In Jules Verne’s classic 19th century novel Around the World in Eighty Days, the protagonist Phileas Fogg famously tries to circumnavigate the globe in – funnily enough – 80 days. We don’t want to give away any plot spoilers, but it’s reasonable to describe his journey as pretty arduous. But Fogg’s marathon endeavour would have been a little less challenging had he attempted it today. Now it’s possible to board a single flight and step off more than 9,000 miles from your point of departure.
Most notably, you can jet from Singapore to Newark in less than 19 hours (for context, it took Verne’s character more than a month to cover the same distance, travelling by train, paddle steamer and, at one point, a wind-powered sledge). And that’s not the only long, long distance flight around. As the aviation industry becomes more sophisticated, we’re connecting great cities quicker and more carbon-efficiently than ever before.
To marvel at how far we’ve come since the 19th century, the Flexicover team present the five longest plane routes in the world.
Singapore Airlines: Singapore to Newark
In October 2018, Singapore Airlines reclaimed its position as the king of so-called ‘super-haul’ flights by relaunching its occasional route between Newark Liberty International Airport and its hub at Changi International Airport. Covering a mammoth distance of 9,534 miles in 18 hours and 30 minutes, it’s comfortably the longest flight in the world at the time of writing. Think about it; you could be enjoying an early morning coffee and a bagel in Central Park one day, then pulling up in a taxi at Singapore’s Marina Bay in time for breakfast the day after. The trip is so lengthy that Singapore Airlines stripped out all the economy seats from the Airbus A350s that fly the route to make room for more spacious premium economy and business class seating.
Qatar Airways: Auckland to Doha
From the depths of the southern hemisphere to the Middle East (or vice versa) in less than a day; Qatar Airways’ route between Auckland and Doha is truly gargantuan. The 9,032-mile journey takes 17 hours and 50 minutes in total. For context, the next quickest trip covering the same route, but with a layover, clocks in at more than 22 hours. Despite the swift service, flying this route will still give you plenty of time to get acquainted with the airline’s in-flight movie selection. In fact, you could watch the extended cuts of all three Lord of the Rings movies - and still be able to squeeze in a much-deserved six-hour nap.
Qantas: Perth to London
To any Brit, Australia has always been seen as ‘down under’. That’s actually not quite true – Otago in New Zealand is technically the furthest city away from London – but even so, Australia is a fair trek. Yet modern aviation knows nothing of our misguided geographic beliefs. To that end, Aussie flag-carrier Qantas runs a route between London and Perth, making a mockery of the vast 9,009-mile distance between the two cities by covering it in just 17 hours and 25 minutes.
Emirates: Dubai to Auckland
Another almighty schlep between the Middle East and New Zealand’s most populous city, Emirates’ route from Dubai is practically a minnow in super-haul terms, measuring less than 9,000 miles (8,824 miles in total, to be precise). This paltry distance is covered in a mere 17 hours and 10 minutes. To celebrate the launch of the route, the New Zealand Herald helpfully calculated a list of things you could be doing instead of flying from Auckland to Dubai. The newspaper’s suggestions included watching 12 back-to-back rugby matches - well, it is the New Zealand Herald after all.
Singapore Airlines: Singapore to Los Angeles
It may be 764 miles shorter than its ‘big brother’ route between Singapore and Newark, but Singapore Airlines’ service to (and from) Los Angeles is still currently the fifth longest in the world at 8,770 miles. For reasons that aren’t fully apparent to us, but are hopefully understood by the aviation industry, it takes 17 hours and 50 minutes to cover the distance between the two cities – in other words, more time than the significantly longer flight between Auckland and Doha. Perhaps there just aren’t the jet streams to take advantage of.
Whether you’re planning a trip to a long haul destination, or somewhere a little closer to home, it’s good to know that Flexicover Travel Insurance is committed to providing you with the highest level of protection to ensure you are safe and secure 24 hours a day when away.
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