Air Travel FAQ
What are the world's longest routes
Check out the map
| No. | Airlines | From | To | Distance (miles) | Flight Time | Aircraft |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Singapore | Singapore (SIN) | Newark (EWR) | 9,534 | 18 h 30 m | A359ULR |
| 2. | Qatar | Doha (DOH) | Auckland (AKL) | 9,032 | 18 h 20 m | B772LR |
| 3. | Qantas | Perth (PER) | London (LHR) | 9,009 | 17 h 25 m | B789 |
| 4. | Emirates | Dubai (DXB) | Auckland (AKL) | 8,824 | 17 h 10 m | A380 |
| 5. | Singapore | Singapore (SIN) | Los Angeles (LAX) | 8,770 | 17 h 55 m | A359ULR |
| 6. | United | Houston (HOU) | Sydney (SYD) | 8,596 | 17 h 30 m | B789 |
| 7. | Qantas | Sydney (SYD) | Dallas (DFW) | 8,578 | 17 h 10 m | A380 |
| 8. | Philippine | Manila (MNL) | New York (JFK) | 8,520 | 16 h 35 m | A350 |
| 9. | Singapore | San Francisco (SFO) | Singapore (SIN) | 8,447 | 17 h 20 m | A359 / A359ULR |
| 9. | United | San Francisco (SFO) | Singapore (SIN) | 8,447 | 17 h 20 m | B789 |
| 10. | Delta | Johannesburg (JNB) | Atlanta (ATL) | 8,439 | 16 h 50 m | A359 |
| 11. | Emirates | Dubai (DXB) | Los Angeles (LAX) | 8,339 | 16 h 15 m | A380 |
| 12. | Saudia | Jeddah (JED) | Los Angeles (LAX) | 8,332 | 16 h 40 m | B773ER |
| 13. | Qatar | Doha (DOH) | Los Angeles (LAX) | 8,306 | 16 h 20 m | B772LR |
Notes:
- Qantas' Project Sunrise create the world's longest routes, connecting Sydney and New York/London, however it is now on hold after COVID-19
- Originally Delta uses 772LR to fly between ATL and JNB, but all Delta's 777s will be retired after COVID-19, and with the raise of A359's MTOW, it can fly the route in the future.
What are the busiest airports?
Check out the map
Why 757 is "heavy"
In US:
- Super: A380 (MTOW of 575 t) and An-225 (MTOW of 640 t)
- Heavy: MTOW >= 136 t (almost all wide-body aircraft + 757)
- Large (FAA): MTOW between 19 t and 140 t
- Medium: MTOW between 7 t and 136 t
- Light: MTOW less than 7t
The MTOW of 757-200 is 116 t, but it became "heavy" after accidents where smaller aircraft following closely behind a 757 crashed.
Why regional aircraft has 50 or 70 or 76 seats?
AA, Delta, United have contracts with pilot unions to limit the number of regional planes they can operate:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scope_clause
This is why most of US regional flights are 50 or 70 or 76 seats; this is also the reason of CRJ 550, which is a re-certificated CRJ 700 with only 50 seats, because United had reached its limit of 76-seat airplanes.
Which airline fly to the highest number of countries?
Turkish Airlines, 120+ countries.
Istanbul sits at the intersection of Europe, Asia and Africa
Which is the world's highest-revenue routes?
New York to London
How many flight attendants on a flight?
At least one per 50 passengers
What are the largest aircraft orders
- 2017: 430x A320neo Indigo Partners ~$50 billion at list prices
- 2011: American Airlines ordered 460 new planes in a single deal, but that was spread between both Boeing and Airbus.
- 2015: Indian low-cost airline IndiGo (which isn't connected to Indigo Partners) bought 250 Airbus jets
- 2013: The biggest order by value came from Emirates airline of Dubai in 2013. It agreed to buy 150 Boeing 777X planes and 50 A380s, which were worth a total of $99 billion at list prices.
Do miles expire?
Airlines:
| Airlines | Expiration |
|---|---|
| Delta | Never |
| United | Never |
| Southwest | Never |
| jetBlue | Never |
| Alaska | Never |
| American | Never, if there's activity in 18 months |
| Hawaiian | Never, if there's activity in 18 months |
| Frontier | Never, if there's activity in 6 months |
| Asiana | 10 years or 12 years |
| Singapore | 36 months |
| Cathay Pacific | Never, if there's activity in 18 months |
Note:
- Frontier and Spirit only count accrual activity not redemptions.
- Alaska: account may be locked if there's activity in 24 months