Singapore Airlines will begin nonstop service between San
Francisco and Singapore on Oct. 23.
The announcement comes just two weeks after United launched
its own service between San Francisco and Singapore. The commencement of that
daily flight left Singapore Airlines in the awkward position of not offering a nonstop
flight from its island home to the U.S. while another carrier is doing so.
With the commencement of its SFO-Singapore service,
Singapore Airlines will share the world’s third-longest nonstop route with
United at 8,451 miles.
United and Singapore, both Star Alliance members, are seeking approval to launch a codesharing partnership.
Along with adding the San Francisco service, Singapore Airlines
announced Wednesday that it will end its San Francisco-Seoul-Singapore daily
flight and instead fly from Los Angeles to Singapore via Seoul. The switch will
give Los Angeles two Singapore Airlines flights per day, just as San Francisco
has.
The launch of the San Francisco flight will also mark a
resumption of nonstop U.S.-Singapore flights for the Asian carrier. Singapore
Airlines used to fly from Changi to Los Angeles and Newark, but suspended those
routes in 2013 amid rising fuel costs. The carrier plans to resume Los Angeles
and New York-area services in 2018 when it takes delivery of seven Airbus
A350-900ULRs, which are expected to have a range of more than 10,300 miles.
The approximately 9,500-mile, 19-hour trip between Singapore
and either JFK or Newark will once again be the longest commercial flight in
the world.
Singapore Airlines will fly the San Francisco route on an
Airbus A350-900. Its 253 seats will be divided between business, premium
economy and economy classes.