SAN FRANCISCO, October 24, 2016 – Ushering in a new era of ultra-long-distance flights for the company, Singapore Airlines (SIA) resumed nonstop operations from the U.S. to Singapore on 23 October, when a new Airbus A350-900 departed San Francisco International Airport.

Flying time for the new, SQ31 San Francisco-Singapore services will be between 14:35hrs and 17:45hrs depending on direction and time of year, over a journey of around 8,451 miles. It is the longest flight in SIA’s network until 2018, when a new, longer-range variant of the A350-900 will enter service, enabling even longer flights between Singapore and both Los Angeles and New York. SIA will be the launch customer for the new variant, the A350-900ULR, with seven of the type on order.

In addition to the nonstop, SIA will continue to operate daily B777-300ER service (SQ1) San Francisco to Hong Kong and Singapore, while the previous San Francisco-Seoul-Singapore service (SQ15) will be operated from Los Angeles as SQ7.

“The U.S. has always been a critical market for SIA, and this new generation of more efficient, technologically advanced aircraft make ultra-long-haul flying possible”. Said Mr. Sek Eng Lee, regional vice president – Americas. “This new flight offers time-stressed passengers a substantial time savings over one-stop operations and is one of the fastest, most convenient, and certainly most comfortable means of travel to Singapore and more than 50 additional Asian points,” he said.

The A350-900 is able to operate non-stop San Francisco flights on a year-round basis, although depending on headwinds there will be some payload restrictions which will result in some seats not being offered for sale. The aircraft is configured with a total of 253 seats in Business Class, Premium Economy Class and Economy Class.

Reducing the Symptoms of Jet Lag

The A350-900 ULR is designed to help address and minimize the symptoms of jetlag. The aircraft is pressurized at a lower altitude and features higher humidity levels, an advanced air filtration system and updated lighting controls that are designed to create a more comfortable journey for passengers.

SIA Expands Los Angeles Frequency, Updates Cabin Products, Routes

The resumption of nonstop services to Singapore is part of a broader series of network updates and product enhancements for the carrier’s U.S. operations. From 23 October, SIA has repositioned SQ15 to serve Seoul and Singapore from Los Angeles (previously San Francisco) as SQ7, operated daily using new Boeing 777-300ER aircraft. The new flight features an updated First Class cabin designed by Los Angeles-based BMW DesignWorks, as well as the carrier’s latest, next-generation Business Class cabin, new Premium Economy and latest Economy Class seating.

The SIA’s existing daily Los Angeles-Tokyo-Singapore service (SQ11) has been refreshed to include the newest BMW-designed First Class, an updated Business Class cabin featuring one of the industry’s largest Business Class beds, as well as the carrier’s recently introduced Premium Economy and updated Economy Class products. The route will be served using B777-300ER aircraft in a four-class configuration.

SIA’s existing Houston-Moscow-Singapore route (SQ61) will also be re-routed to fly Houston-Manchester-Singapore (SQ51) operating 5 times weekly from 30 October with Boeing 777-300ER aircraft. This will be SIA’s first service to the United Kingdom from the U.S.

For full details and to book, visit http://www.singaporeair.com/. Follow Singapore Airlines on Facebook at www.facebook.com/singaporeair, Twitter at www.twitter.com/singaporeair and Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/singaporeair.