The Worlds Longest Flight SIN-EWR

“What!? 18 hours on a plane? Are you nuts? I would avoid that like the plague.” This was a common response when telling others we’re planning on flying the worlds longest flight, SIN-EWR. Singapore-New York. Because of a booking mistake I had made in March 2018 I now had to get us to Singapore a year later for March 2019. One may think why go through all this trouble over a few hundred dollar mistake? Well besides the fact that I’m cheap frugal, I love a challenge. I started looking at this as a puzzle and how to create a fun trip.

Table of Contents

How We Booked It

Through a couple of Amex credit card sign-up bonuses, I accumulated more than enough Membership Reward points for this.

First I met the minimum spending on the cards and qualified for the Membership Reward points bonus. Once they posted to my Amex account, I logged into my Singapore KrisFlyer account and I started looking for Saver Award availability for flights from SIN to EWR. My search was for the week of March 26 2019 since this was our check out date from my hotel mistake victory. Surprisingly, I found the award availability on the day I needed.

Let me be clear that finding flight award availability on the exact date and route can be touch and go. Usually being flexible on times and routes is part of the game but I got lucky here. I transferred the necessary Amex Membership Rewards to my Singapore KrisFlyer account. This took around 12-24 hours. Fortunately the flights were still available so I locked them down.

Mini Review

Who: Singapore Air, Flight SQ22

Where: SIN-EWR

When: May 27 2019 at 12:40 AM-6:30 AM

What: Airbus 350-900ULR (Ultra Long Range), Business Class, Seats 14 D+F

How: Each used 92k KrisFlyer miles + 70 SGD/$51 USD Taxes/Fees

Why: Business is better than Economy

Pre-Boarding Prep

Now for the fun stuff, choosing seats and the meals. I used Seat Guru to decide on seats. We prefer to sit next to each other so we can occasionally chat. Looks like its a 1-2-1 seat configuration. Guess we’re in the middle with no window. Oh well. Now for the meals.

Singapore Air has a service called Book the Cook. It’s for Suites, First,Business and Premium class passengers. You can log in up to 24 hrs before your flight and choose your meal. There are tons of choices. It’s nice when you know ahead of time what you’ll be having or if you have a specific diet like Masha being a Vegan. This pic is of my choice ;o)

About 3 hours before our flight we arrived at the airport and checked into the Business Class Lounge. It was pretty huge with quite a large spread of food and drinks both non and alcoholic. There were also 2 separate stations set for chefs to serve out fresh pastas, soups and local dishes. Once settled and fed I headed for the showers, another feature of a great airport lounge. It was pretty busy so the attendant put me on a list. Before my drink was done my buzzer went off.

On Board

Once we boarded the plane it was time to explore my pod for the next 18hrs.

My first impression was WOW! This is nice. It felt new and was quite spacious. Just as good as some First class cabins we have been in.

They announced the main meal service shortly after we took off. This part is odd because who wants a dining experience in the middle of the night? We asked to have our meals later and set up the bed. The seats ‘reclined’ but not all the way down flat. You had to get up and flip the back rest down for the lay flat. Personally I like to stay in my seat and let the motor go from seated to flat.

I think we both slept a solid 7 hrs. At this point we were pretty much half way through the flight. After a great meal and watching a few movies it seemed like time was really marching on. There was 30 MB free Wi-Fi and then you had to pay for more. We didn’t bother. It was nice to disconnect, relax and enjoy the ride. After a few more drinks, some more channel surfing and another meal we were preparing for landing.

Wrap Up

This was a looooong flight. It’s always fun to check off boxes in this travel hacking hobby. Like showering or hanging out at the bar on Emirates A380. (Each used 100K Alaska Mileage Plan Miles)

Or enjoying a shave, massage and then a full serviced meal in the Etihad First class lounge. Cigar and rum complements of Cuba. Yum! Then getting cozy in our little cubical at the end of the day. (Each Used 115K AA Advantage Miles)

Yes, ‘The Worlds Longest Flight’ SIN-EWR was a fun and comfortable experience but I’m not sure I would make an effort to do it again. Oh well, box checked. Now for the next adventure.

Whats the longest you’ve sat on a plane?

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2 Comments

Bernice says:

August 2, 2019 at 7:21 AM

Hi Rob and Masha!
Great article Rob. Last December we did LAX to Manila. I think that was like 15 hours. And no business class for us—only extra leg room. That was long. I need to start working on more travel hacks. Keep having fun and keep writing!

1. Masha says:
  
  August 2, 2019 at 6:31 PM
  
  Thanks so much, Bernice! Great to hear from you! Hope you and the family are doing well.

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