World's longest flight: cancelled
| New York
罢丑别听飞辞谤濒诲'蝉听濒辞苍驳别蝉迟听肠辞尘尘别谤肠颈补濒听蹿濒颈驳丑迟听鈥� Singapore to Newark, New Jersey 鈥� is being cancelled.
Singapore Airlines announced Wednesday that it will end its nonstop聽flight聽between Singapore and Newark, a distance of about 9,500 miles (15,300 kilometers). A slightly shorter route between Singapore and Los Angeles will also end. The two routes were flown on gas-guzzling Airbus A340-500s.
The airline found the only way to make the routes profitable was by configuring the plane with 98 business class seats that sell for about $8,000 roundtrip. Other airlines operate the same plane with about 250 seats in first, business and economy classes.
The聽flight聽from Newark, right outside New York, to Singapore takes about 18 hours. The trip from Los Angeles is about 1,500 miles (2,400 kilometers) shorter but takes 18 hours and 30 minutes.
Headwinds over the Pacific Ocean slow the Los Angeles聽flight聽while the Newark聽flight聽goes over the North Pole and can fly faster. The Newark聽flight聽is the聽longest聽distance聽flight聽in the聽world聽and the Los Angeles one holds the record for duration. The聽flights聽started in 2004.
The new titles for聽longest聽flights聽will go to a Qantas route between Sydney and Dallas 鈥� which at about 8,500 miles (13,700 kilometers) is the聽longest聽route 鈥� and a Delta聽flight聽between Johannesburg and Atlanta, which at 17 hours will hold the title oflongest聽duration.
Singapore Airlines is selling its five A340-500s back to Airbus as part of a deal announced Wednesday. Singapore is ordering five more Airbus A380s and another 20 A350s. The planes have a list price of $7.5 billion but airlines often negotiate steep discounts for large orders. Deliveries are due to begin in 2017.
Singapore currently operates 19 A380-800 superjumbos. It already had firm orders in place for 20 A350s, for delivery starting in 2015.
The A340s currently used on the聽world's聽longest聽flights聽will be retired by the end of 2013. Singapore will continue to serve New York on its existing A380 route which connects in Frankfurt. Los Angeles has existing A380 service via Tokyo, which will also continue.
