Kara and I love flying and our obsession has taken us all over the world, trying out some of the most bizarre flights in the world (like flying in the air from an apartment).
Recently we had the chance to try out two unique flights that couldn’t be more different: the shortest commercial flight in the world and the longest commercial flight in the world.
The world’s shortest commercial flight lasts less than a minute and is between two islands in the north of Scotland. The world’s longest commercial flight lasts 19 hours and is between Singapore and New York City.
So what’s it like to fly on the world’s shortest and longest flights? Join us as we travel to the other side of the world to experience both!
Flight #1 Westray to Papa Westray:
The Orkney Islands are a beautiful group of islands just north of mainland Scotland with a total population of around 22,000. We started our trip on the island of Westray, which has a total population of 600. Westray has a beautiful rugged coastline, green countryside and baby sheep and puffins in abundance! Even if you’re not as keen on flying as we are, we think it’s definitely worth a visit!
Our flight was in total 1.7 miles long between the islands of Westray and Papa Westray. You can travel between the islands by ferry, but these ferries can be long, so the government subsidizes flights so that locals can travel more efficiently. This means that not only was this the shortest flight we’ve ever taken, it was also the cheapest at around $22.
Here is the timeline of the world’s shortest flight:
8:20
Our taxi driver, Stuart, picked us up from our accommodation and took us to Westray airport.
08:30 am
We arrived at what is probably the smallest airport in the world. When we got there, Stuart put on a reflective jacket to start his second job as an air traffic controller. A sign outside the door told us that all luggage had to be checked in at least 10 minutes before departure.
08:45
Our plane arrived at the airport from the last stop in Kirkwall. The planes in Orkney operate a bit like buses. Every day the plane flies between Kirkwall, Westray and Papa Westray. Passengers board the plane at their chosen stop and then simply stay on the plane until they reach their destination.
8:52
We got on the plane and took off! This plane was so small and full of locals going about their day. We heard the flight could last anywhere from 53 seconds to just over 2 minutes depending on the wind so we decided to time the flight.
8:54
From wheels up to wheels down the flight took a total of 2 minutes and 21 seconds. The whole time it was impossible to tell if the plane was taking off or landing… I think it was doing both? After getting off the plane we got our bags from the “baggage claim” which was basically just a bin full of Amazon packages from locals.
Our biggest lesson was that this flight was so crazy for us, but for the locals it was so normal. Can you imagine taking a flight as your main mode of transportation?!
The longest flight in the world is a 10,000 miles long Singapore Airlines flight from Singapore to New York City. This flight takes only more than 19 hours and is about 500 times longer than the shortest flight in the world. (Fun fact: the longest runway at Singapore’s Changi Airport is 2.4 miles long, which is almost a whole mile longer than the shortest flight in the world from Westray. Okay, maybe that fact is only fun if you’re an aviation nerd like us.)
One of the most unique things about this flight is that there are no economy seats on the plane at all – only business class and premium economy. For this flight, we flew business class and we were probably more excited than anyone else on the flight. Many people probably hate long flights, but we enjoy the opportunity to lounge, watch movies, nap, and eat for 19 hours – completely guilt-free.
Here’s the timeline of the world’s longest flight:
Hour 0
Before the flight took off, we spent the next 19 hours exploring our seats and wow, the seats are HUGE (maybe even bigger than Emirates First Class). Seriously, I could fit two people in there. The seat has a few storage bins, a tray table hidden in the armrest and seat controls to lay the seat flat.
Hour 1
After takeoff the flight attendants gave us a glass of champagne. We did some work so we could relax for the rest of the flight.
Hours 2 and 3
The stewardesses came by to serve us our three course meal. We ordered the vegetarian menu and were given a glass of red wine.
Hour 4
For dessert we were served chocolate mousse and then we were given a care package with toiletries such as facial spray, lip balm and lotion.
Hours 5-7
After a few hours of snoozing, the flight attendants brought out a snack of the airline’s famous satay sticks and peanut sauce. We’ve had these before in the Singapore Airlines lounge and can attest that they’re worth the hype. Kara says she’d eat the peanut sauce with every meal if she could.
Hours 8-9
This little snack was quickly followed by a second meal service, which we enjoyed while watching our favorite TV shows.
Hour 10
We used our amenity kits to get ready for bed and adjusted our chairs to the recline position. Our only complaint about the chairs? We were given too many pillows, which I guess isn’t the worst complaint to have.
Hours 11-19
We spent the rest of the flight sleeping and watching TV. The flight landed in New York City in the evening, so we tried not to sleep too much to avoid getting too jetlagged.
Maybe we’re crazy, but this flight didn’t feel like 19 hours at all. With all that eating, sleeping, and watching TV, the longest flight in the world went by way too fast. It was over before we were ready to leave!
Are you interested in taking the shortest or longest flight in the world? Watch our video below to let us know and see our full flight experience.
Hi! We’re Kara and Nate. High school sweethearts from Nashville, TN whose shared love of travel led us on the adventure of a lifetime. In 2016, we quit our jobs to travel the world for a year. Seven years later, we still haven’t stopped! We quickly fell in love with life on the road and documenting our travels on video. We’ve visited over 100 countries and have been lucky enough to build an amazing community of subscribers on our YouTube channel and newsletter, Daily Drop. We’re so grateful to get to do what we love every day and we hope our story and content inspires you to travel somewhere new!
