Amazing advancements in aviation technology have made the world a much smaller place. The current longest flights in the world connect opposite sides of the planet in a matter of hours.

You may already know what the world's longest flight is. Let's examine more regarding this unique route and what sorts of amenities are available to help passengers pass the long hours.

Singapore - New York City

The current world's longest flight is Singapore Airlines' nonstop link between its home of Changi Airport (SIN) and New York's John F. Kennedy Airport (JFK). This route is 9,537 miles long with a flight time of just under 19 hours.

Not very far behind is what was once the world's longest flight, also flying from Singapore but this time to just across the Hudson River. This is Singapore Airlines' route to Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey (EWR), clocking in at 18 hours and 25 minutes and traversing 9,535 miles.

Singapore Airlines' nonstop SIN-JFK route is rather new having been launched in 2020. The only nonstop link from New York City to Singapore was the route to Newark which began in 2004 and ended in 2013.

Originally, Singapore Airlines utilized its A340-500s for the ultra-long-haul journey. Because of their high fuel consumption, the SIN-EWR route became too costly and thus these A340s were retired. The nonstop route to Newark launched again in 2018 with new A350-900ULRs (ultra-long-range). After being suspended due to the pandemic in 2020, the route resumed in 2022.

You could argue that despite the Singapore-JFK being the longest when considering the Pacific routing, this might not always be the case.

Weather patterns considered, the flight could even fly eastbound from New York, overpassing Europe and Russia before eventually reaching Singapore. If this was the case, then the route from Newark would actually be slightly longer than the JFK flight.

If you look at playback data for these flights on Flightradar24, you can see this example in action. Most recently, the two NYC-Singapore flights took the eastward route to Singapore on July 23rd.

On this day, SQ23 (JFK-SIN) clocked a flight time of 17 hours and 28 minutes. That same day, SQ21 (EWR-SIN) took the same eastward direction and clocked a flight time of 17 hours and 50 minutes.

Therefore, it is not essentially correct to say that the JFK flight is ALWAYS longer than its Newark counterpart. Depending on the flight route, and from which direction you are analyzing the route, the Newark flight could very well be longer.

Onboard Experience

Overall, the EWR and JFK to Singapore flights are LONG. As such, Singapore Airlines configured its special A350ULRs with only Business Class and Premium Economy seats. The A340-500s that once flew the Newark service had a similar configuration.

There are 67 Business Class pods and 94 Premium Economy seats. All of that space goes a long way on such a long flight. Passengers are entitled to specially curated meals, including the famous "book the cook" service in Business Class.

Inflight entertainment and WiFi are available throughout the aircraft. Furthermore, all Business Class seats can be converted into a fully flat bed with Premium Economy seats also offering generous legroom and recline.

Singapore Airlines maintains another route to New York City, that being flights SQ26/25 that operate from Singapore to JFK via Frankfurt, Germany (FRA) and back. The Frankfurt segments are fifth-freedom flights meaning passengers can exclusively fly Singapore Airlines between JFK-FRA or vice versa.

This service has existed from JFK for several years, initially starting on the Boeing 777-300ER and then being upgraded to the massive Airbus A380.

As crazy as it sounds, this is the only Singapore Airlines route to New York City with a proper economy-class cabin. Granted, the individual flight segments are shorter so they're slightly more bearable than the 18 to 19-hour nonstop treks.

The new retrofitted Singapore A380s have the airline's greatest onboard experience. These aircraft boast the new First Class suites offering 50 square feet of space per passenger. The A380 also has 82 updated Business Class pods, 44 Premium Economy seats, and 343 Standard Economy seats.

Singapore Airlines has consistently ranked among the world's greatest airlines, recently claiming the 2023 "World's Best Airline" title.

Travelers have many choices when it comes to visiting Singapore from JFK. While the nonstop flights from JFK and Newark to Singapore are absolute marathons, passengers can be rest assured that they will pass those long hours in absolute comfort.