Singapore Airlines Expanding In New York With 3x Daily Flights

As noted by Mainly Miles, Singapore Airlines will be operating its biggest-ever schedule to New York as of this spring, which is interesting timing.

Singapore Airlines is growing in New York

For the first time ever, Singapore Airlines will operate three daily flights to New York area airports as of late March 2022. Specifically, Singapore Airlines will operate the following services:

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• A nonstop Singapore (SIN) to New York (JFK) flight using an Airbus A350-900ULR
• A nonstop Singapore (SIN) to Newark (EWR) flight using an Airbus A350-900ULR
• A Singapore (SIN) to New York (JFK) via Frankfurt (FRA) flight using an Airbus A380

What’s changing here is that this will be the first time we see the airline operate 2x daily nonstop flights from Singapore to the New York area. Pre-pandemic the nonstop service was operated to Newark. Then when the route restarted during the pandemic, the nonstop service was shifted to New York JFK. Soon it’ll be operated to both airports.

Let’s go over the details of the three services, with all routes noted operating as of March 27, 2022.

Singapore Airlines’ nonstop flight to New York (JFK)

Singapore Airlines will operate a daily nonstop flight from Singapore to New York with the following schedule:

SQ24 Singapore to New York departing 11:50AM arriving 6:30PM
SQ23 New York to Singapore departing 10:30PM arriving 5:20AM (+2 days)

At 9,537 miles, this is the world’s longest flight. It’s blocked at 18hr40min to New York and 18hr50min to Singapore. Singapore Airlines will use an uber-premium A350-900ULR for the route, featuring just 161 seats. This includes 67 business class seats and 94 premium economy seats.

Singapore Airlines’ nonstop flight to Newark (EWR)

Singapore Airlines will operate a daily nonstop flight from Singapore to Newark with the following schedule:

SQ22 Singapore to Newark departing 11:35PM arriving 6:00AM (+1 day)
SQ21 Newark to Singapore departing 10:25AM arriving 5:10PM (+1 day)

At 9,523 miles, this is the world’s second longest flight. It’s blocked at 18hr25min to Newark and 18hr45min to Singapore. Singapore Airlines will also use an A350-900ULR for the route, featuring just 161 seats. This includes 67 business class seats and 94 premium economy seats.

Singapore Airlines’ flight to New York (JFK) via Frankfurt (FRA)

Singapore Airlines will operate a daily flight from Singapore to New York via Frankfurt (with fifth freedom rights on the transatlantic flight) with the following schedule:

SQ26 Singapore to Frankfurt departing 11:55PM arriving 6:45AM (+1 day)
SQ26 Frankfurt to New York departing 8:35AM arriving 11:10AM
SQ25 New York to Frankfurt departing 8:55PM arriving 10:40AM (+1 day)
SQ25 Frankfurt to Singapore departing 12:30PM arriving 6:50AM (+1 day)

Singapore Airlines will use an Airbus A380 for the route featuring the carrier’s newest cabins. This includes 475 seats spread across four cabins. There are six first class suites, 82 business class seats, 44 premium economy seats, and 343 economy seats.

My take on Singapore Airlines’ New York expansion

It’s cool to see Singapore Airlines expanding to this degree in New York, and offering its biggest-ever schedule. In particular, it’s nice how the schedules between EWR and JFK are kind of opposite of one another, so that passengers can choose what works best for them.

Personally I’d rather fly to JFK and from EWR based on the schedules. These are such long flights, and I don’t love boarding late at night, being in darkness endlessly, and then landing at the destination early in the morning. This is a case where I’d much rather have the flight partly be daytime.

Next, I have to say that I’m surprised to see this expansion:

• Business travel is still a long way from recovering to pre-pandemic levels, so it’s interesting that Singapore Airlines will offer the most capacity we’ve ever seen between New York and Singapore
• That doesn’t even account for Singapore’s borders still not being fully open, and for that matter the country has limited its current Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) concept
• I have to imagine that cargo is expected to contribute significantly to the viability of these nonstop flights (and that’s despite the fact that cargo capacity is limited on the A350-900ULRs, given how much fuel they’re carrying)

I’m curious to see if this service sticks around in the long-run, or if this is just the best option at the moment, since Singapore Airlines doesn’t have many destinations to fly A350-900ULRs to.

Bottom line

For the first time, Singapore Airlines will be operating three daily flights to New York as of late March 2022. The airline will fly nonstop daily from Singapore to both Newark and New York JFK with A350-900ULRs, in addition to the fifth freedom service from Singapore to New York JFK via Frankfurt with an A380.

You wouldn’t think that this would be the time to offer the most capacity in a market so heavily dependent on business travel, but I guess the math is checking out.

What do you make of Singapore Airlines’ New York expansion?