The longest flight in the world for a long time was
Singapore Airlines’ Singapore – Newark non-stop flight. It checked in between
16:30 – 18:30 (depending on wind and direction). The flight clocked in at 9,534
miles, well longer than any flight previously. Rising oil prices and an
inefficient 4-engine aircraft, ultimately made the flight unviable and it was
ended in 2013 (I wrote about this here: http://loungingpass.blogspot.com/2013/11/the-end-of-ultra-long-haul-goodbye-to.html). Well, reduced oil
prices and new aircraft have resurrected the flight. Using the A350-900LR aircraft,
Singapore Airlines will be re-launching the New York non-stop route in 2018
(along with their old Singapore – Los Angeles flight that was the #2 longest in
the world when it was ended). That flight will return to being the longest in
the world. However, until we get to 2018, there is an incredible rat-race going
on with everyone’s favorite subsidized Airlines, the ME3 (Emirates, Etihad,
Qatar) to hold that title.
The current leader is Qantas’s Sydney – Dallas flight,
clocking in 8,578 miles. It’s held that position unchanged since the Singapore
flight ended. The #2 flight on the list, Delta’s Atlanta – Johannesburg (8,439
miles) was also unchanged, but the list of flights right behind it have
basically all been created as a result of the ME3 introducing non-stop flights
to various US cities. Flight from ME3 hubs to Los Angeles, San Francisco,
Dallas and Houston make up 10 of the Top-16 flights. Most have been introduced
since 2010. But things are basically being escalated to a 10 right now.
It started a little innoucuously, with Emirates announcing
plans to start a non-stop flight from Dubai to Panama City, a flight that would
be 8,588 miles, literally just 10 more than the current holder. That flight
never happened, the Emirates got the press and the media attention for the new
‘longest flight’. Most people were like ‘Wow, look at Emirates’, but us more
skeptical and interested folks were a little more interested in the ‘why’, or
even the ‘how, as in ‘how does this flight make any sense?’ It really goes into
the central driver of the overall global aviation industry concern of the ‘ME3’.
The ME3, particularly Emirates, essentially runs its
business based on connecting place to place through its hub purely as a point of
transit. By its convenient location, the Middle East comes right in between a
lot of major routes. It is a natural stop between the Western Hemisphere and
South Asia, and between Southeast Asia / Australia and Europe. It also works to
connect millions into Africa. How Emirates can combine this business model with
$750 flights from New York to India is beyond madness, but whatever. Let’s put
aside the shadiness and the claims of subsidies and government backing and all
the messines. That’s the essentials. Now, we have to ask ourselves, where are
these people in Panama City flying to that they need to connect in Dubai?
Other than the extremely small population of people in Latin
America that would be flying to the Indian Sub-Continent, no one else would be
better served flying through Dubai. Panama City folk would be better served
going through Australia to Southeast Asia than through Dubai. All other areas
(Europe, Africa) can be reached directly. That flight actually never happened –
quietly Emirates ushered it away… and replaced it with a more ridiculous
flight.
On March 2nd, Emirates flew non-stop from Dubai
to Auckland. That makes some sort of sense, and at 8,824 miles, it becomes the
world’s longest. There are people who need to go from Auckland to Europe.
Granted, it is basically as quick to do so through the US (Auckland – London is
shorter through Los Angeles than through Dubai), but at least there is a
market. However, the best part is at the same time, not to be outdone, Qatar
Airways announced they too would start service to Auckland (9,032 miles), and
start service to Santiago (8,966 miles). The Santiago flight is just absurd.
Again, the only people who would ever need to take this flight are people
flying to India. It is quicker through Australia to both Southeast and North
Asia (Singapore, Bangkok or Tokyo). There is just no one who will take this
flight.
But that is the thing, when you have an airline that can
basically print money (forget the potentially odd reasons why they are so able
to print that money) you can open flights for the sole purpose of flying the
longest flight in the world. I have no doubt someone in Emirates realized that
Panama City is slightly further away from Dubai than Sydney is from Dallas, and
then someone from Qatar said, ‘OK, it’s time to drop the Auckland hammer!’
And that is why I kind of love the fact that Singapore
Airlines, a good two years before the flight will be launched, and a good 18
months before they will even get the aircraft to fly it, announced they are
re-launching the Singapore – Los Angeles (8,770 miles – would actually be
beaten by these Santiago / Auckland flights) and Singapore – New York (9,537
miles). The ME3 is basically forced to do all of this self-congratulating and
record holding knowing that in 18 months, it will get stripped away.
Sadly, it will be the same reason of why the Middle East
airlines are so effective (slave labor and government subsidies… I kid) is the
reason why they’ll never hold the title: they are in the perfect place for all
cities. It is hard to find a destination that is further than 9,537 miles from
Doha or Dubai or Abu Dhabi. There are tons in the 8,000 – 9,000 range, which is
what they’ve focused on, but the jump from 9,000 (Doha – Auckland) to 9,537 is
a big one.
The above map shows every place within 9,537 miles from
Dubai (DXB), and the places further than that are darkened. Basically the vast
expanse of the Pacific where no one lives. There is nothing real in that area
unless they want to fly to Easter Island non-stop. Now, let’s look at the same
map from New York (JFK):
Obviously, this is based on Singapore being the future holder, so it is on the edge of the circle, but there are a few quick takeaways:
- Singapore is really far away. Somehow, Auckland is closer. Auckland is actually closer to New York than it is to the Middle East.
- There is a chance we get a longer flight than New York - Singapore, in that we can get New York - Sydney
Utlimately, unless we get an aircraft that can reliably fly Sydney - New York (9,950 miles) or better than that, Sydney - London (10,573 miles), New York - Singapore is probably the limit. I call out those Sydney flights because they are the only logical flights that are longer than the New York - Singapore flight taht actually connect two large hubs that may have the non-stop demand to have the route be viable. These are not fake routes like Santiago - Doha. These are real connections between massive cities and financial hubs. That said, they probably won't happen. The airlines that would potentially fly these routes have to play by the rules of real business. They won't have flights just for the sake of having them.
And that is the cruel irony in what hte ME3 is doing now. They're all fighting to have the title of Longest Flight in the World, a title that meant so much to real airlines that Singapore Airlines gave it up willingly in 2013. They better get it now, and market hte hell out of it, because the old title older is coming in 2015 to reclaim its glory, and unless the tectonic plates speed up and push California out into the mid-Pacific, there is nothing the ME3 will be able to do about it.
