Non-stop flights v layovers: Which is the best option?
We’re living in an era of very long flights. New generation aircraft such as the Airbus A350 and the Boeing 787 can fly non-stop at greater distances than ever before.
When Qantas begins operating its Project Sunrise flights between Australia’s east coast and London and New York City, scheduled to begin in 2025, flight time will be about 20 hours. More than half the seats on board will be economy class and Qantas is promising a seat pitch of 83.8 centimetres. That’s generous for an economy seat, but 20 hours in that seat might give you pause.
The Airbus A350 flies some of the world’s longest non-stop routes.
We’re all different, but after about 10 hours on a daytime flight in an economy seat I’ve watched a movie or two, had a meal and I’m starting to wonder if this is ever going to end. If it’s a westbound flight out of Australia heading for Qatar or Dubai, we’re a tiny speck over the blue of the Indian Ocean according to the inflight map, and there’s still another four hours to go. Fast forward to 2025 and if I’m on a flight from Melbourne to New York, 10 hours is just the halfway mark.
Does getting to a faraway destination a little quicker really make sense, or am I better off with a layover of a few hours where I can stretch my legs and maybe have a massage, a shower or even a swim?
The cost
Non-stop flights are more expensive compared with one-stop flights over the same route. Fly return economy from Perth to London next April aboard Qantas’ non-stop flight and the lowest price is $2643. Fly the same route via Singapore and the lowest price is $246 less. Flight time for the non-stop Perth to London flight is 17 hours, 20 minutes, flying via Singapore is a 25-hour, 45-minute flight. On the return journey, the non-stop flight is 16 hours, 45 minutes, the flight via Singapore takes three hours longer.
One reason for the difference in price is that ultra-long-distance flights need more fuel, and the weight of that fuel can mean fewer passengers. The Airbus A350-1000 aircraft that Qantas will be using for its Project Sunrise flights will carry just 232 passengers. According to Airbus, the aircraft comfortably accommodates from 350 to 410 passengers in a standard three-class configuration. Therefore the airline needs to charge more per passenger (Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce has estimated passengers will be willing to pay about 20 per cent more for a non-stop flight).
Also, there’s a demand for non-stop flights from the big end of town in particular. A business executive who can shave a few hours off their flight time may be prepared to pay more, and that largely explains the relatively high number of business-class seats on ultra-long flights.
Singapore Airlines carries just 161 passengers aboard the Airbus A350-900ULRs used for its 19-hour journeys between Singapore and New York, the world’s longest commercial flight route, with only business and premium-economy seating on board.
What long-haul flying does to your body
Ever capped a water bottle at cruising altitude, only to watch it crackle and crush in on itself as you come in to land? It’s pretty dramatic, and that might make you wonder what flying is doing to your body. Dehydration, bloating, fatigue, dry skin and even cracked nails are some of the side effects of flying, and the longer your flight the more you’re likely to experience those symptoms.
Long periods in cramped seating can cause deep-vein thrombosis.Credit: Craig Abraham.
Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is more of a risk on an ultra-long flight. You’re likely to remain in your seat for longer and for those in the middle seat or window seat the temptation is to hardly move at all. You’re not using your muscles, blood circulation slows and if your blood pools and clots you’re at risk of DVT.
According to Dr Tony Schiemer, aviation medical specialist, academic, flight instructor and former naval officer, “for most of the population that are not elderly and don’t have a lot of different risk factors that contribute to blood clots it’s not a major concern. As long as you stay hydrated and walk around occasionally you’re probably going to be fine.
“The ones that are at high-risk are those at higher age. Obesity is a major risk factor and so is pregnancy, particularly the postpartum period. If you’re pregnant or if you just delivered your baby, go and talk to your GP before you fly, particularly for a long-haul flight.”
The environmental impact of ultra-long-haul flights
It might seem that a non-stop flight would create less carbon emissions per passenger than a flight with a stop between origin and destination. The distance flown is shorter and there is only one take-off. But that’s not the case. On an ultra-long flight, an aircraft’s fuel tanks will be topped up to the maximum. On an Airbus A350–1000 the weight of that fuel is 94 tonnes. Some of that fuel is carried solely to lift the extra fuel required to cover the huge distance. Also, since the non-stop flight is carrying fewer passengers, the emissions per passenger are greater than aboard a one-stop flight with more passengers.
The case for a non-stop flight
If you want to get your flight over and done with, non-stop is the way to go. There’s no possibility of a delayed connecting flight to mess up your travel plans. That also means less chance of your baggage going astray, although in one famous case that generated considerable angst, in mid-2022 a Qantas non-stop flight left Darwin for London minus all passengers’ checked luggage. A section of the runway was unusable and under repair and since the aircraft could not use the entire runway for takeoff it needed to shed weight. Similar issues occurred with Air New Zealand’s non-stop flight between New York and Auckland shortly after the route launched, thanks to unusually strong head winds.
Why airlines love non-stop flights
One crew from origin to final destination means a cost saving for the airline. It also removes a headache for the airline since there is no requirement to position another crew to fly the connecting flight. That’s especially relevant now when airlines are having a tough time recruiting enough staff to fly their aircraft. It also spins the wheels faster, getting passengers from origin to destination more quickly than a flight with a connection in between, and time is money. Also, passengers are flying all the way in your metal, with no chance of distorting their allegiance on a codeshare flight.
My preference
If I’m flying to Europe, I’m taking a flight that gives me a couple of hours between flights, preferably at either Singapore or Doha. Both have swimming pools, and the one on the roof at Singapore’s Aerotel is a standout. A few laps, fresh air, a shower and a bowl of mee hoon goreng from the Singapore Food Street in Terminal 3 and I’m ready for anything economy can throw at me.
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