BootsnAll Travel Community

Question:
I've noticed some people describe a coast-to-coast (US) flight as 'long haul'. Interesting, but not in my book.

What do you think of as a long haul flight??? (We are talking flight time, not time from point A to B...which really can add up!)

Choices:
>= 11 hours
>= 9 hours
>= 7 hours
>= 5 hours
>= 3 hours

 

I think it depends. International plances are bigger and often have more entertainment in the seats, making a long hul (in my opinion) about 6 hours or more. Domestic flights (at least in teh US) have small seats and SOMETIMES a movie playing or something, which makes about 3 to 4 hours seem like a long haul. I think it depends on the airline/airplane.

I 've been on longer, but I consider coast to coast (5.5-6houts) long haul flights. Half the time I would rather take a longer flight, because the planes are better. With coast to coast they cram you in like sardines in smaller planes with not much in the way of entertainment.

Anyway, to answer the question, I do consider 5.5-6 hours minimum for a long haul (and when you have to take these several times a month for work, they feel even more so).

I third the "it depends."

I live in Boston, so for me to fly to California or for me to fly to London is almost the exact same flight time. Because of all the space/entertainment issues listed above, I'd much rather fly to London than California!!

That being said, I still picked a 7 hour min for "long haul" so neither of those would even count, lol.

I have next to nothing for an attention span when it comes to being on airplanes, so anything approaching 4 hours I start getting restless. But to me long haul is greater than 7 hours.

interesting that so many picked >=11. i didn't think anyone would do that, as with the >=3. so those that picked 11+ hours, does that you consider a 9 hour flight 'medium haul'?

for me personally, it's 7 hours. 5 hours is really not that long to be on a plane. My longest flight was 13 hours (Hong Kong to London)

When you live in Australia, most of your international flights seem to become what I call 'long haul'! The 24 hours it takes to get to Europe really takes it out of you. Even when you put a 9 hour flight + 12 hour flight together with a layover in Asia it is still long time to be on and off planes for. My record is 36 hours from Sydney to Dublin because of delayed flights.

That said, I would rather fly to NZ than to Perth from the East Coast of Oz - bigger planes!

quote:

The 24 hours it takes to get to Europe really takes it out of you.

yea, i hear you. but my question was about the flight it self ("(We are talking flight time, not time from point A to B...which really can add up!)")

i've done Sing->Tawain->LA->NYC->London and that took 2.5 days. i was a zombie for a week. but that doesn't count in this context.

Even two hours with too many screamers, back pummellers or other obnoxious beasts can be too long a haul.

As can the haul of a too heavily laden cheap wheelie whose wheels are giving up and it's as humid as all shit, you're running late and the last 100 yds seems like 800!
Only to find the flight ie delayed by about an hour anyway
- bloody long haul that was.

But I do some pretty long distance driving in Oz occasionally, like 1800km. inside 24 hrs.
I think I'd take a flight to Europe anytime - watch some movies, bit of a chat, some reading, and one time a 70+ was on her maiden flight and somewhat a little nervy, and so along with a companionand a couple of others, Melbourne to Singapore was like a party and we werethere before you knew it, and fortunately no screamers.

Always a must to take a few days on the Oz to Europe flights, making the flight business a journey in itself.

quote:

Even two hours with too many screamers, back pummellers or other obnoxious beasts can be too long a haul.

That sums up my ex-girlfriend perfectly.

A screaming, back pummelling obnoxious beast?

Thanks for the visual Joe.

I rather foolishly agreed to a dirt cheap 40 hour flight from Melbourne to London Via Bangkok and Frankfurt.

That wasnt long haul, that was traveller purgatory. That scene in Beetlejuice when he's sat in the waiting room at the end with the stupidly long ticket wait. I felt kinda like that (minus the voodoo shrunk head)

Wouldnt you say long haul is relative to your location tho? EG. Shorthaul for an Aussie goin to say, Auckland could be considered long haul for an English person used to flying to say, Paris?

Just a thought...

Dan

quote:

Wouldnt you say long haul is relative to your location tho? EG. Shorthaul for an Aussie goin to say, Auckland could be considered long haul for an English person used to flying to say, Paris?

and the reason behind the question On another thread I read someone descriving a five hour flight as 'long haul', which surprised me.

so, over half said 'over seven hours'...and only one said 'over five hours'.

again...interesting...

7 hours?! that isn't long enough for the DVT to set in. I guess I am used to 9 hour flights now going back and fourth between Canada and London. Overnight longhaul flights are brilliant...that way you can sleep, and it will go by faster.

I've never been able to sleep on airplanes and really envy people who can. Even if I take drugs and the flight is really long, I can only ever doze for an hour or so.

I definitely agree that it all depends on the context. I voted for 7 though, because I think it's right about there that I have to mentally prepare myself for the length of the flight.

Boeing 777 World Record Flight - Hong Kong to London the long way, over Canada -- 22 hours and 42 minutes - more than half way around the world.

The longest scheduled commerical flight at the moment though is New York to Singapore, approximately 18 hours each way.

I think those count as long haul.

As someone who flies routinely between Asia and the States, I don't even bat an eyelash at flights less than 10 hours.

8 hours? 7 hours? Bring it on!!

quote:

The longest scheduled commerical flight at the moment though is New York to Singapore, approximately 18 hours each way.

I think those count as long haul.

super duper long haul! I've not heard of that...that is without stops? Do you know what airline? I'd guess it to be SQ...

Yes, non-stop -- it is SQ - on a special Airbus 340-500 with lots of go-juice and extra legroom. Read more about it here.

Not sure if it's still in service though.

18 hours? You would go mad. You would be glowing from all the radiation too...did you know that a short 1 hour flight gives you the equivalent exposure to radiation as 4 dental radiographs? Or, so I've been told by my radiology prof. I am crédule at times. Makes sense though.