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One week ago, I embarked on the longest nonstop journey of my life — for the second time. Singapore Airlines operated the world’s longest flight, from Newark to Changi Airport, until it was forced to retire its flagship route, along with the gas-guzzling Airbus A340-500, in November 2013.
Since then, a handful of other airlines have fought for that record-breaking title, but even Qatar’s 9,074-mile journey from Doha (DOH) to Auckland (AKL) will have to make do with runner-up — a new aircraft capable of operating the nearly 10,000-mile journey just made its debut, finally marking the return of Singapore SQ21 this month.
This time around, I got to spend 18 hours (and change) onboard SQ’s first Airbus A350-900ULR. Even in business class, it felt like the journey would never come to an end. Naturally, the first thing people ask, is ‘what did you do for all that time?’ I could tell you, of course, but given the novelty of this ultra-long adventure, I figured it’d be more fun to mount a GoPro, and keep the camera rolling from gate to gate:
So, how did I end up occupying my time? Let’s break it down…
Hour 1: Taxi, takeoff and figuring out what to eat
Hour 2: Changing into pajamas, surveying movies, Singapore Sling
Hour 3: Lunch! And an incredible 2006 Chateau Rauzan-Segla Bordeaux
Hour 4: Dessert, cheese and some chamomile tea
Hour 5: Getting ready for a long post-meal snooze
I didn’t go to sleep right away, though — Singapore partnered with Canyon Ranch for some wellness enhancements for this special flight, and the company’s CEO told us that it’s best to give yourself a couple of hours to digest before hitting the hay. That’s more or less impossible to pull off on a six-hour redeye, but with another 14+ hours left to go after our first Singapore 21 feast, delaying sleep a little bit longer felt like an entirely reasonable request.
Don’t let me spoil the video for you, though — be sure to catch the clip up above before you go. Then, for more on the world’s longest flight, see:
- Singapore Business Class on the World’s Longest Flight (Review)
- I Survived 18 Hours on the World’s Longest Flight (Premium Economy Review)
- Where to Sit When Flying Singapore’s A350-900ULR: Business Class
Know before you go.
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