Nearly 18 hours on board the world’s longest-range airliner

The airline: Singapore Airlines

• Route Singapore to Newark, SQ22
• Frequency Daily
• Aircraft A350-900ULR (ultra long range)
• Class Business; seat 25D, middle row
• Flight time 17 hours, 52 minutes

Checking in

As Saturdays go at Singapore’s Changi airport, the flow of passengers appears to be a trickle. It’s hard to tell if I am beating the rush – I check in nearly six hours before my flight – or if Changi is so well-designed that the hordes of passengers who would throng other airports are simply swallowed up in meticulous Singaporean planning. The check-in for the business class takes mere minutes, as does the pass through customs.

Baggage

Check-in baggage allowance is up to 40 kilograms for business class passengers, plus two cabin bags up to 7 kilograms each and an extra personal item (such as purse or tablet).

Loyalty scheme

Singapore’s KrisFlyer is part of the Star Alliance. KrisFlyer miles can be converted to and from Velocity Frequent Flyer Points.

The seat

Business class seat layout is 1-2-1 with the side rows slightly staggered, which shields the line of sight from neighbours across the aisle. The pitch (legroom) is 60 inches (152 centimetres) and width is 28 inches (71cm). The seat converts to a 78-inch (198cm) long fully flat bed (measured between diagonal corners). For the two seats in the middle, there is a privacy panel which can be raised.

What Singapore Airlines gets right about the seats is the generous width. The dimensions are what you expect for a comfortable chair in a living room. Plenty of storage for the three pillows and a duvet ensures that by mid-flight the seat pod remains unjumbled. Lamps inset in compartments give a sense of depth and space. What Singapore gets wrong is that the seat must be manually flipped to make a bed. When fully deployed, the bed was comfortable and spacious.

Entertainment + tech

The in-flight entertainment is controlled from a handheld device rather than screen. This takes me a while to get used to it, but once I do, I understand why the screen looks so unblemished – there’s no need to touch it.The movie offerings – while including recent Hollywood releases – don’t overwhelm. There are four live channels: BBC, CNN, CNBC and one devoted to sport. The noise-cancelling headphones, stored in a slot in the ample armrest, come with little cloth covers for the ear muffs, the ultimate sanitary flourish. One USB slot doesn’t work. There’s a little wear and tear on some stitching. Wi-Fi is free for passengers in all classes, however Suites and First Class flyers can use up to three devices simultaneously.

Service

The service is prompt, friendly and the presentation of the food and offerings of drinks is excellent. On the flight, the crew is attentive and prompt but I have to indicate twice that I wanted to sleep through the second meal time to have dinner later. Nevertheless, no corners are cut, no food options go unoffered, and in the end my sleep preference is granted which makes for a restful experience.

Food

Two meals are served. The treat was ban mian, Chinese wheat noodles in a broth with leafy greens, pork and prawns. Ultra-long flights – not to mention ultra-long travel – can unspool like an unrelenting succession of too-rich flavours. Ban mian offers a cleansing alternative. A chili vinegar sauce, which looked like sweet jelly, is a powerful flavour enhancer – both sour and spicy. The sesame crab mayonnaise salad with grilled egg and pickled ginger is fresh and substantial, with nice touches of onion and edible flower.

The mid-flight meal is ayam bakar sambal balado, tumis kacang panjang, nasi putih – Indonesian-style grilled chicken with spicy sambal belado, stir-fried long beans with garlic and steamed white rice. Since I’ve delayed the meal in order to get more sleep, it makes for a bracing breakfast. The fruit platter dessert of grapefruit, blueberry, watermelon and rockmelon hits the spot.

Sustainability

The airline is aiming for net zero by 2050, through a wide variety of initiatives including purchasing 1000 tonnes of sustainable aviation fuel in 2025. It details its progress in an annual sustainability report.

One more thing

The Singapore-Newark route is not quite the longest commercial flight in the world. Singapore Airlines’ Singapore-New York City (JFK airport route), crossing the Hudson River to Queens, is about 45 kilometres further, making it the longest. (I only learned this after disembarking – and feeling prematurely accomplished – in Newark.) Nevertheless, the second-longest commercial flight at 17 hours and 52 minutes is still a lengthy flight time. Both Newark-Liberty and JFK Airports serve New York City.

The price

From about $SG9400 ($A10,500) from Singapore to Newark return in business class.**

The verdict

The quality of service, food and sleep help mitigate the many hours in the air. The flight is mercifully comfortable and welcoming throughout.

Our rating out of five

★★★★½

*For more information about air travel and sustainability, see iata.org

**Fares are based on those available for travel three months from the time of publication and subject to change.

The writer flew as a guest of Singapore Airlines.