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Cheap oil fuels growth in ultra-long flights

Anyone who's ever flown over the Atlantic or Pacific oceans knows what an ordeal it can be, with even a six-hour flight sometimes seeming like an eternity. But that isn't stopping airlines from offering non-stop flights that are twice or nearly three times as long, thanks in part to cheap oil.

Emirates Airlines this week debuted direct service between Auckland, New Zealand, and Dubai, United Arab Emirates, becoming the current reigning champion of non-stop flights by distance. The new route covers roughly 8,824 miles. It also cuts three hours of travel time by eliminating a layover in Australia, reducing the flight's duration to about 16 hours.

The 22 most dependable airlines in the world
The 22 most dependable airlines in the world

Still, while the Dubai-Auckland flight may hold the current record for the longest distance traveled, it's travel time is still less than several other regularly scheduled flights. A Quantas Airways flight running between Dallas and Sydney, which previously held the record for miles covered in a single flight, remains the world's longest-duration flight at 16 hours and 55 minutes.

That record may soon fall. Emirates plans to begin service between Dubai and Panama City by early 2017, with a scheduled flying time of 17 hours and 35 minutes, though he distance covered, 8,588 miles, still falls short of the Dubai-Auckland route.

Qatar Airways plans an even longer-distance flight with the debut of service from its hub in Doha to airports in Santiago, Chile, and Auckland, each covering about 9,000 miles.

But even those pale in comparison to the reigning champ of long-distance flights: Singapore Airline's non-stop trip from Singapore to Newark, New Jersey, which covered 9,500 miles and took 19 hours to complete. The airline suspended the route in late 2013, but plans to resume service to the New York area in 2018 with the introduction of more fuel-efficient, long-distance aircraft.

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Ultra-long-haul flights such as these make more sense now that oil prices have fallen dramatically. Airlines can operate the routes profitably even though the planes used for the journeys are outfitted to carry fewer passengers, which allows the jets to eke out extra mileage with reduced weight.

Fewer people on board could also make for more comfortable accommodations for travelers in economy class, though more elbow room won't do much to ease the boredom and anxiety that comes with being trapped in a flying tube for hours at a time.

One economy class passenger aboard the return leg of Emirate's Auckland to Dubai flight said the flight had been hard going. Asked by a reporter whether she had done anything differently to cope with the flight, she said, "No, it's just long."

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