Over the Really Long Haul

The inaugural Singapore airlines non-stop passenger flight from Singapore to Newark Liberty airport.

Stephen Chernin / Getty

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Just call me an aviation lab rat. My experiment was to fly on the world's first nonstop flight from Los Angeles to Singapore: more than 18 hours, the longest regularly scheduled commercial jetliner flight ever. In coach. Could I survive such stress? Would I be stricken with deep-vein thrombosis or catch a nasty bug, confirming the health concerns about long-haul flights? Would my brain turn to mush? I submitted

myself to this trial on your behalf, dear reader, because you may be doing likewise soon. The Singapore Airlines flight promises to be the first of an increasing number of ultra-long-haul flights on planes like the new Airbus A340-500, some using over-the-pole routing. Continental Airlines, for example, flies from Newark, N.J., to Hong Kong, a 16-hour ride, which until recently was the longest. (There are already dozens of flights in the 13-hour range.) Next up: Emirates Airlines plans to start flying nonstop from New York City to Dubai later this year, a 13-hour haul. When Boeing launches its 777-200LR in 2006, it will be a marathon machine with a range of more than 10,000 miles.

When I boarded the Airbus for the flight to Singapore, I could see that the airline, renowned for its good service, has made some dramatic changes inside the cabin. It removed seats and even made the aisles wider to create an "executive economy" section (full fare, round trip: $1,665). Once the plane was at cruising altitude I spent the first hour or so just getting used to the surroundings--exploring the stand-up bar Singapore Airlines created at the back of the coach section, ducking into one of the two windowed rest rooms or longing for the plush seats in business class.

Not that our coach seats were cramped. The new Airbus is one of the world's longest airplanes and can typically seat 313 passengers, but the airline installed just 181 seats to allow more room. There are 117 in coach in a 2-3-2 layout. Not only is each coach seat 5 in. farther than usual from the one in front of it, it is 20 in. wide vs. the typical 17 in. Even the aisles are wider: 20 in. vs. 19 in. If these differences seem minuscule, they're not: they gave me enough space to change positions, stretch (I'm 5 ft. 6 in.) and put my book and earphones down next to me on the seat. The seat has a pitch of 37 in., reclines 8 in. and has an adjustable foot and leg rest, useful for sleep.

As I was drinking the first of 20 glasses of water to stay hydrated, a guy two seats away started coughing and didn't stop for 10 minutes. I thought, Can I handle 18 hours of this? Should I have bought that surgical mask? I was still getting adjusted to my surroundings when a beautiful flight attendant in a traditional Singapore kebaya handed me a hot towel. I got up, stretched and walked around, which every long-haul veteran knows is necessary to keep your blood moving. I chatted with a few folks who were doing the same. I started one of my books, Jarhead, by Anthony Swofford, a former Marine's account of life in the military. Then, three hours into the flight, it was time for dinner: a swordfish-and-rice combo, accompanied by some Piper Heidsieck champagne. Who needs business class anyway?