400 aircraft flies from Sydney to Dallas, a distance of 13,804km with a flight time of 15 hours 25 minutes.
But Delta Air Lines operates the longest flying time non-stop at just under 17 hours from Johannesburg to Atlanta with a Boeing 777-200 Long Range aircraft to cover a distance of 13,582km.
The Gulf carriers of Emirates, Qatar Airways and Etihad have between them some of the world’s longest routes in flying time and distance from Dubai, Doha and Abu Dhabi to destinations such as Sao Paulo, Los Angeles and Houston averaging 15 hours non-stop.
Aviation, however, is taken for granted today, remaining a far cry from the days of the romance of flying.
The now defunct US carrier PanAm pioneered non-stop flying across the Atlantic, Pacific and between Continents over three decades in the 50s, 60s and 70s.
PanAm was the first airline to order the twin-deck Boeing 747 jumbo jet, a plane that flew more passengers faster, higher and farther than its predecessors.
It was also the first airline in the world to operate around the world with many stops en route. It had the infamous flight numbers 001 and 002 operating eastwards and westwards respectively, gracefully featuring on airport departure boards.
United Airlines resurrected the global offering for a short while in the 1990s with only New York, London, Delhi, Hong Kong, and San Francisco on its route map, but this too was discontinued.
Today, it’s all about partnerships. Airlines can ill-afford to operate round-the-world services on their own due to the cost of setting up bases on different continents.
Therefore, they work together through global alliances to offer passengers more choice, and better choice, but as outlined above some airlines have gone the extra mile to operate ultra-long-haul to clearly push the boundaries in today’s world of aviation and provide an element of competitive edge.
♦ Updesh Kapoor is a PR communications professional and aviation and travel analyst.
Airlines are in it for the long haul
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