Ultra-Long-Haul: The Evolution Of The World's Longest Route

The world's longest commercial air passenger route is a fascinating topic. Indeed, many are amazed to see just how far you can push the latest generation of widebody aircraft loaded with hundreds of passengers - whether or not the experience is enjoyable for passengers!
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[@eddie918]

Flying LAX direct to SIN in July, like 17 hours and I’m super excited honestly. Except for the fact that I leave on a Tuesday and arrive on a Thursday that’s just crazy

[@mizukihattori9716]

Gotta update us on how the future is like

[@seagullsbtn]

Hopefully you'll find Wednesday on the way home.

[@FirstLast-cb2jr]

Try 17 hours, sometimes closer to 18 going over. I flew it close to 40 times when United pairs those cities.

[@zaya7256]

I’m flying to japan in July!

[@xuexiren123]

16 hours from lax to Doha felt like nothing

[@preahko]

Interesting video. It would have been vastly improved, however, if you had given the flying times for each flight--helps folks get a better handle on the kinds of journeys we're talking about, more than simply giving the distances in km or mi.

[@tristanguerin3018]

Flight times would have been nice to have. Even just in that little insert in the bottom left corner and not stated in video would have been fine.

[@african_chris]

My thoughts exactly.

[@jokerface20]

DFW to SYD I flew 2 weeks ago flight time was 16hrs 31mins for reference

[@amazer747]

Why ask the question "How long would you spend on an aircraft?" when you haven't listed any flight hours? But to answer your question, I used to fly UK - Malaysia, some 13hrs or more. I am now booked on Emirates as I look for a break in Dubai, with 7hrs each leg., MAN-DXB-KUL. The 3 or 4hr transit at Dubai give sme chance to walk around and take a break. This may be an age thing and as I am now retired, and not a businessman, the time factor spent on travel has slipped in its priority.

[@tubeymcdee]

But the flight times wouldn't be consistent depending on winds etc. Harder to compare

[@bmw320i2]

Doha to Auckland was operated on by the 777-200LR not 777-300ER as stated. It was cancelled during Covid but returns later this year operated by A350’s.

[@stephenfienberg8765]

In the late 90s to early/mid 00s, SAA was flying JNB-JFK in a B747-400, the longest route for that type. It was only around '03/04 that they switched over to the A340-600, the longest scheduled flight for that type as well. SAA never flew to ATL, that flight was and still is flown by Delta. In the 00s until about '19 it was flown with a B777-200LR before they switched over to the A350-900.

[@EAGSAviationYT]

They flew the Atlanta-Jo'burg before with the said A346 equipment, and IIRC also ATL-CPT, this one way before DL in the 00's. Delta only started JNB-ATL nonstop when 200LRs were available

[@waltjie]

Off course SAA flew to ATL 😂 Do better research.

[@waltjie]

​@@EAGSAviationYTyou're spot on 😉

[@johniii8147]

That's not true that SAA never flew to ATL. I flew them to CPT and then onto JNB on a 747-400 in the early 2000's. Guess it didn't have quite the range so had to make that fuel stop. Great experience since it was in F

[@sh34600]

@@johniii8147 Cape Town is closer to Atlanta and at sea level. It's easier to make the distance from there than from Johannesburg.

[@jeffnic3116]

Edit, SAA used 747-400's on those routes before they acquired A-340's. I flew out of Cape Town on a 747-400 to Atlanta, it was the second longest route, after the Johannesburg to New York flight. I recall the flight was weight restricted, and the aircraft was quite sluggish on takeoff, rolling on the runway forever, it seemed. It had lots of leg room, I will never forget that.

[@andysorensen1737]

The whole Project Sunrise prep fascinates me. Just because we can fly nonstop from Sydney to New York/Paris/London does it mean we should?

[@TheSoftestPillow]

Yes. It would be extremely beneficial, as London, New York, and Melbourne are all critical economic sectors, and flying between them without a stopover would save time and money.

[@Youtub77W]

Amsterdam Schiphol taxiway Vector to runway 36L is also a long haul.

[@paulw.woodring7304]

I have flown long-haul flights a few times in my life, always in coach, the last two in economy plus, so a little more legroom and an aisle seat (my preference has long been aisle seat/exit row). The first time was in the late 1980s from Vancouver to Hong Kong (starting for me in Toronto) on Canadian Airways International (DC-10s) (which had been CP Air until shortly before my trip, in fact my ticket folder was still for CP Air). It was tolerable, mostly because of the amenities for being on an international flight, like three meals and free entertainment for everyone being included (I was on a group tour, so it was largely no-frills for air travel, which is why a U. S. tour group was on a Canadian carrier - for the fare.) The other downside was that smoking was still allowed in selected rows, and I was behind those rows, so the second-hand smoke was a problem for me, for 13 hours! The other time was over 20 years later, late '00s, on United from IAD to Frankfurt and return from Munich. The B777 was great, and we caught a really strong jet stream eastbound and arrived in Frankfurt a little early, which was good since I did not sleep much at all on the overnight flight. This was the trip I had economy plus both ways and it worth every bit of the $97 upgrade each way, not only for the legroom, but for the fact that there were no small children in that section, since young families generally can't afford the upgrade, so I didn't have a toddler kicking the back of my seat and crying for hours on end (this was in December, so there were a lot of families traveling for the holidays, and they all went towards the back of the plane!). On the return trip from Munich, the local counter ticket agent must have taken pity on me, because when I upgraded to economy plus he gave me the aisle seat in the row immediately behind the crew rest area, which had a row missing behind it, so I essentially had unlimited leg room. What I have always told myself when I start getting crabby on a long flight is that we have it so much easier than travelers in covered wagons did 150 years ago!

[@manujohnson6557]

The proposed Qantas Sydney - London flight, it's shown to pass through Russian airspace right? So is it still actually possible given the war?

[@0ne-6right40]

We can only hope…

[@jaadotech]

The test flight (in 2019) flew over the northern border of Ukraine, so that route with current restrictions not available. Not sure if they have an available alternative.

[@fToo]

Indeed. and what happens if Australia and China have an argument and Qantas are banned from Chinese airspace ?

[@0ne-6right40]

The only thing I can say is that Qantas confirmed project sunrise 3 months after the war began. They could be already considering it an obstacle when planning the flight path.

[@ronduncan9527]

Just booked my SIA ticket in business class from Newark to Singapore for a December trip. So excited! ✈️

[@shakesnbake]

All depends on the cabin class. If it's first or biz, then I don't want to get off :)

[@jammiedodger629]

Haha, same here. I'll be happy 15 hours in first but not so eager for 15 hours in econ!.

[@ushnishchakravarty]

There are many such routes which can also add to the existing routes 1) Sydney (SYD) - New York (JFK) 2) Sydney (SYD) - London Heathrow (LHR) 3) London (LHR) - Auckland (AKL) 4) Bali Denpasar (DPS) - New York JFK (JFK) 5) Perth (PER) - Toronto/Montreal (YYZ/YUL) 6) Istanbul Ataturk (IST) - Mexico City (MEX)

[@steffanlabuschagne6703]

These routes aren’t direct - they land to refuel. I’ve flown JFK to SYD in a 747, we stopped in LAD and Perth.

[@EdaZic]

People always forget about Melbourne

[@cameronbenfell7401]

I know 😭

[@davidpickford.]

Forget about what?

[@Arkan_Fadhila]

The longest flight i've had is from jeddah to jakarta using Garuda Indonesia B777. The long duration of flight didn't bother me too much (i guess i used to ride a bus for as long as 12 hours). If the plane is comfortable and i have enough movies or series to watch then i didn't think flying for more than 17/18 hours will be suck.

[@karlossargeant3872]

I Love watching this Aviation Video Topic on Boeing and Airbus and Other Airlines!!!!

[@LoFIJak]

I've done DBX to AKL, coming back from the UK a few times (flying economy) and it's definitely a bit of a marathon! I'm too poor to go for premium economy or business though but I'd love to have the money one day to do it. The first time was a 777 during covid and that was not fun at all. The A380 is much, much better.

[@mike-746]

I've flown YVR - SYD, which if I recall was about 16 hours. It's long, though better than any alternative if you're going that way.

[@mohamadmoukahal611]

Everybody forgets that historically, MEA used to have the longest route on earth, it was from Beirut to Sydney Bey-Syd on a 747 nonstop, no one mentions it...

[@wallybambasi]

Have you heard that Philippine Airlines is now using Boeing 777-300ER from JFK-MNL flights non-stop, crossing Russian Airspace.

[@isaganipalanca8803]

Can't wait for Philippine Airlines to replace its A-350-900s on the Manila-JFK route with its new A-350-1000s when they enter service in 2025! They could also resume their European routes and initiate routes to San Diego, Seattle, Calgary, Houston and Chicago.

[@EpicThe112]

Do you mean the A350-1000ulr version? If yes then it can do it. Keep in mind business class Travelers will still choose to competition via Hong Kong🇭🇰 Singapore Qatar Japan🇯🇵 and South Korea🇰🇷 from JFK🇺🇲 to MNL🇵🇭

[@syafiqrizuan5588]

I believe that PR would eventually to retire all of B777-300ER when A350-1000 entering to their service. The business class on B777-300ER are quite obsolete with 2-3-2 configuration. The economy class seat is ok, only the IFE screen need to replace with more modern one. PR just only to maintain their long haul destinations, not to adding more new destinations. ORD to Asia route is under performance, so this is unlikely. While SEA might be another potential destinations for PR. Destinations like IAH and YYC are not enough O&D to sustain. For European destinations, it seems very unlikely, as the demands and yields are quite lower with price sensitive market, especially with leisure and VFR passengers.

[@BB-xi5ir]

Eher are also a few non commercial flights between Sydney end Dresden to ferry planes to MRO.

[@McLadenLLC]

there is a typo: at 4:39 DOH - AKL, 7843nmi should be 14525.24KM. otherwise it is even longer than SIN-EWR's 15323KM...

[@mercuryinyourwalls]

I've never been on a long haul flight (only on inter-european flights) but I find the development of them interesting. Looking forward to seeing the launch of the London-Sydney route.

[@eamonahern7495]

3 hours max on a narrow body unless it's an emergency flight to get home. I could spend way more than 10 hours on a flight if I was in a premium class in a wide body. The longest flight I was ever on was probably about 11 hours. A 10 hour flight from Lusaka to Heathrow turned into an almost 11 hour flight when we had to circle London because of a long queue for landing.

[@bb_bayraktar]

Turkish airlines wants to make a connection between istanbul, sydney and melbourne in 2024. These routes are approx. 15000 km.

[@odzergaming]

with a stop in singapore

[@Tker1970]

I flew JFK-BKK when Thai had that route in 2005. 17 hours. It was rough.

[@Ashfaq1999]

Great video.

[@GeoStreber]

I've flown AMS-->GRU for the first time last week, and those 12 hours on a KLM 777-300ER were more than I can stand.

[@jugni4121]

my longest flight DXB to AKL ... it was amazing

[@EpicThe112]

Really excellent video for the 8274nm SIN-EWR the lowest price you can get for it is $1100-1200 with the MNL tag on $800-900 if the EWR to CEB & DVO is added. A350-1000ULR can also do 7404nm JFK-MNL. My longest was 16hr 20 JFK-HKG

[@JustSomeAussieGamer]

Almost 9200nm is insanity, but also amazing.

[@antoniowood8119]

8:28 you don’t have to say it fully out every time 😂😂

[@alexhodgkinson618]

I have flown AKL to DXB with Emirates on the A380 a few times which clocked in at around 17hrs 20mins and it was actually surprisingly easy 👍

[@NANICU]

I've done the SIN-JFK/EWR in PY on 3 return trips and the best advice I can give is to bring extra food and a seat cushion. In PY, SIA only serves 2 meals (economy class standard and portions) and a snack, and for a flight rated 17.5-18hrs, that's simply unacceptable. The seats have also lost much of their cushioning as they're being sat on most of the time in any given 24hr period.

[@nurrizadjatmiko21]

Very interesting🤔. My own longest flight is a 3 hour flight between Jakarta and Bangkok by Indonesia AirAsia back in 2012 i think. Really wanted to try another long flight again in the future.

[@ditirojimmysegang3009]

😂😂😂mine was 4 hours between Gaborone and Nairobi on the Embraer E190 operated by Kenya Airways. Edit. Except when I was flying the PC12 NG from Gaborone-Luanda at 5 hours😅

[@matte8441]

I recently did a Vancouver to Manila flight with Philippine airlines. It was 14 hours to Manila but the return flight was only 12 hours which was a good thing because i got food poisoning on my last day and it struck 2 hours into the return flight so i literally locked myself in the rear lavatory the whole trip and suffered 2 hours less. Oddly the route to Manila flies on a straight line across the pacific, but the flight back to Vancouver follows the coast of Asia/Russia/Alaska.

[@euanroberts9860]

I flew LHR - CGK with Garuda Indonesia back in 2016 to Bali. I think that was 16 or so hours. Not sure I want that again. Haha.

[@rosslarkin6742]

At 2:33 they talk about SIN-EWR being served by an Airbus A340-500 but show an A340-300 flying across the screen

[@davemartin8501]

Longest flight has been Melbourne to Dubai, just over 14hrs in a Emirates B773 economy seat. I wouldn't want to go on a flight beyond that in economy. |The A380 I can tolerate better.

[@RK-bx1by]

Flew the same in 2021 and it felt like hell, especially since I was stuck in the window seat and it was night the entire time.

[@Michael-from-germany]

Top Video ❤

[@BlackMoth1971]

Travelling between the US West Coast and Central Europe several times a year - 11 hours non stop is a max I can handle. Taking tranquilizers and trying to sleep for 9hrs.

[@chriskanaiza8794]

I really believe the 787-9 with some slight modifications just like the A350-900ULR could comfortably do that distance

[@tpr1808]

That's if airlines are interested in it

[@chriskanaiza8794]

@@tpr1808 best looking airliner in the skies

[@sergiolaurencio7534]

The 787-9 would be upgrated to the range of tne a350 though. So airlines "will" have the opportunity.

[@millardlee4153]

I'll be flying SQ22 tonight!!

[@Progamerj175]

Another long flight is Kenya Airways from Jommokenyatta international airport to John F Kennedy international airport the flight is about 14 hours and some few minutes

[@TheRealEtaoinShrdlu]

That SYD to LHR route goes right over some of the sketchiest pieces or airspace in the world. Good luck.

[@d.s.2016]

I wish I had the time and money to experience these flights. But just the idea of stepping on board in London and stepping off the same flight in Sydney on literally the other side of the planet is seriously cool.

[@carlvincent12]

IAH to TPE during winter is exhausting at 15-16 hrs

[@mirzaahmed6589]

AKL-LHR would be the ultimate ultra-long haul flight.

[@miraphycs7377]

actually it be tokyo to santiago chile or brazil or buenos aires in argentina

[@mapper7310]

It would actually be Auckland-Madrid or Auckland-Lisbon because they're on near exact opposite sides of the world (though I don't think its even possible with passengers)

[@francoiss6911]

Simple Flying ignoring Melbourne’s existence like 👁️👄👁️

[@mikea.1586]

I can't take sitting in the plane for hours on end. I like layovers, forces you to move and circulate your blood.

[@clerouxbotha2784]

I flew SAA JNB-JFK….stopped briefly in Dakar….that 16h flight was my limit.

[@jokerface20]

I just flew DFW to SYD a few weeks ago, flight time was 16 hrs 31 mins,I was in business class but even then I found it was just too long, I'd prefer to fly out of LAX in future

[@davidpickford.]

Wouldn't LAX to SYD still be like 15 hours?

[@JenniferNg0529]

If aircraft could travel faster, then more people would be willing to fly these long distances. It's the time onboard that is the limiting factor and not really the distance that are holding people back.

[@ama6487]

the problem is if they fly any faster the efficiency will drop significantly (and hence more fuel and cost), especially if they want to break the speed of sound...

[@RK-bx1by]

Aircraft used to travel faster back in the day (not referring to Concorde), but they weren't economically nor environmentally efficient. But like you said, going faster reduces the range so we can't do much at the moment.

[@tmtools]

SAA also flew JNB to JFK with their BOEING 747-400. I flew this route in 2005

[@Vivek-zw3ex]

If Qantas is prevented from flying over Russian airspace, then another 300 km needs to be added to that LHR-SYD leg to make it 17,320 km.

[@tristanguerin3018]

The longest flight I’ve ever been on was from Amsterdam to Atlanta and lasted a little under 10 hours and I was in coach. I could probably handle up to 18 hours on a plane but I would need to be in a class that has lay flat seats so I could get some proper sleep.

[@FameyFamous]

Low density cabins are essential for such long flights. I’ll want to stretch my legs every hour or two if I’m not asleep. If I don’t have an aisle seat and the person in the aisle seat is asleep, that’s a problem!

[@daniel11111]

The longest I’ve flown is Dublin-Dubai, which takes between 7 and 7.5 hours.

[@sainnt]

I say, the longer the better. 😅

[@tpr1808]

Not if you're in economy 😭

[@sainnt]

@@tpr1808 It's a once in a lifetime experience, so even in economy I'll do it.

[@dmendez12]

What about IAH-SYD by UA?

[@jstidd77]

I’ve done the SYD-DFW route more than once, and to be fair a few more hours in the air wouldn’t make much of a difference.

[@christoohunders5316]

I wouldn't mind flying from Paris to Tahiti in business class with no stopover ! In coach, middle seat that must be a nightmare

[@peteregan3862]

With various defence agreements and resource investments requring travel between Australian cities and New York and London such a service is needed.

[@maximme]

how HIGH do they fly for such long haul? are they at the edge of space?

[@xxzhuu3221]

I'm a little interested in Longest Flights with stops. What will that be?

[@hollythx]

Not Boeing only Airbus to Longhaul

[@Sp3llw0rk]

02:26 That's an A340-300 :P

[@Akshay_Rajbongshi_]

Love 💕😘 to see that i hope from northeast India flights will go to America

[@davidoldham1946]

I twice flew from JKF to JNB in the mid/late nineties and both times it was a 747 and to be honest none of the flights I looked at had an Airbus jet involved.

[@pesawatindonesia]

keren mister ❤❤❤

[@cabottaxi]

Just done a 9 hour flight from Florida to London and that was enough.

[@odzergaming]

cause it was on a us or European airline

[@abdelkadermehiz9407]

Doha to Auckland isn't 15405 Kms it's 14000+ and so

[@canineatnight6026]

qantas do have a chance, but this is also matter if they can carry the passanger demand capaacity and economical needs. I mean 50 ppl on a 787 with max fuel, thats sounds alot for a handful of ppl

[@davidpickford.]

It was a test flight hence why there was only 50 passengers. Mostly Qantas executives, stake holders etc

[@cookieshorts4everyone]

I flew china airlines b777 from taipei taoyuan aiport to germany frankfurt no stops

[@fToo]

@0:33 "extra fuel is needed to carry extra fuel" YES The environmental impact of these Ultra Long Haul flights is horrendous And it's particularly painful to see the LHR-PER flight virtually fly over Dubai / Abu Dhabi - which is an ideal fuelling stop

[@davidpickford.]

The longest flight I've done is 9 hours and honestly it dragged on abit. I like travelling I just find being stuck on a airplane boring after a few hours. I don't know how people do 12-17 hour flights I would be bored out of my mind.

[@Colorado_Ronin]

I’ve spent 12 hours in the middle seat in economy (next to strangers). If I went on an ultra long flight I’d definitely want to have at least premium economy and a window seat

[@vuho2075]

Who is this crow that keeps on flying?

[@RFSTuberYT]

Your Forgot Qantas Perth to London London to Perth! Its 17 Hours and 14,500 km. I know you were just reading the data.

[@recurse]

Given how very not Z Singapore and Australia are, can they really rely on access to Russian airspace to run some of these long routes?

[@henrikzetterstrom278]

Would like to try the longest flight, but in Business class...... I dont know if a tall Swedish man like me, can sit in economy that long.....

[@jeanarcade3673]

DId anyone else saw the strange looking a380 (4:04)

[@tothbalintpal6657]

I think the a380 was not a faliure just a bad timing. If it dropped in like 2022 it would be a huge success. But the pandemic did not let that happen. Many airlines passed on the a380 because flying was "not safe" back then.

[@nickduplooy8845]

Real shame what happened to SAL/SAA

[@miraphycs7377]

5 hours is the maximum i am willing to spend on an aircraft.

[@astroboy4653]

Its actualy melbourne and sydney to london

[@K3N_Z4N]

Ideally there should be a break within 8 hrs of flying time.

[@Gukimo]

How will they be able to fly over Russia ? (project sunrise) ?

[@larrydugan1441]

First class no problem. Economy...OMG

[@Meechooilka]

I suppose once you reach such long distances, variations in routing play a minor role. Because, truth be told, Qantas is not going to overfly Russia, that's for sure. So they will not be able to fly along the shortest route anyways.

[@antoniowood8119]

9:00 14 hours max

[@Voraciousvoyager]

You conveniently forgot air india routes

[@ddc163264]

Wouldn't fly on ANY of them as they are ALL Airbus products. The new one for Qantas with the "restructured fuselage" will be number one on the list of probable catastrophic failure potential. The longest flight I've taken was just SFO to Shanghai and that was way long enough to be crammed into a small seat for over 14 hours. I've had longer military ones but We had room and walk around time.

[@davidpickford.]

Given everything going on with Boeing at the moment I'm kinda confused why you have a concern over Airbus safety.

[@김원태-g1h]

I'm willing to spend 24 hours in flight

[@unseejuice]

I would stay on a flight for years if I was in Emirates Boeing 777 first class.

[@philly2633]

Watching this video reminded me of submitting papers in college where I added a bunch of bullshit to stretch the word count to meet the submission requirements. You could have shave 5 minutes off of this video easily without trimming any actual content.

[@philip1065]

If flying economy max is 6 hours for me, if premium I’d do 9 and business/first I’d be fine with 14+

[@rosskgilmour]

Given the restrictions on flying through russian airspace... i wonder if Ukrainian war will have to be resolved before Qantas flys LHR to SYD actually fly it.

[@sidraseye289]

max 10 hours

[@waltjie]

Honestly anything over 12 hours is just torture 😑

[@davidpickford.]

9 hours is where I tap out