The Longest Flight in The World Is Getting A Luxurious Upgrade

At just under 19 hours, Singapore Airlines’ flight between Singapore and New York is the world’s longest flight—and it will soon be a lot more comfortable for some.

A sneak peek at the forthcoming business-class cabins coming to Singapore Airlines’ long-haul flights.Courtesy of Singapore Airlines

Singapore Airlines recently announced plans to introduce all-new front-of-the-aircraft cabins across its fleet of seven Airbus A350-900ULR (ultra-long-range) planes. The carrier, which regularly ranks among the world’s best airlines, uses that aircraft to fly what is currently the world’s longest flight route between Singapore and New York, clocking in at just under 19 hours and covering 9,585 air miles. The plane is also used for additional long-haul flights from Singapore, including to Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Seattle.

“The new first-class and business-class seat designs will incorporate thoughtful elements that push the boundaries of comfort, luxury, and modernity,” Singapore Airlines CEO Goh Choon Phong said in a press release.

This will be the first time first-class seats will be available on the ULR aircraft, and they are slated to debut sometime in 2027. What exactly those new seats will look like, the airline hasn’t said, though it did release a sneak-peek rendering showing a suite stretching across at least three windows and equipped with a wide-screen TV and a lie-flat chair. (Singapore does have first-class on its Boeing 777-3000ERs and Airbus A380s, the latter featuring suites, which include twin beds and separate armchairs.)

Singapore Airlines’ A380s feature first-class suites that can be combined into a larger sleeping area.Courtesy of Singapore Airlines

The carrier has also been tight-lipped about what is in store for the revamped business class. However, a glimpse offered in a rendering shows sliding privacy doors, something that is absent from the airline’s current business-class seats and that has been a growing trend in the aviation industry. (In recent years, Air France, American Airlines, and Turkish Airlines, among other airlines, have added or announced new door-equipped business-class seats.)

“Over the past six years, we have extensively engaged customers and stakeholders in the design of our next-generation long-haul cabin products, anticipating their evolving preferences and expectations down to the finest details,” Goh said.

Currently, the ULR planes have 67 business-class seats and 94 premium economy seats (there are no economy seats, partly for the comfort of passengers on nearly day-long flights and partly because it helps cut down on weight, an essential factor on lengthy journeys). After the retrofit, the aircraft will feature 4 first-class suites, 70 business-class seats, and 58 premium economy seats.

In addition to the A350-900ULRs, Singapore Airlines is also redoing 34 of its long-haul Airbus A350-900s, with 42 of the new business-class seats, 24 premium economy seats, and 192 economy seats. (The latter two, the airline said, would “be refreshed to enhance the travel experience for customers” but offered no additional information on what that would look like.) These planes will enter service in 2026.

Singapore Airlines said the new seat designs will be the same as those on its future Boeing 777-9s. However, given that the 777s have repeatedly been delayed and aren’t expected to enter commercial service before 2026, the A350s could potentially be the first opportunity travelers have to experience the new seats if the Boeing aircraft continue to experience postponements.

In recent years, airlines have been investing heavily in revamping and expanding their premium cabins, from Emirates expanding its premium economy offering to United upgrading its Polaris international business-class seats.

However, many carriers have eliminated long-haul first-class cabins in favor of additional business-class seats. American Airlines, for example, is in the process of discontinuing first-class seats on all international flights and replacing them with more business-class seats, as passengers are less willing to splurge for first class, according to the airline. Business class and premium economy, on the other hand, strike a balance between luxury and profitability.

When asked why Singapore Airlines was adding first class when other airlines were moving away from it, James Boyd, vice president of public relations in the Americas, told Afar, “We are introducing first class to our nonstop services from the U.S. in response to consistent demand we see for premium air travel, particularly on the world’s longest flights.”

https://www.afar.com/authors/bailey-berg

Singapore Recrowned Most Powerful Passport In The World

Singapore breaks away from the peloton of six countries that shared the top spot on the Henley Passport Index as we entered the new year, reclaiming its title as the world's most powerful passport in the latest ranking published today. The city-state also sets a new record score, with its citizens now enjoying access to 195 travel destinations out of 227 around the world visa-free. France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and Spain drop to joint-2nd place, each with visa-free access to 192 destinations, and an unprecedented seven-nation cohort, each with access to 191 destinations without a prior visa — Austria, Finland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Netherlands, South Korea, and Sweden — now sit in 3rd place on the ranking, which is based on exclusive and official data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

The UK hangs onto 4th place along with Belgium, Denmark, New Zealand, Norway, and Switzerland, despite its visa-free destination score falling to 190. The US, on the other hand, continues its now decade-long slide down the index, dropping to 8th spot, with access to just 186 destinations visa-free. Former passport powerhouses, the UK and the US jointly held 1st place on the index 10 years ago in 2014. Afghanistan remains firmly entrenched as the world's weakest passport with access to only 26 countries visa-free — the lowest score ever recorded in history of the 19-year-old index.

Dr. Christian H. Kaelin, Chairman of Henley & Partners, says: "The global average number of destinations travelers are able to access visa-free has nearly doubled from 58 in 2006 to 111 in 2024. However, the global mobility gap between those at the top and bottom of the index is now wider than it has ever been, with top-ranked Singapore able to access a record-breaking 169 more destinations visa-free than Afghanistan."

According to IATA, airlines will connect nearly 5 billion people over 22,000 routes on 39 million flights in 2024 but its Director General, Willie Walsh, says the margins are incredibly tight: "The aviation industry expects revenues of almost USD 1 trillion this year but expenses will also be at a record high of USD 936 billion. Net profit will be USD 30.5 billion. This translates to a modest net margin of around 3%, making the profit per passenger just USD 6.14 — barely enough for a single espresso in a typical hotel café. Despite this, the real cost of air travel has fallen 34% over the last decade."

Climbers, fallers and elections

The UAE makes it into the Top 10 for the first time, having added an impressive 152 destinations since the index's inception in 2006 to achieve its current visa-free score of 185, making it the biggest climber by rising a remarkable 53 places from 62nd to 9th position. The biggest faller over the last decade is Venezuela, which has plunged 17 places from 25th to 42nd. The country is due to hold decisive presidential elections on 28 July that could change the fate of more than seven million Venezuelans who have fled their country over the last ten years.

Commenting in the July 2024 edition of the Henley Global Mobility Report, published today alongside the latest passport ranking, former career diplomat with the U.S. State Department and a senior non-resident associate at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Annie Pforzheimer, says business groups in immigration- and tourism-dependent industries in America are extremely concerned about the upcoming US election: "Their major worries relate to measures likely to be imposed under a second Trump administration, including ending the Temporary Protected Status regime, rolling back the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals status, and consequent mass deportations for up to 1 million people now eligible for those programs."

Africa tops the list of EU visa rejections

In exclusive new research published in today's report, Prof. Mehari Taddele Maru, Adjunct Professor at the School of Transnational Governance at the European University Institute, and Johns Hopkins University in Italy, compares Schengen visa rejection rates for African applicants to those from other regions. The results show that around 3 in 10 or 30% of African Schengen visa applicants were rejected, compared to 1 in 10 applicants worldwide, despite the continent having the lowest number of visa applications per capita. He also found evidence that the poorer the African country of origin, the higher the rejection rate for its nationals:

"Despite justifications based on apparent security or economic concerns, the European visa system clearly demonstrates a pre-determined bias against African applicants who face a triple whammy: lower passport power, higher visa rejection rates, and consequently, limited economic mobility. In short, the poorest individuals face the greatest difficulties when seeking to travel or move to more prosperous countries."