{"id":446,"date":"2019-09-12T09:24:38","date_gmt":"2019-09-12T09:24:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vookbook.com\/blog\/?p=446"},"modified":"2019-09-12T09:24:38","modified_gmt":"2019-09-12T09:24:38","slug":"how-to-survive-the-new-ultra-longhaul-flights","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vookbook.com\/blog\/how-to-survive-the-new-ultra-longhaul-flights\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Survive the New Ultra-Longhaul Flights"},"content":{"rendered":"

What\u2019s the world\u2019s longest flight? If you said Singapore Airlines between Newark near New York and Changi in Singapore, you\u2019d be right. A specially-outfitted, Airbus A350-900ULR (that\u2019s for \u201cultra-long-range\u201d) makes the eighteen hour and forty-five minute trip between these two world cities every day, departing at just after 10am and arriving just after 5pm the next day, local times.<\/p>\n

\"long<\/div>\n
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But this is a premium plane: it\u2019s mostly business class, with fully flat beds that offer direct access to the aisle for every passenger, with the usual wonderful\u00a0Singapore Airlines service to boot, plus a cabin of premium economy seats down the back.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

The rise of ultra-longhaul flights<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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This kind of ultra-long-haul flight is getting much more common. There are dozens of flights longer than fourteen hours, an amount of time that only a few years ago would have been unthinkable.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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One of Qantas\u2019 two London flights, with business, premium economy and economy, now includes\u00a0a 17-hour leg from Perth to London\u00a0.\u00a0Qantas\u00a0also wants to add nonstop flights that would take passengers\u00a0from Sydney to London and Sydney to\u00a0New York in 20 hours. Air New Zealand flies nonstop from Chicago to Auckland in sixteen hours.<\/p>\n

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Moreover, both Perth-London and Chicago-Auckland have the uncomfortably\u00a0narrow nine-abreast Boeing 787\u00a0<\/a>Dreamliner seats \u2014\u00a0as, indeed, do most Dreamliners.\u00a0 Japan<\/a> Airlines\u2019 Dreamliners are the exception – it\u00a0uses an eight-seat configuration for its long-haul fleet.\u00a0Divide the 17 inches of seat width from the extra seat between seven friends and you can imagine how much more comfortable you could be.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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And that\u2019s the trick: some of these longest flights have some of the world\u2019s most comfortable seats in economy. Auckland to Dubai on Emirates (17 hours plus) uses the hugely popular Airbus A380 with its wide seats, and with an inch more legroom than many other airlines \u2014\u00a0like, for example,\u00a0Qantas, whose Dallas\/Fort Worth-Sydney flights (also 17 hours) are also on the A380.<\/p>\n

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Delta\u2019s 16-to-17-hour flight between Johannesburg and Atlanta is on a Boeing 777-200LR (that\u2019s for \u201clong range\u201d), and like all Delta 777s there are only nine seats in each row unlike the majority of airlines with ten. Again, you get to split the 17 inches of that missing seat with everyone else in the row. That\u2019s elbow-room you can take to the bank.<\/p>\n

Making the most of your time in the sky<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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But do you want to take these flights? And if you do, how do you survive?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Let me be clear: I would seriously consider taking a connecting flight over any nonstop of over fourteen hours. That\u2019s even true in the roomier seats of premium economy, and perhaps even in business class\u00a0\u2014 yes, as an aviation journalist I am lucky enough to have frequent flyer points to burn for upgrades occasionally, and sometimes get invited to try out new seats.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Especially on routes where an ultra-long-haul nonstop costs extra,\u00a0I\u2019d normally take the stopover. Think about tacking 24 hours into the middle of the trip to explore one of the world\u2019s great hub cities like Hong Kong, Singapore or Seoul.<\/p>\n

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Choosing the right ultra-longhaul flight<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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When booking a really long flight, be very thoughtful about what airplane you\u2019re going to be flying on. New planes like Airbus\u2019 A350 XWB and Boeing\u2019s 787 Dreamliner have more composite material in them instead of metal, which means they can maintain a lower cabin altitude (6000 feet rather than 8000, which is a noticeable difference on a long flight) with air that\u2019s less dry and dehydrating.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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But note, as I mentioned, that only Japan Airlines\u2019 long-haul 787 flights have comfortable seats. It\u2019s unfortunate: Boeing advertised the 787 Dreamliner with eight spacious seats in each row, but it made it just wide enough for airlines to squeeze nine seats in. With the exception of ultra-low-cost and charter\/leisure carriers like Air Cara\u00efbes and Frenchbee, the Airbus A350\u2019s wider seats have stuck with airlines, so that\u2019s the one to pick if you can. The A380\u2019s wide seats, quiet ride and spacious cabin are a really good second choice.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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On any flight like this, I absolutely make sure to pack a change of clothes for the plane \u2014\u00a0a pair of comfy pyjamas or, more likely, a fresh t-shirt and a pair of loose cotton shorts. Don\u2019t forget the flip-flops: those lavatory floors don’t get cleaned\u00a0for the entire length of the flight, and people are gross.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Definitely consider packing a couple of big bottles of water. On shorter flights I try to aim for between 500mL and a litre of non-alcoholic drinks (mostly water, juice for variety, and not fizzy drinks other than sparkling water) per hour, and that\u2019s equally important on longer trips. If you have a couple of larger bottles at home destined for the recycling, rinse them out and head through security with them empty, and then fill them up in the airport. Water bottle filling stations are very common these days.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What\u2019s the world\u2019s longest flight? If you said Singapore Airlines between Newark near New York and Changi in Singapore, you\u2019d be right. A specially-outfitted, Airbus A350-900ULR (that\u2019s for \u201cultra-long-range\u201d) makes the eighteen hour and forty-five minute trip between these two world cities every day, departing at just after 10am and arriving just after 5pm the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":447,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[100],"class_list":["post-446","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tips","tag-longhaul-flights"],"yoast_head":"\nHow to Survive the New Ultra-Longhaul Flights - VookBook Blog | Travel everywhere<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"This kind of ultra-long-haul flight is getting much more common. 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