.:. Singapore Airlines .:. A Great Way to Fly (Part #1)

**** that would be as boring as hell....>(

SIA set to offer first S'pore-US direct flights

Pilots undergo series of tests to ensure they stay alert during non-stop flights that may last as long as 18 hours

By Karamjit Kaur

SINGAPORE Airlines looks set to be the first to fly passengers non-stop from Singapore to the United States, when it starts using the new Airbus A340-500 early next year.

The move will mean SIA cuts about four hours off the current flight time to Los Angeles, arriving on the West Coast in about 16 hours.

As such a long-haul has never been attempted before, pilots will be put through a battery of onboard tests to see how alert they are.

The Singapore to Los Angeles flight is likely to be the first such long-haul route, and the pilots will be wired up to monitor their brain waves. They will also be given special watches to monitor their activity level.

Scientists from the European Committee for Aircrew Scheduling and Safety will study the data, which will also be used to verify an earlier study they did, commissioned by the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS).

An SIA spokesman said yesterday: 'The safety of our crew and passengers is a top priority for the airline and we will do everything that is required to ensure that this is always observed.'

In the first study last year, the team recommended four pilots be used on such flights, which can stretch up to 18 hours depending on, say, wind conditions.

SIA has ordered five A340-500s, with an option to buy five more.

Currently, Boeing planes are mainly used on the SIA flights to the US West Coast, which stop at either Hong Kong, Tokyo or Seoul.

Flight and cabin crew are changed during stopovers.

Current CAAS guidelines allow a pilot to be on duty for up to 18 hours, from reporting to work until signing off.

Pilots on the current US West Coast schedule are on duty, at most, 13 to 16 hours because of stopovers. The general rule is they are at the controls for only half that time.

The non-stop flight will require a new set of working conditions for the cockpit and cabin crew of SIA, which recently laid off 570 staff and announced its first net loss, of $312 million for the three months ended June 30.

CAAS has been discussing the matter with SIA and the pilots' association.

It has been talking separately with the Singapore Airlines Staff Union. Union president Eddie Chew, told The Straits Times various issues would be negotiated.

'This is a new service so we will be touching on topics like allowance, rest time and the number of crew on these super long-haul flights.'

Analyst Ian Thomas, a senior consultant at the Sydney-based Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation foresees SIA tapping the corporate market for this new service.

'The yield will be much higher,' he said, referring to earlier reports that SIA is likely to charge a premium.

Source
The Straits Times

Well thats amazing. LAX is now home to the longest flight route.
Fun in first, but boring as hell in coach.

I like Singapore.

Any flight time past 4 hours,is when jet lag begins to set intp the body clock.Even a 9 hour hop is wearisome and boring.It used to be great about 40 years back when jets just came in.One would have 4 hours say from SYD to NAN(Fiji)and then after an hour to stretch ones legs,it was 6 hours to HNL(Hawaii)and another stopover,then 5 hours to LAX.Now its one aircraft non stop,with 14 hours,which is TOO MUCH.

Originally posted by chrisaus

**** that would be as boring as hell....>(

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Not if you bring some stuff to read like a book, newspaper or some magazines or a pack of cards.

And Singapore Airlines have the inflight channels with films, news and entertainment even Nintendo.

I heard SIA was also considering direct flights EWR - SIN, skipping the stop in AMS. Any thruth to that?

Originally posted by Vertigo

I heard SIA was also considering direct flights EWR - SIN, skipping the stop in AMS. Any thruth to that?

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What does EWR and AMS stand for?

Sorry. EWR = Newark (near New York). AMS = Schiphol (near Amsterdam).

Amsterdam and New York (one of the airports)

I never heard of this route..I dont think its possible to fly nonstop from Singapore to NY.

Some info from Airbus's website

August 10 2003
Singapore Airlines’ A340-500 takes shapes

The first A340-500 for Singapore Airlines is now taking shape in the Toulouse final assembly line. Singapore Airlines, which has ordered five very long range A340-500s, will use them to open up some of the world’s longest air-routes such as Singapore to Los Angeles, which to day can only be served with one-stop. Deliveries are scheduled for this winter.

I think it takes 23hrs to fly from London Heathrow to Melbourne. So I guess that could be the same time for flying from Singapore to New York. These planes must be

You're right, I was mixing some things up. I was actually thinking about the non-stop flights from LAX.

BTW, according to a message in rec.travel.air, there won't be coach class on the direct LAX-SIN flights:

Starting early next year, Singapore Airlines' new Los Angeles, CA (LAX) to Singapore (SIN) flight will become the longest--one that requires around 18 hours to complete westbound and probably around 16 hours to complete eastbound. To stretch its range, the plane being used (Airbus A340-500) will only be fitted with premium seating--1/3 First Class and 2/3 Raffles (Business) Class with a seating capacity of around 175 passengers.

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@kota16: jet lag actually doesn't have much to do with the length of the flight, but with the amount of time zones you cross. I can fly from the Netherlands to South-Africa without any jet lag problems.

18 hours....either you watch 9 movies one after the other, go for an extended nap, or hopefully its possible to surf on ssc up there!

The web would be available but a fee would be charged to access it.

Originally posted by huaiwei

18 hours....either you watch 9 movies one after the other, go for an extended nap, or hopefully its possible to surf on ssc up there!

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You would have to be a millionaire to surf SSC on an airplane!

Originally posted by chrisaus

**** that would be as boring as hell....>(

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There is a personal entertainment unit for each seat aboard SIA planes.........so I don't think boredom is much of an issue.......I spent the exact amount of time crossing the pacific from Taipei to LAX too (I think the Airbus A340-500 are faster than a 747-400.....:?) on Eva Air ......no personal entertainment unit....only a small TV screen on the ceiling showing 'Bring It On' .....arrggghhhh!

Luckily I din sleep the entire night so I slept for 13 hours on the plane.....waking up for meals and a game of cards with my sis and dad......

I reckon that a non-stop flight is so much better than a 4-hours stopover (midnight) in Taipei....that's what we did! ........The terminal is boring as hell as all shops were closed!!! :rant:

Originally posted by Fabian

The web would be available but a fee would be charged to access it.

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wikid you can still spam even when on holidays

If you had a laptop, a bunch of pc games and a stack of dvd's I think you could handle it. It's the leg room that fucks it for me.

i think it would be too long. stop over for a few hours should be better.

Shiza I didn't realise the new A340's will be able to fly *that* far.

LAX is already home to the current worlds longest nonstop flight.

That is LAX-Melbourne which is approx 14-15 hours and is now served by the current longest range aircraft: Boeing's 747-400ER, first ordered by Qantas with extra fuel tanks in the cargo hold to complete the journey without occasional stopovers for fuel that sometimes hindered the flight when served by previous 747-400's