The world's longest flight: Business class on SQ24 from Singapore to New York

There are many, many long-haul flights in this day and age. Out of the hundreds, or even thousands of them, one route holds the spot for the longest flight in the world. The flight, operated by Singapore Airlines, flies a whopping 15,350km from Singapore to New York's John F. Kennedy Airport. The flight is so long that a special variant of the Airbus A350-900 is required to operate it.

Airline: Singapore Airlines (SIA)

Aircraft: Airbus A350-900ULR

Flight Number: SQ24

Route: Singapore Changi (SIN) to New York John F. Kennedy (JFK)

Date of Flight: 14 November 2024

Class: Business (J)

Seat: 23A

Review By: Haotian

For the avgeeks

Aircraft Registration: 9V-SGB

Aircraft Age: 6 Years Old

Serial Number: 223

Mode S: 76CCE2

Gate: B8

The flight is operated by the Airbus A350-900 Ultra Long Range (ULR).

The flight starts at Changi Airport's Terminal 3, where check-in formalities were swiftly completed. After clearing immigration, I paid a quick visit to Singapore Airlines' SilverKris lounge. As it was already almost time for boarding, I grabbed a quick bite from the lounge, and headed to the boarding gate.

At the boarding gate, before clearing security, there was a passport and US visa check, which I believe is only conducted for flights to the United States. After clearing security, there was a short wait at the boarding lounge before boarding was announced.

Stepping foot on the aircraft, it seemed just like any other Singapore Airlines A350-900 in the long-haul configuration, except there were many more rows of business class seats, premium economy class seats, and get this - no economy class seats.

Waiting for me at the seat were a pair of slippers, a pair of socks, eyeshades, a bottle of water, a pair of headsets, as well as a pillow.

The seats feature a 1-2-1 configuration, and are very spacious.

As I settled down in my seat, 23A, I was warmly greeted by the fantastic cabin crew of the flight, who then promptly offered me a welcome drink, of which I opted for an orange juice.

Orange you just glad to see me? Ok I'll stop.

Soon, we were pushing back for runway 02L. (Yay for shorter taxi time?) Concurrently as we pushed back, the iconic Singapore Airlines safety video was played. After just 5 minutes after pushing back, we were soaring out of Singapore, for the Big Apple.

The A350 winglets are just magnificent.

Once we reached cruising altitude, the seatbelt signs were turned off, and the first meal service began. On this ultra long-haul flight, there are a total of 2 main meal services, coupled with a watered down dine-on demand menu, which mainly featured noodles and sandwiches.

The first meal service started with warmed nuts, followed by an appetiser, which was a grilled chicken salad with roasted apples.

The salad was served with almond romesco sauce and tomatoes.

After the appetiser, the main course was served. I had utilised SQ's Book the Cook function beforehand to select my meals, and I opted for the Singapore prawn noodles. It definitely hit the spot, and was a reminiscent of prawn noodles in a hawker centre in Singapore.

I seriously cannot find fault with SQ's catering - out of Singapore at least.

Desserts were served soon after. I stayed simple and ordered a chocolate ice cream. As simple as it sounded, the presentation was still outstanding.

This chocolate ice cream was divine.

After the first meal service, I made the bed, and decided to go to sleep for about 5 hours. The bed was fine, but the small cubby hole was really tight for a big person like me, but it worked just fine.

After a nap, I decided to try out some of the food that was available throughout the whole flight. I opted for a mee siam, which was dry, but acceptable for in-flight standards.

The noodles and prawns were dry, but it was rather superb taste-wise.

As the cabin was still dimmed, there really was not much I could do, so I decided to watch a few movies and films on Singapore Airlines' Krisworld entertainment system. In this particular business class product, each seat boasted a massive 18-inch screen.

The lights were dimmed until about 10 hours into the flight.

About 7 hours before landing, the lights in the aircraft started to come on. Promptly after, the second meal service began, and this time, table service was offered for every passenger in business class.

The meal started with canapes, the renowned Singapore Airlines chicken satay. It was, as usual, cooked spot-on.

The satay was served with a side of cucumbers and onions.

After the satay, an appetiser, which was a rather unique salad consisting of crabmeat and egg, was served.

A rather unconventional combination, but it was delightful.

The main course was soon served, and I had pre-ordered the grilled beef steak, again using Singapore Airlines' Book the Cook service.

The steak was a perfect medium rare, and served with a side of vegetables.

After finishing the main course, desserts were served, and I went for a platter of fruits.

The fruits platter came with grapes, a piece of orange, honeydew, strawberry and pomelo.

Soon after, the lights were dimmed once again, for the passengers that wanted to take a quick nap before arriving in New York.

After about 6 hours more, the pilot announced our descent into JFK. The approach into JFK airport was one of the nicest ones I've seen, with a clear view of the downtown Manhattan skyline. At 7.25pm local time, with the effects of jet lag looming over me, the Airbus A350-900ULR touched down smoothly on runway 4R of New York's John F. Kennedy Airport, marking the end of the 18-hour long-haul flight.

Conclusion

Singapore Airlines managed to deliver a rather exceptional service onboard this 18-hour flight. The food and drinks were all more than sufficient for the flight of this duration, and there were also many different movies and shows available to keep you occupied on the flight. The seat in general is very comfortable, though some might have qualms with sleeping sideways on a flight. The crew for the flight were excellent, and they were really attentive and friendly, even at the end of the flight.

However, the only complaint I have with the flight would probably be the cleanliness of the lavatories on board. Towards the end of the flight, one of the lavatories seemed slightly dirty, with paper strewn around. However, it was of course a small issue, as the flight was soon ending.

Final Rating: 9.1/10

Ground Experience: 9/10

Airport Lounge: 10/10

Seat: 8/10

Inflight Service: 10/10

Inflight Entertainment: 9/10

Inflight Meal: 9/10

Aircraft Cleanliness: 8/10

Amenities: 10/10

The Flight, In Fifteen Words:

Excellent crew, nice seat, you'll never go hungry, lots of activities to keep you occupied.