I flew on the longest flight in the world that lasted nearly 18 hours and covered 10,000 miles - here's what it was like
Singapore Airlines Flight SQ21 to Singapore operates out of Terminal B at Newark Airport. Since this was an inaugural flight, we arrived more than four hours before the 10:45 am departure time as there were some additional festivities involved.
As the media briefing, the photo shoots, and the press conference, it was time to get on the plane.
As we wait to board, we catch a glimpse at our chariot, the new Airbus A350-900ULR.
Singapore Airlines ordered seven A350-900ULRs. These are the only seven ULRs in the world at this time. SIA took the delivery of the first aircraft in September with all seven slated to enter the fleet by the end of the year. Interesting, the inaugural flights were actually conducted using the second ULR.
At around 10 am, we board the plane.
At the boarding door, we are greeted by Singapore Airlines cabin crew.
On board, I make my way through the business class cabin to my seat. Our plane had only 161 seats with 67 in business and...
... 94 seats in premium economy. That's about 90 seats fewer than on Singapore's standard A350-900s. My flight back from Singapore will be premium economy. So more on that later.
Here it is! My home for the next 18 to 19 hours. SIA's business class seat is rather impressive. It's 28 inches wide and can recline up to 132 degrees.
The seat is upholstered in soft leather with supportive padding.
Or the seat can be folded forward and reconfigured into a 78-inch long bed. While the seat is leather, the padded bed is cloth. This allows your body to better regulate temperature while sleeping. Also, the bed looks a lot nicer when flights attendants set it up for you.
Next to you is a storage nook where the complimentary eye mask, socks, and slippers are kept.
Next to you is a large retractable tray table.
In front of you is an 18-inch entertainment screen (more on this later),...
...Another storage compartment, ...
... A mirror, and...
... An ottoman where you can prop your feet up.
Even without the ottoman, there was more than enough legroom.
I'm settled in and ready to go!
For my pre-flight drink, I went healthy with a glass of pineapple juice.
As we made our way towards the runway, we passed an Emirates Boeing 777-300ER.
Next up, fire trucks commemorated the special occasion with a water cannon salute.
And it was a direct hit from the water cannon. Shortly thereafter, we taxied onto the runway and the pilots jammed turned loose the Rolls-Royce Trent turbofan engines.
Away we go! I'm always amazed at how quiet these new turbofan engines are. Even at take off.
Shortly after takeoff, the crew served a snack of mixed nuts.
I ordered a vodka tonic to go along with it. On this flight, Singapore served Absolut Vodka.
While most airlines provide prepackaged amenity kits, Singapore allows their passengers to create their own from a selection of items. I went with the hand sanitizer, lip balm, ear plugs, fabric wrinkle releaser, and the fabric freshener.
Back to the 18-inch screen. It's running Singapore KrisWorld in-flight entertainment system.
The system is controlled by this retractable controller that uses traditional buttons and a central touchscreen.
The system is very intuitive, responsive, and an absolute breeze to use.
KrisWorld normally offers more than 1,000 hours movies, TV shows, music, podcasts, and games. For this route, the airline added another 200 hours of content.
I decided to go with Grand Prix starring James Garner and Yves Montand. It's John Frankenheimer's greatest work and a cinematic masterpiece. Singapore Airlines also provides its business class passengers with a pair of over-ear active noise canceling headphones.
About two hours into the flight, the first meal service commenced. The multi-course meal opened with sauteed prawns on a quinoa salad with semi-dried tomato and snow pea tendrils. The appetizer was flavorful, crisp, and refreshing.
For my main course, I went with the deep fried pork in sweet vinegar sauce with sauteed vegetables and egg fried rice. This dish was spot on. The pork was some of the best I've had. The fried rice had good flavor, but it was a bit mushy for my liking. I have also been told by my colleagues on the flight that the sous-vide beef filet with wild mushroom cream sauce and the bake cheese herb crusted halibut were also delicious options.
After the main course, I had cherry ice cream with shaved chocolate for dessert followed by a cheese and fruit plate.
After lunch, I rested for a couple of hours and finished Grand Prix. I tried to do some work, but the plane's WiFi system did not cooperate. This was mainly due to a large number of bandwidth hogging journalists and vloggers on board. The WiFi system, for me, was the only discernable hiccup to in the otherwise smooth experience.
A few hours into the flight, it was time to get to work. We got the chance to speak with the flight's captain about the challenges of operating the longest flight in the world. We also spoke with Singapore Airlines's director of food and beverage, Chef Anthony McNeil.
We chatted about the intricacies of delivering fine dining at 40,000 feet. The chef also demonstrated the proper procedure for plating dishes.
As for the flight, the airline doesn't have a single path between Newark and Singapore. It has variations on three paths. One that flies over the North Pacific and another that flies over the Atlantic. Our flight took the third route which flies north over Canada and past the North Pole. Then we head south over Russia and China.
Here's a shot of us flying past the North Pole. Santa is nowhere to be seen.
Since we were scheduled to land at 5:30 pm and Singapore is 12 hours ahead of New York, I decided to start adjusting my body clock by not sleeping the night before. Six hours into the flight, I'm ready to sleep.
I tuck myself into bed and proceed to sleep through all of Deadpool 2. Apparently, gratuitous violence and Ryan Reynold's comedic timing is no match of exhaustion.
I woke up sometime around hour nine. Still doing well.
The sun is coming back out.
Short after waking up, it was time for the second meal service. This round opened with a selection of canapes. The smoked haddock, cucumber salad with cajun chicken, and roasted pumpkin with thyme mushroom where all delicious.
The appetizer was a fennel and orange cured salmon trout which proved to bit flavorless. It kind of tasted like nothing.
For my main course, I ordered the lobster macaroni and cheese. Epic fail. The lobster, while flavorful, was tough and chewy. The mac and cheese tasted like plain boiled pasta. I should have gone with the beef short ribs, the seared lamb or the Thai red curry.
However, the desert, cheese, and fruit cart more than made up for the main course.
I got some grapes, a chocolate truffle, and a selection of petite fours. The matcha one was my favorite.
After the second meal, I returned to my marathon of Marvel movies. However, slept through them as well. Once every hour or two I would get up and walk around the cabin just to keep the blood flowing.
Around hour 15, I decided to order one of the snack items available from hour three until hour 16 of the flight. These items range from soup noodles to Cuban sandwiches to greek yogurt. I ordered the la mian with braised pork and Chinese greens. It was honestly the best thing I had on the flight. The broth was rich and savory while the noodles had great texture. The well cooked pork belly also had the right balance between lean meat and fat.
As we approach Singapore, we fly over the armada of cargo ships waiting to enter its ports.
Touch down at Changi Airport! We actually arrived about 45 minutes ahead of schedule. Total flight time was actually just under 18 hours.
As we deplane, we get one final look at the A350 ULR.
And customs and baggage claim go smoothly at Changi Airport.
All in all, the longest flight in the world proved to be a breeze. The Singapore Airlines service was impeccable, the in-flight entertainment was good, the food was amazing while the seat was simply lovely.
However, I do recognize that the ease of the flight is certainly helped along by being in business class. In a few days, I'll be flying back to Newark on Flight SQ22. This time, I'll be in premium economy. More to come.
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