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United’s longest flight won’t have this

United’s new nonstop LAX-SIN will take about 18 hours (Image: United)

United will introduce daily nonstop flights between Los Angeles (LAX) and Singapore’s Changi Airport (SIN) on October 27, 2017 using a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner.  

The flight between LAX and SIN will set the new distance record for any airline operating a flight to or from the United States, at 8,700 miles. Flying times will be approximately 17 hours, 55 minutes westbound and 15 hours, 15 minutes eastbound.

Fare info is currently not available since the flights still require government approval. But for an idea of what they may be, let’s look at SFO-SIN. Currently, the lowest roundtrip economy fares for July flights are about $850. Business class is about $4,200.

Even though this will be United’s looooongest flight, business class passengers will not fly in the new Polaris business class seat. Eventually United will get around to installing the new seats on its Dreamliner fleet, but for now, the new seat is only found on its newest Boeing 777s, currently deployed on SFO-Hong Kong, Newark-Tel Aviv, and soon, SFO-Tokyo.

United will use a new Boeing 787 Dreamliner on LAX-SIN. (Image: United)

United’s existing service between San Francisco International Airport (SFO) and SIN started one year ago and holds the current record for the longest scheduled 787 Dreamliner flight operated by any airline and is currently the longest scheduled flight operated by any U.S. carrier, at 8,446 miles. 

With the launch of SIN-LAX nonstop, United will terminate its service between Hong Kong and Singapore.

UA 37 will depart Los Angeles at 8:55 p.m. daily, arriving in Singapore at 6:50 a.m. two days later (all times local). The return flight, UA 38, will depart Singapore’s Changi Airport at 11:00 a.m. daily, arriving at Los Angeles International Airport at 10:15 a.m. the same day.

United will have flat bed business class seats like this (configured 2-2-2) between LAX and SIN starting in October (Photo: Nancy Branka)

Sneaky: It’s important to note again that United will NOT offer its much ballyhooed new seat on this flight. We’ve written before about the confusing way United markets its Polaris business class. Last fall it rebranded all its business class as “Polaris business class.” This means that when you see “Polaris” when booking your flight, or on your boarding pass, you will not necessarily fly on a plane with the new Polaris seats– as a matter of fact, for the next several years, it’s more likely that you WON’T fly in the new seat.

Here’s the wording from United’s press release about the LAX-SIN flights… sneaky or not?

United’s 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft will feature a total of 252 seats – 48 United Polaris business class, 204 United Economy, including 88 Economy Plus. United Polaris business class, a reinvention of the airline’s international premium cabin travel experience, offers elevated comfort and service for a restful night’s sleep in the air.

Singapore Airlines now flies nonstop between San Francisco and Singapore using a new Airbus A350. TravelSkills editor Chris McGinnis was on that inaugural flight, so check out how he survived the 17 hour flight in a business class playpen!

Eventually, Singapore Airlines will also offer nonstops between LAX and Singapore, as well as New York and Singapore when it get’s its newest, longest range Airbus A350.

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Comments

  1. Every United business class cabin is being marketed as Polaris. Even the awful 8-across is being called Polaris. Yes, some “fine tuning” as you say is in order

  2. To further clarify my misunderstanding (even considering the Great Circle Routes) but how is SFO to SIN the same flight time as EWR to SIN. I will have to investigate the over the Great Northern Waste short cut. SFO so far south on the west coast makes a big difference.

  3. I’m not sure what prices you are looking at. Pretty solidly through July, for SFO-SIN-SFO, UA and SQ are both getting $1900-$2000 (compared to $800-$1200 with a stop) in Y, and $5000-$6000 in (compared to $3,000-$4000) in J. Even at these premiums UA seems to have very few empty seats if you wanted to fly next month.

    In any case, I can only speak for myself and my colleagues, are happy to pay to fly nonstop.

  4. I live in San Francisco and almost never fly UA. Sorry, if you wish to put up that service because you feel you are trapped, then have it your way. There are much better alternatives, even if you live in a hub city.

    DL is in a transition period with Asia (especially SouthEast Asia) as they dismantle their NRT hub and get government approvals for their ICN hub and joint venture. 1-stop options should be available within a year. As a UA flyer, I’m sure you completely understand the idea of “transition periods”!

    Anyways, my point was, on a flight beyond 15 hours or so, I personally prefer a stop. I don’t want to be in a plane for that long. If you read the rest of the comments on this page, you’ll see I’m not alone in that idea.

  5. I live in a UA hub city too, but DL is a superior airline in almost every category (perhaps the only exception is redeemable miles). I rarely fly UA

  6. The facts don’t seem to support your case, Apple Pan. I looked at a random sampling of dates over the next 6 months, and UA is not selling the non-stop SFO-SIN at a premium

  7. count me as one guy who agrees with IO. At least for me, for flights over 12+ hours, time efficiency, refresh, and rejuvenation come from a comfortable flight, superior and hassle free journey, rather than the one or two hours saved from direct flight on any ridiculous airline with uncomfortable seat.

  8. When SQ started the US nonstops back in the aughts (2004?), they had Raffles Specebeds, which were state of the art back then, but not as good as the seats UA’s 787-9s will have now, and without the AVOD/IFE. It will be fine, and better than any current alternative (unless and until SQ comes into the market).

  9. I don’t think that this represents the view of most of the business travelers that I know, and I know a few. The airlines seem to agree, and are spending $100s of millions of dollars to serve those people, who will pay a premium for it.

    Putting to one side that most connections are more than two hours, take you off the best grand circle routing plus time to descend and ascend, and increase the potential for weather or mechanical delays with every stop (in practice it adds more like 5 hours to a trip to SIN from the USA), having to wake up (hopefully from a sleep), exit the aircraft, occupy myself on the ground, get back on the plane, and hopefully fall asleep again, is not as good a way to get rested and acclimatized and prepared for work as it is to remain relaxing and sleeping (and maybe working) through the flight without that hassle. I loved the SQ nonstops (and the TG nonstops) until they ended them, and although I have been traveling a lot on CX through HKG (concededly not a bad place to stop) I find it considerably more burdensome than getting on the plane in the US, sleeping and relaxing, and getting off in SIN.

  10. JN SF, you are very misinformed. DL has had 1-2-1 Direct Aisle Lie Flat Delta One seating on every plane for MANY years already. That rollout finished long ago. As United starts to implement that on its planes, DL is going to the next level all-together, by rolling out business class suites. DL is about to lap United

  11. Wow, I couldn’t disagree more. For a flight that distance, I would prefer a stopover. Also, just about every other carrier has a better product than UA.

  12. When you say it sets the record, don’t you mean the longest current flight? Didn’t Singapore Airlines have a Newark-Singapore flight for a while?

  13. JN SF
    I guess you must not have sat for the last ten years in the United business class seat. It is very narrow to begin with making them not comfortable, especially sleeping. If you are on a window side, you have to be a gymnastic type of person to jump over the person on the aisle. This is a 17 hour flight, you should have what United is branding it, bigger, more comfortable seats.
    It’s just the fact that United is lying to us and not telling us the truth. They are running commercials on Polaris seating with the one’s that are only on 3 of their planes.
    This is misleading advertising and if I was the government would first slap them with a fine for lying and make sure that in big letters they tell you that you are not getting a Polaris seat.

    Again the problem is the “lie” in making out something looking good so that you buy it and then once on board find out it’s not a true Polaris seat.

  14. Pure torture is what awaiting passengers on this flight, ( Polaris seats are nothing to write home about) I’m guessing that a number of seats in the Y section will be blocked in order to allow the flight to travel N/S to SIN, so coach might be a little more comfortable, nah still narrow seats..Game over when SQ introduces the Airbus 350ULR next year on this route.

  15. To most travelers, even business travelers, a difference of 2 hours for a journey that will take a minimum of 18 hours isn’t a big deal. Many travelers including myself would take additional comfort in exchange for 2 hours.

    Besides most East Asian hub airports are far superior to anything in the US so the extra transit time would be spent comfortably.

  16. This is still an excellent development. I would much rather fly non-stop, than fly on the Polaris seat with a stop. With this flight available, why would anybody choose to fly between LAX and SIN on SQ or any other carrier, and have to stop in East Asia?

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