Air New Zealand is launching one of the longest flights in the world

Air New Zealand is launching direct flights from New York to Auckland this September, the first-ever direct flights from the East Coast to New Zealand.

AIR NEW ZEALAND BOEING 787-9 ZK-NZJ (MSN 37966)

The new route, which will launch on the 17th Sept. will fly from New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport to New Zealand's Auckland International Airport. The flight will clock in at 17 hours and 35 minutes.

The flight is set to kick off just months after New Zealand begins welcoming vaccinated international tourists in May. Travelers will have to arrive with proof of either a negative PCR test taken within 48 hours of their departure or proof of a negative supervised rapid antigen test taken within 24 hours of their departure, as well as undergo rapid antigen tests on the first day they arrive and on day 5 or 6 of their trip.

The flight will take place on a Boeing 787 Dreamliner and include 27 business class seats, 33 premium economy seats, 215 economy seats, and 13 economy Skycouches (three economy seats that convert into a lie-flat bed). The flights will depart Auckland on Mondays, Thursdays, and Saturdays.

Customers in premium cabins will be pampered with relaxing balms along with sleepy teas and snacks to help them fight jet lag, and the airline will launch "Zentertainment" on the inflight entertainment system to "encourage a restful sleep."

Before landing in Auckland, premium customers will be offered a brunch service complete with a "classic Kiwi flat white."

Air New Zealand was ranked the safest airline in the world this year and is consistently rated as one of the best airlines in the world. The airline currently offers direct flights from Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Houston to New Zealand.

The new route, however, won't be the longest in the world. 

That honor belongs to Singapore Airlines, which flies from New York to Singapore in 18 hours and 40 minutes. Additionally, Qantas plans to restart its Project Sunrise flights in 2024 or 2025, an airline spokeswoman said resuming the pre-pandemic experiment testing ultra-long haul non-stop flights between New York and London and Sydney.

But that title is being challenged at the moment, at this time of year, a Cathay Pacific flight from Hong Kong to New York is genuinely an around-the-world odyssey, with the Airbus A350 crossing both the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans.

With Europe's airspace in chaos, due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the odyssey is being extended, with the return leg about to become the world's longest commercial passenger flight. 

But Cathay's route from New York to Hong Kong is longer. It will cross the Atlantic Ocean and with a modified path across Europe, clocking up around 16,618 kilometers (10,300 miles), taking between 16-17 hours.