Up In The Air: The World’s Longest Direct Flights and How To Master Them

Emirates has set a new benchmark for long-haul flights, with its recent announcement of a direct route between Dubai and Panama which will last an exhausting 17 hours and 35 minutes. The inaugural flight, due to take-off on February 1st, 2016, will out-fly the current longest non-stop flight by Qantas Airways from Dallas to Sydney, and lasts just under 17 hours. In light of this sky-high news, we have compiled a list of the longest non-stop flights from Europe and Asia Pacific and shared tips on how to master long hours above the clouds.

While the longest flight worldwide is currently operated by Qantas, the Air France route connecting Paris to Santiago is the longest flight originating in Europe, with a duration of 14 hours and 40 minutes. The route to Santiago is also the longest flight for passengers travelling from Madrid, with Iberia’s journey sitting at a duration of 13 hours and 30 minutes.



British Airways operates the longest non-stop flight for British travellers, with the London to Buenos Aires route taking 13 hours and 45 minutes. The lengthy Rome to Buenos Aires route is operated by the Italian carrier Alitalia, at a similar duration of 13 hours and 55 minutes. German company Lufthansa covers the 11510 kilometers (approx) from Frankfurt to Buenos Aires in 14 hours.

South America is clearly a favourite destination for European travellers, and the constant development of aircraft technology means more and more far flung destinations will be accessible to travellers all over the world.

*Longest non-stop flights available in terms of time.

Direct flights are often the most convenient, however, with long-haul travel comes lengthy periods above the clouds. At KAYAK our goal is to help you better plan and manage your trip, giving you a travel a better experience from beginning to end. Read our list of helpful tips and hacks below to beat the altitude blues.

Pick your time of travel wisely: If you’re not good at sleeping on planes, book a day flight. This way, you can go to sleep when you arrive at your destination and avoid a sleepless night on board.

Pick your seat in advance: Be sure to check-in on time to get your preferred seat. Most online check-ins open 24 hours before the flight, so set a reminder to do so as soon as possible. Where you sit on a short-haul flight may not matter too much, but on a long-haul flight the prized window seat will give you the best chance at a restful sleep, without interruption from fellow passengers wanting to get up during the flight.

Pack your travel essentials: Take the time to prepare your flying outfit before going on any long-haul journey. Comfort is key. Use a layering tactic for your clothes so you can remove or put on extra pieces of clothes at will, depending on the temperature in the cabin. Bring everything you need to create a cocoon: eye mask, earplugs/noise cancelling headphones, scarf, inflatable pillow. It’s also handy to have a toothbrush, comb and deodorant with you to freshen up during or after the flight.

Meet new people: Have we met yet? Strike up a conversation with your neighbour, it’s one of the fastest way to pass the time.

Find ways to kill time while on board: Bring your own entertainment to avoid being limited to the inflight movie selection which you may have already seen, or have no interest in. Have your favourite music with you, bring a book or your own films or TV series, along with anything else you enjoy doing in your free time – this way time will pass by much faster.

Use the technology available at your hands: Take advantage of your phone and its apps: download an airsleep app on your phone (scientifically calibrated soundtrack for sleeping on planes), use the JetLag genie app to create your personalized schedule of sleeping and napping depending on your flight and destination so that your body clock is already adjusted when you land.

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