No more layovers, just take the longest flight
Flying times have been slashed with the introduction of improved fuel-efficient long range aircraft by airlines like Emirates.
Published: Sat 15 Aug 2015, 12:00 AM
Last updated: Sun 16 Aug 2015, 12:28 PM
Walk down the aisle...of the aircraft; stretch your legs. Click on flicks from Hollywood and world cinema. Emirates loves flying - long haul. And the longer the flight, the sooner you will reach your destination without hassle, in a different time zone and country across the world. Which means no flight-hopping if you fly from Dubai, the world's busiest airport by international traveller numbers.
Flying times have been slashed with the introduction of improved fuel-efficient long range aircraft by airlines like Emirates. You don't have to hop off the plane and wait at another airport, or stand in queues again to catch your connecting flight, if you're travelling from say, Dubai to Panama City in Central America. The new flight by Emirates, a Boeing 777-200LR, will fly non-stop for 17 hours, 35 minutes, when it takes to the skies next February. It will be the world's longest civilian flight.
So this is how you do it. Just check- in your luggage at Dubai Airport, board the flight and enjoy the entertainment and refreshments. You could also catch up on some much needed sleep. Break it down to 8 hours of slumber, 4 hours for flipping channels, and three hours for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Light reading and some music could take up another hour, which will leave you with one hour and 35 minutes for takeoff and landing when you can stare out the window - or listen to safety instructions. Australian airline Qantas, with which Emirates has a partnership, currently operates the longest flight from Dallas to Sydney that takes under 17 hours.
The new flight will cover a distance of 8,589 miles and Emirates looks set to break another record. It shows the Middle East's largest airline will go the distance and change the way we fly. Latest aircraft are being put into operation. The Boeing 777, the workhorse of the Emirates fleet, comes in four variants and includes the 300ER, 300, 200LR and the 200. The carrier also operates the world's largest A-380s fleet and other long range planes from Airbus. A young fleet of aicraft puts Emirates and others like Etihad and Qatar at an advantage over legacy carriers from Europe and the United States.
Passengers are being offered more options for air travel by the big three from the region. So why should they complain when they are flying high for 17:35 hours?
Middle Eastern carriers led by Emirates have brought the pleasure back to flying. Long haul flights have done away with tiring layovers for flyers at airports. Passengers get more shut eye on flights from Dubai, and their sleep rhythms are not affected when they land on the other side of the world. It's called pampering at 40,000 feet over 8,589 miles.