Austman
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- Sep 21, 2007
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- Qantas
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Due to end in 2013, I had the privilege to fly on the longest commercial flights in the world. At 15,345km with a scheduled duration of more than 18 hours, SQ22/21 SIN-EWR-SIN are easily the longest commercial flights ever flown.
SQ operates these flights with an A340-500 in an all business class configuration of 100 seats. Both my flights were around half full. Both travelled easterly.
1. Changi transit hotel the night before.
I've stayed at the transit hotel a few times. Some the of rooms have views! This time a SQ A340-600 pulled up outside my room at around 05:30. Although the hotel's soundproofing is pretty good - it doesn't quite cut it if an A340 comes along. How appropriate for me as it might be this actual plane that I'll be flying in a few hours time.
Room with view (if you like looking at A340s)
2. SQ22 SIN-EWR 10:55-17:50
After breakfast in the SilverKris lounge it was off to the gate at around 10:00. By the time I arrived boarding had just started. There were probably around 50 passengers on this flight, so boarding was very relaxed and uncrowded.
My first impressions of the SQ A340-500 was that it had seen better days - it looked rather yellowed. And also that the pitch on the SQ J-class seats was much tighter than the Qantas Skybeds that I'm more used to. But the SQ seats were a lot wider and you needed the side cushion to stop yourself from sliding sideways. Later I realised it was just SQ's colour scheme - browns, creams, blacks that gave the plane a bit of an aged look and the seats were actually very roomy once you realised that diagonal positioning was needed. Seating is 1-2-1 which means everyone gets an aisle so there is no stepping over other passengers to negotiate.
Departure was on time but it was a very long taxi. I cursed myself for drinking too much coffee in the lounge and for having a pre-take-off champagne without a pre-take-off visit to the bathroom.
I regret this in about 45 minutes time
I had wondered, even panicked, about how I'd survive a nearly 19 hour non-stop flight. But in the end it was really nice and quite relaxing. Meals, drinks and service were all SQ top notch. SQ infamously does not hand out pyjamas in J-class, not even on even these flights - so I did a BYO with a Qantas J-class pair that I hadn't opened. I got a few strange looks from the SQ crew probably due to the big kangaroo logo on my chest - but what the heck - I was comfortable for the next 18 hours.
1 hour down, only 18:15 hours and 15,068 km to go!!
Time passed pretty quickly with meals (including book-the-cooks), drinks, movies, TV shows and of course sleep!
The Book the Cook lobster thermidor
Arrival in EWR was pretty much on schedule and (for a change for me) there was no waiting at all at migration and customs. I had carry-on only so within minutes of arrival I was on a train to central Manhattan (via the EWR Airtrain).
3. New York.
Here is some of what I did in New York. I added two more ticks after the photo was taken.
What I've been to see (not just in NYC)
SQ operates these flights with an A340-500 in an all business class configuration of 100 seats. Both my flights were around half full. Both travelled easterly.
1. Changi transit hotel the night before.
I've stayed at the transit hotel a few times. Some the of rooms have views! This time a SQ A340-600 pulled up outside my room at around 05:30. Although the hotel's soundproofing is pretty good - it doesn't quite cut it if an A340 comes along. How appropriate for me as it might be this actual plane that I'll be flying in a few hours time.
Room with view (if you like looking at A340s)
2. SQ22 SIN-EWR 10:55-17:50
After breakfast in the SilverKris lounge it was off to the gate at around 10:00. By the time I arrived boarding had just started. There were probably around 50 passengers on this flight, so boarding was very relaxed and uncrowded.
My first impressions of the SQ A340-500 was that it had seen better days - it looked rather yellowed. And also that the pitch on the SQ J-class seats was much tighter than the Qantas Skybeds that I'm more used to. But the SQ seats were a lot wider and you needed the side cushion to stop yourself from sliding sideways. Later I realised it was just SQ's colour scheme - browns, creams, blacks that gave the plane a bit of an aged look and the seats were actually very roomy once you realised that diagonal positioning was needed. Seating is 1-2-1 which means everyone gets an aisle so there is no stepping over other passengers to negotiate.
Departure was on time but it was a very long taxi. I cursed myself for drinking too much coffee in the lounge and for having a pre-take-off champagne without a pre-take-off visit to the bathroom.
I regret this in about 45 minutes time
I had wondered, even panicked, about how I'd survive a nearly 19 hour non-stop flight. But in the end it was really nice and quite relaxing. Meals, drinks and service were all SQ top notch. SQ infamously does not hand out pyjamas in J-class, not even on even these flights - so I did a BYO with a Qantas J-class pair that I hadn't opened. I got a few strange looks from the SQ crew probably due to the big kangaroo logo on my chest - but what the heck - I was comfortable for the next 18 hours.
1 hour down, only 18:15 hours and 15,068 km to go!!
Time passed pretty quickly with meals (including book-the-cooks), drinks, movies, TV shows and of course sleep!
The Book the Cook lobster thermidor
Arrival in EWR was pretty much on schedule and (for a change for me) there was no waiting at all at migration and customs. I had carry-on only so within minutes of arrival I was on a train to central Manhattan (via the EWR Airtrain).
3. New York.
Here is some of what I did in New York. I added two more ticks after the photo was taken.
What I've been to see (not just in NYC)
