Supplied Content
Auckland, October 14, 2018
Airbus A350-900ULR (Ultra Long Range) Supplied
Singapore Airlines (SIA) has launched the world’s longest commercial flight, between Singapore and New York.
The first new non-stop flight between Singapore and New York departed Changi International Airport on October 11, 2018 at 2337 hrs (Singapore time) and arrived at Newark Liberty International Airport a day later at 0529 hrs (US Eastern time). The flight duration was 17 hours, 52 minutes.
New Airbus Service
Operated by the all-new Airbus A350-900ULR (Ultra Long Range), the route will initially be served thrice-weekly, departing Singapore on Monday, Thursday and Saturday.
Daily operations will commence from October 18, after an additional A350-900ULR aircraft enters service.
Special treatment
To commemorate the inaugural flight, customers departing from Singapore were treated to an evening of performances and an assortment of food and beverages at a special boarding gate event. Customers also received an exclusive goodie bag containing a commemorative certificate and a pair of SIA-branded Bodum glasses.
Customers on the world’s longest flight were treated with a comfortable and relaxing travelling experience with special Wellness Cuisines curated by chefs and nutritionists from Canyon Ranch, a leader in healthy living and wellness, in addition to SIA’s own meal selections and creations by its International Culinary Panel of chefs.
Height of comfort
Designed with the customers’ well-being in mind, sleep strategies and specific cabin lighting settings to enhance cabin ambience for rest and relaxation were also introduced.
The aircraft has been designed with higher ceilings, larger windows and an extra wide body to help reduce jetlag and ensure that customers feel well rested and relaxed upon arrival.
Customers also have greater control over their in-flight entertainment (IFE) experience with myKrisWorld – a world-first IFE personalisation offering that provides content recommendations based on customer preferences and viewing history.
Customised preference
KrisFlyer members will save and resume content, create playlists, and customise their preferences on myKrisWorld for subsequent flights. In addition, KrisFlyer members will have access to 200 additional hours of in-flight entertainment content. This is on top of the more than 1,000 hours of existing in-flight entertainment offerings.
Customers can also experience high-speed in-flight WiFi service on Singapore Airlines’ new A350-900ULR aircraft.
Equipped with Panasonic Avionics’ new satellite modem that operates with its third generation satellite network, the service is capable of delivering higher-speed Internet to customers. Currently available on A350-900ULR aircraft in Singapore Airlines’ fleet, this service will be progressively introduced on other aircraft that are equipped with Panasonic Avionics’ Internet and mobile in-flight connectivity.
Improved connectivity
Chief Executive Goh Choon said that Singapore Airlines is proud to introduce the world’s longest commercial flights with the new A350-900ULR.
“We are even more excited to be providing customers with improved connectivity between Singapore and the United States. This demonstrates our commitment to putting our customers’ needs at the forefront of all that we do,” he said.
SIA is the world’s first customer for the new A350-900ULR, with seven firm orders with Airbus. The aircraft will be configured in a two-class layout, with 67 Business Class seats and 94 Premium Economy Class seats.
The aircraft will also be used for new non-stop flights between Singapore and Los Angeles, which are to be launched on November 2, 2018, as well as to increase services on the existing Singapore-San Francisco route. By the end of the year, SIA will have 27 non-stop flights per week between Singapore and the United States.
*
