Routes
The world's longest economy flights, one route at a time.
Distance, typical duration, time-zone shift, aircraft you'll actually see on the route, the better side of the cabin for views, and route-specific jet-lag notes. We're expanding from canonical long-hauls into the routes readers are most likely to search before a punishing economy leg.
- LHR SINEastbound
London → Singapore
- Distance
- 10,860 km
- Duration
- 13.5 h
- TZ shift
- 8 h
London Heathrow to Singapore Changi — one of the longest commercially significant eastbound routes. Direction is unambiguously eastward; westward returns are notably easier on the body.
London (LHR) → Singapore (SIN) - JFK NRTEastbound
New York → Tokyo
- Distance
- 10,870 km
- Duration
- 14 h
- TZ shift
- 14 h
JFK to Narita — polar-route long-haul, often flown 13-14 hours. The time zone shift is large enough that crossing the dateline may make the trip feel like a westward delay, depending on direction of travel.
New York (JFK) → Tokyo (NRT) - LAX SYDWestbound
Los Angeles → Sydney
- Distance
- 12,060 km
- Duration
- 15 h
- TZ shift
- 19 h
LAX to Sydney — one of the longest scheduled commercial routes. Crossing the international dateline confuses the math: the calendar moves forward but the body experiences a westward delay.
Los Angeles (LAX) → Sydney (SYD) - ATH JFKWestbound
Athens → New York
- Distance
- 7,920 km
- Duration
- 11 h
- TZ shift
- 7 h
Athens to JFK — westbound transatlantic, daytime flight. Westward direction is the easier of the two on the body — you delay sleep rather than advance it, which the human circadian system does naturally.
Athens (ATH) → New York (JFK) - SIN EWRWestbound
Singapore → Newark
- Distance
- 15,345 km
- Duration
- 18.7 h
- TZ shift
- 12 h
Singapore Changi to Newark Liberty — a benchmark ultra-long-haul flight at nearly 19 hours. It is useful as a survival reference even for shorter long-hauls because everything that matters in economy gets amplified here.
Singapore (SIN) → Newark (EWR) - AKL DOHWestbound
Auckland → Doha
- Distance
- 14,535 km
- Duration
- 17.5 h
- TZ shift
- 9 h
Auckland to Doha — an ultra-long westbound route linking New Zealand with Qatar. The duration is the main stressor: circulation, hydration, and sleep positioning matter more than small seat-choice differences.
Auckland (AKL) → Doha (DOH) - PER LHRWestbound
Perth → London
- Distance
- 14,585 km
- Duration
- 17.5 h
- TZ shift
- 8 h
Perth to London Heathrow — Qantas's non-stop link between Western Australia and the UK, usually flown by 787-9. It is one of the clearest examples of a route where duration hurts more than the time-zone shift.
Perth (PER) → London (LHR) - DFW SYDWestbound
Dallas → Sydney
- Distance
- 13,805 km
- Duration
- 16.9 h
- TZ shift
- 16 h
Dallas Fort Worth to Sydney — a very long Pacific route with a dateline jump that makes the clock look worse than the body clock feels. The cabin-time problem is still real: this is a movement-and-sleep route.
Dallas (DFW) → Sydney (SYD) - JFK MNLWestbound
New York → Manila
- Distance
- 13,690 km
- Duration
- 16.4 h
- TZ shift
- 13 h
New York JFK to Manila — one of the most demanding diaspora long-hauls: long block time, a major time-zone change, and a high chance the trip is not optional. Plan sleep and circulation before boarding.
New York (JFK) → Manila (MNL) - LHR JFKWestbound
London → New York
- Distance
- 5,550 km
- Duration
- 8 h
- TZ shift
- 5 h
London Heathrow to JFK — the most-flown long-haul corridor in the world. Short enough that aircraft choice matters less than seat choice; westward direction makes recovery quick.
London (LHR) → New York (JFK) - LHR LAXWestbound
London → Los Angeles
- Distance
- 8,780 km
- Duration
- 11.5 h
- TZ shift
- 8 h
London Heathrow to LAX — classic westbound transatlantic-meets-Pacific. Daytime departure, late-afternoon arrival, and the westward direction makes it more forgiving than the eastbound return.
London (LHR) → Los Angeles (LAX) - LHR DXBEastbound
London → Dubai
- Distance
- 5,500 km
- Duration
- 7 h
- TZ shift
- 3 h
London Heathrow to Dubai — Emirates's flagship corridor and one of the most frequent long-hauls in the world. Short enough that comfort, not jet lag, is the main thing to plan.
London (LHR) → Dubai (DXB) - DXB SYDEastbound
Dubai → Sydney
- Distance
- 12,030 km
- Duration
- 14 h
- TZ shift
- 7 h
Dubai to Sydney — Emirates's classic Kangaroo Route leg, often flown by A380. A long eastbound block: pack the jet-lag plan and the circulation kit together.
Dubai (DXB) → Sydney (SYD) - LHR HKGEastbound
London → Hong Kong
- Distance
- 9,650 km
- Duration
- 12 h
- TZ shift
- 8 h
London Heathrow to Hong Kong — a benchmark Europe-to-Asia long-haul, usually overnight from London. Long enough that aircraft and jet-lag prep both matter.
London (LHR) → Hong Kong (HKG) - LHR BKKEastbound
London → Bangkok
- Distance
- 9,540 km
- Duration
- 11.5 h
- TZ shift
- 6 h
London Heathrow to Bangkok — a long leisure corridor flown mostly overnight from London. The eastbound jet lag is moderate but real; aircraft choice meaningfully affects how you arrive.
London (LHR) → Bangkok (BKK) - CDG NRTEastbound
Paris → Tokyo
- Distance
- 9,760 km
- Duration
- 12 h
- TZ shift
- 7 h
Paris CDG to Tokyo Narita — one of the most-flown Europe-Asia long-hauls. Aircraft, sleep timing, and arrival-day light exposure are the three controllables that matter.
Paris (CDG) → Tokyo (NRT) - FRA SINEastbound
Frankfurt → Singapore
- Distance
- 10,300 km
- Duration
- 12 h
- TZ shift
- 7 h
Frankfurt to Singapore Changi — Lufthansa and Singapore Airlines's marquee Europe-Asia corridor. Overnight east; the longer Lufthansa flies the route in A380, the easier it stays on the body.
Frankfurt (FRA) → Singapore (SIN) - SFO HKGWestbound
San Francisco → Hong Kong
- Distance
- 11,140 km
- Duration
- 14 h
- TZ shift
- 15 h
San Francisco to Hong Kong — one of the main US-Asia corridors, usually flown by composite aircraft. Westbound dateline crossing makes the jet-lag math friendlier than the raw TZ math.
San Francisco (SFO) → Hong Kong (HKG) - LAX NRTWestbound
Los Angeles → Tokyo
- Distance
- 8,810 km
- Duration
- 11.5 h
- TZ shift
- 16 h
LAX to Tokyo Narita — one of the most-served US-Asia routes. Despite the headline TZ shift, the body reads it as a manageable westbound delay thanks to the dateline.
Los Angeles (LAX) → Tokyo (NRT) - AMS JFKWestbound
Amsterdam → New York
- Distance
- 5,850 km
- Duration
- 8.5 h
- TZ shift
- 6 h
Amsterdam Schiphol to JFK — the main KLM/Delta transatlantic anchor. Westbound and short enough that aircraft type matters less than seat and pre-flight rest.
Amsterdam (AMS) → New York (JFK) - IST LAXWestbound
Istanbul → Los Angeles
- Distance
- 11,030 km
- Duration
- 14 h
- TZ shift
- 10 h
Istanbul to LAX — Turkish Airlines's ultra-long polar route to the US West Coast. The westbound direction makes it manageable; the duration makes the in-flight kit non-optional.
Istanbul (IST) → Los Angeles (LAX) - JFK LHREastbound
New York → London
- Distance
- 5,550 km
- Duration
- 7 h
- TZ shift
- 5 h
JFK to London Heathrow — the most-flown long-haul corridor in the world, eastbound. Short, overnight, and the jet lag is real but compressible if you sleep on the plane.
New York (JFK) → London (LHR) - LHR BOMEastbound
London → Mumbai
- Distance
- 7,195 km
- Duration
- 9 h
- TZ shift
- 4.5 h
London Heathrow to Mumbai — one of the busiest UK-India corridors and a flagship route for Air India. Overnight, moderate jet lag; aircraft choice is the easiest comfort lever.
London (LHR) → Mumbai (BOM) - LHR DELEastbound
London → Delhi
- Distance
- 6,740 km
- Duration
- 8.5 h
- TZ shift
- 4.5 h
London Heathrow to Delhi — alongside LHR-BOM, the main UK-India trunk. Overnight, modest TZ shift, recoverable inside two days with light timing and a normal local bedtime.
London (LHR) → Delhi (DEL) - LHR MIAWestbound
London → Miami
- Distance
- 7,100 km
- Duration
- 9.5 h
- TZ shift
- 5 h
London Heathrow to Miami — one of the busiest UK-US leisure corridors. Westbound daytime; the direction is forgiving and the duration is manageable.
London (LHR) → Miami (MIA) - LHR JNBEastbound
London → Johannesburg
- Distance
- 9,050 km
- Duration
- 11 h
- TZ shift
- 1 h
London Heathrow to Johannesburg — north-south long-haul where the duration matters but the time-zone shift barely does. Treat it as a sleep-and-circulation problem, not a jet-lag one.
London (LHR) → Johannesburg (JNB) - DXB JFKWestbound
Dubai → New York
- Distance
- 11,020 km
- Duration
- 13.5 h
- TZ shift
- 8 h
Dubai to JFK — Emirates's premier US-bound flight from the Gulf. The westbound direction softens what would otherwise be a punishing 13-hour TZ jump.
Dubai (DXB) → New York (JFK) - DOH LAXWestbound
Doha → Los Angeles
- Distance
- 13,400 km
- Duration
- 16.5 h
- TZ shift
- 10 h
Doha to LAX — one of Qatar Airways's ultra-long-haul flagships, flown by 777-200LR. The westbound direction helps; the duration makes everything else matter more.
Doha (DOH) → Los Angeles (LAX) - SFO SINWestbound
San Francisco → Singapore
- Distance
- 13,560 km
- Duration
- 17 h
- TZ shift
- 15 h
San Francisco to Singapore Changi — one of the longest scheduled commercial flights at 17 hours. The dateline crossing softens the TZ math, but the cabin block is the dominant problem.
San Francisco (SFO) → Singapore (SIN) - YYZ LHREastbound
Toronto → London
- Distance
- 5,750 km
- Duration
- 7 h
- TZ shift
- 5 h
Toronto Pearson to London Heathrow — the busiest Canada-UK link. Short overnight transatlantic; sleep on the plane is the single highest-leverage thing you can do.
Toronto (YYZ) → London (LHR) - ORD LHREastbound
Chicago → London
- Distance
- 6,360 km
- Duration
- 7.5 h
- TZ shift
- 6 h
Chicago O'Hare to London Heathrow — one of the main midwest-UK trunks. Overnight east; sleep on the plane and aircraft type are the two controllables that matter.
Chicago (ORD) → London (LHR) - HKG JFKWestbound
Hong Kong → New York
- Distance
- 12,990 km
- Duration
- 16 h
- TZ shift
- 12 h
Hong Kong to JFK — Cathay Pacific's flagship Atlantic-meets-Pacific polar route. One of the longest US-Asia flights still scheduled; the westbound direction is the only thing making it manageable.
Hong Kong (HKG) → New York (JFK) - ICN LAXWestbound
Seoul → Los Angeles
- Distance
- 9,620 km
- Duration
- 12.5 h
- TZ shift
- 16 h
Seoul Incheon to LAX — one of the main US-Korea corridors. The dateline math makes the body clock easier than the calendar; cabin time is still the dominant variable.
Seoul (ICN) → Los Angeles (LAX) - LHR ICNEastbound
London → Seoul
- Distance
- 8,870 km
- Duration
- 11 h
- TZ shift
- 8 h
London Heathrow to Seoul Incheon — main UK-Korea trunk. Long eastbound shift on an overnight; aircraft choice and jet-lag prep both matter.
London (LHR) → Seoul (ICN) - SYD SINWestbound
Sydney → Singapore
- Distance
- 6,300 km
- Duration
- 8 h
- TZ shift
- 3 h
Sydney to Singapore Changi — first leg of the classic Kangaroo Route. Short westbound long-haul with mild jet lag; comfort and aircraft choice are the controllables.
Sydney (SYD) → Singapore (SIN) - DXB LAXWestbound
Dubai → Los Angeles
- Distance
- 13,420 km
- Duration
- 16 h
- TZ shift
- 11 h
Dubai to LAX — one of Emirates's longest US flights, typically flown by A380. The westbound direction softens the TZ shift; the duration makes the in-flight kit non-optional.
Dubai (DXB) → Los Angeles (LAX)