The rise of the non-stop long-haul flight

It used to be impossible to get a long-haul flight somewhere far away without having to stop, change planes, refuel and generally spend a lot of time in an airport transit lounge. But since Singapore Airlines began flying non-stop between Singapore and Newark in 2004, that has all been changing. Now a number of carriers offer non-stop flights on long-haul routes, making flying long distances faster and more direct.

Virgin Atlantic recently purchased eight additional aircrafts for the express purpose of providing non-stop long-haul flights. The large Boeing 787 Dreamliner is more fuel efficient and easier on the environment so it doesn’t need to be refueled so often.

Emirates recently announced new non-stop flights between Newcastle and Dubai, starting on September 1st.

Holiday operator First Choice Airways is expecting a delivery of Boeing 787s soon and have them up and flying passengers sometime in 2009. The company already offers long distance holidays but will be able to offer more non-stop flights in the coming years.

Flying between the UK and the Dominican Republic can now be done without any stop overs in between for passengers flying from Robin Hood Airport in Doncaster.

One benefit of the stop-overs, however, was that it allowed passengers a chance to stretch and re-hydrate off the plane. Travelers taking advantage of new non-stop long distance travel should remember to drink lots of water and take a few strolls up and down the aisle now and again.

www.singaporeair.com