United goes ultra long-haul to Singapore

United Airlines is set to join a growing list of carriers taking advantage of improved aircraft technology by laying claim to the longest scheduled non-stop flights to and from the US. From October 27, The US carrier will start flying non-stop between Los Angeles and Singapore using  Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners. The route will be some 8,700 miles and the trip between LA and Singapore is projected to run 17 hours, 55 minutes westbound and 15 hours, 15 minutes eastbound. The “Seven-Eight” will be fitted with 252 seats. Forty-eight of them will be new Polaris business class, 88 Economy Plus and 116  United Economy. United’s 787-9 economy seats offer a 32-inch (81.2cms)  seat pitch but are just 17.3 inches (44cms) wide.  Economy Plus expands the pitch to 35 inches but travelers will need to upgrade to the 22-inch-wide, lie-flat Polaris suites if they really want to spend the 18-hour flight in comfort. There is currently no non-stop service between LAX and Singapore after Singapore Airlines axed its four-engine A340-500 service in 2013. The aircraft was fitted with 100 business class seats. That made the route doable because fewer passengers mean less weight and weight reduction equates to greater range. Since then, Singapore has Airlines has been flying to its Changi hub from Los Angeles on a one-stop basis.  But Singapore is planning to use specially configured ultra long-range Airbus A350s to resume non-stop flying in 2018. The aircraft will offer twin-engine fuel economy and is expected to feature cabins tailored to the longer flight, making it a potent transpacific competitor. New York also re-enters the longest flight club in 2018, with the launch of a 19-hour, 10,253-mile nonstop from New York to Changi via Singapore Airlines Meanwhile, Air India’s 9,506 mile Delhi-San Francisco nonstop is king, while Qatar Airways’ 9,031-mile Doha-Auckland nonstop using a Boeing 777-200LR is up there in the stratospheric realm of long-range flying. Length matters. Once your flight is north of 15 hours every other trip you’ve made will be considered a short-hop. That’s why your choice of “equipment” (aircraft type) makes a difference. The 787 family is composed of comparatively more composite material than most of its competitors and that means pressurization is closer to ground level. The liberal use of composites renders a quieter ride (fewer rivets on the exterior of the craft to create wind burbles) and the ability to make the cabin air moister creates a more nasal-friendly flight. The A350 offers similar advantages.