Going The Distance

The ultra long-haul renaissance

Doha-Auckland. San Francisco-Singapore. Dubai-Auckland. Los Angeles-Hong Kong. Cebu-Los Angeles.

These 17-hour plus marathon flights will stretch aircraft and passenger limits in the new age of ultra long-haul flying. They come just two years after the end of the previous poster child for ultra long-haul flights was closed down: the pair of Singapore Airlines services from Changi to Los Angeles and Newark, the airport just across the river from New York City. SIA operated a dedicated subfleet of premium Airbus A340-500 aircraft on the route, initially outfitted with business and premium economy, and later just business.