Picture this: you’re about to endure a 6-hour flight, and right now, before departure, you're
sure that you're gonna be bored to tears. After all, it's 6 hours of sitting still in
your seat with only short bathroom breaks! Sounds tough, but how about doing that for
18 hours instead?... Nope, I ain’t kidding. Such flights do exist,
and they're becoming increasingly popular. You see, however surprising it may be, people
nowadays prefer to get from A to B without any unnecessary stops. But how did it all
start? Surely such long flights haven’t been around for too long?
Actually, the first long-haul flight took place 18 years ago! On March 1, 2001, Continental
Airlines had its first non-stop trip covering a distance of 7,332 miles. In the late morning,
the aircraft left Newark and headed north. It traveled over the northern part of the
US, then Canada, and flew over the North Pole. Then the plane went over Russia, Mongolia,
and China, and a staggering 16 hours later, it landed in Hong-Kong.
Businesspeople all over the world were elated by this new development since it opened so
many possibilities for fast travel. A lot of business travelers have frequent trips
to these two leading financial centers of the world. But before 2001, there hadn't been
any non-stop commercial flights that could make such trips more convenient.
Funny enough, just several days after the first flight from Newark, United Airlines
started their own service to Hong Kong. But since their planes departed from JFK airport,
this air company set a new record because the distance was about 2 miles longer.
Nowadays, the champion of long-haul travel is Singapore Airlines with their flight from
Newark to Singapore. Just imagine: the longest commercial flight in the world lasts 18 hours
and 45 minutes and covers a distance of 9,528 miles! Would you be up for such a long flight?
Let me know down in the comments! Well, if long-haul flights are so frequent
nowadays, why do people still search for connecting flights? That's a good question, and the answer
is money. (Go figure!) !) Let's have a look at an ultra-long-haul flight, say, from Singapore
to New York. For these flights, Singapore Airlines uses
an Airbus A350-900 ULR (which stands for ultra-long-range). There are only seven of such airplanes in
the world, and they can cover a distance of 9,700 miles without making a pit stop! But
while the standard type can carry 253 passengers on board, its ultra-long-haul version seats
only 161. You may think that’s kinda weird, but the thing is that there are no economy
passengers on these flights. At all! Business passengers occupy 67 seats, and 94 cater those
in premium economy. You see, more passengers and more seats mean
more extra weight for the aircraft. And carrying more weight leads to using more fuel, which
means… (Come on, think hard)… pit stops! See how it’s all connected? Anyway, passengers
in business and premium classes pay more for their tickets. So in the end, airlines don’t
lose anything from operating such insanely long flights halfway around the world.
But if you believe that an 18-hour flight is the limit for long-haul travel, think again!
Qantas Airways is planning to start non-stop flights between Sydney and London by 2022.
This idea has been dubbed "Project Sunrise." If they succeed, this aerial marathon across
the Indian Ocean will last for 20 hours and 20 minutes! Bring some playing cards with
you… Qantas has organized a deal between Boeing
and Airbus to create an airplane that could fly for more than 20 hours without being refueled.
The aircraft would be able to carry extra fuel that could be used in case of emergencies
and headwinds. Well, that’s good to know! Sooner or later, one of the two major aircraft
manufacturers will create this plane. But can the airline convince potential passengers
that flying for 20 hours straight is a good thing? Well, Qantas is planning to offer its
passengers the most important thing on long-haul flights, and that's comfort.
First, the airline will tempt travelers with a sleeping berth situated in the plane's cargo
hold. Plus, there will be an onboard gym for some in-flight exercise. You’ll also have
an opportunity to relax after your workout at an onboard bar! (If you’re of age, of
course!) And if you're traveling with kids, everybody will give you annoyed looks – I
mean, you’ll be able to leave them at the onboard nursery and hit the gym. Or the bar.
Well, doesn't all that sound fantastic? And since long-haul flights are gaining popularity
and providing their premium passengers with comfort, budget airlines are still trying
to cut their costs. A new solution suggested by Italian aviation designers might be the
key to even cheaper airfare. At first sight, Skyrider 2.0, the latest airplane
seat, looks pretty uncomfortable. You lean on this construction rather than sit normally.
I bet that after using this "perch," a regular budget airline seat will feel as comfortable
as a business class one! Luckily, these seats are made for short-haul flights, but still...
By the way, the first version of these "seats" had even less padding.
On the other hand, such seats will let budget airlines fill their planes to the brim. There
will be significantly more people and less baggage since the design doesn't look as if
you can fit your bag under the seat in front of you. As a result, airlines will be able
to increase their efficiency and profit. The truth is that different designers have
been trying to work out ways to maximize seating for years. But so far, none of the offered
designs have looked appealing to travelers. Besides, aviation authorities haven't approved
the perching seat idea yet. And if they’d like my opinion, well, nevermind…
In any case, for now, we still have to fly long hours without all those awesome amenities
and airplane seat innovations. Actually, in case you were wondering, here are the top
10 longest flights you can book today! The 10th spot is taken by Etihad Airways'
flight from Abu Dhabi to Los Angeles. A plane has to cover a distance of over 8,000 miles,
and the trip itself takes 16 hours and 30 minutes. Oooh, we’ve only just begun, my
friend… Delta Air Lines occupies the next position:
a trip from Johannesburg to Atlanta takes 16 hours and anywhere from 27 to 40 minutes.
That’s about 12 to 20 diaper changes for the screaming baby in the middle seat behind
you! Number 8 rightfully belongs to the flight
from San Francisco to Singapore operated by United Airlines and Singapore Airlines. If
you decide that you need to get to one of these two destinations, a direct flight will
get you there. Just try to decide ahead of time what you’re gonna do for 16 hours and
35 minutes! Next up is the flag carrier of Australia’s
Qantas Airways with its flight from Dallas-Ft. Worth to Sydney. The plane covers a distance
of over 8½ thousand miles in 17 hours and 15 minutes. Yeah, I hear that lots of kangaroos
want to visit Texas. United’s planes travel from Houston to Sydney
in 17 hours and 20 minutes. That’s probably so the kangaroos can see more of Texas before
heading back home! And the same United Airlines used to fly 8,700
miles from Los Angeles to Singapore in 17 hours and 15 to 50 minutes. But since November
2018, Singapore Airlines have taken over this route.
The fourth spot goes to Emirates: this airline has a flight from Dubai to Auckland, which
takes 17 hours and 20 minutes to complete. My butt gets tired just thinking about this.
The flight from Perth to London by Qantas is among the top 3 longest flights: the plane
travels a whopping 9,000 miles in 17 hours and 40 minutes. There are movies on these
flights, right? The silver medal goes to Qatar Airways, which
operates a flight from Doha to Auckland. It takes 17 hours and 45 minutes to get from
Western Asia to New Zealand. And you've already heard about our reigning
champ of long-haul flights: Singapore Airlines with its almost 19-hour trip from Newark to
Singapore. Of course, you should understand that some
of these longest flights in the world may vary from season to season and often depend
on weather, airport traffic, and climate conditions. But that doesn’t change the fact that passengers
have to spend lots and lots of hours sitting on a plane. Sooo, we close to inventing teleportation
yet? No? Ok, guess I’ll keep waiting…
So what's the longest flight you've ever taken? Ready to sign up for one of these long-haul
flights from Tedium to Monotony? Share your experience in the comment section below! Don't
forget to give this video a “like,” share it with fellow aviation-enthusiasts, and click
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