The Longest U.S. Airline Flight: IAH to SYD
An ultra-long-haul flight is generally considered to be a nonstop flight 12 hours or longer in duration. Currently, the longest flight flown by a U.S. airline is the United Airlines flight from Houston, Tex., to Sydney, Australia.
Capt. Marc Champion (United), a pilot who has frequently flown ultra-long-haul routes, observed that crew rest is the number one human factors issue regarding these types of flights. “The challenge for captains is how to manage the available rest time to keep everyone well rested. The key is to provide crews a break before flying too far into their window of circadian low while allowing each crew sufficient time in the bunk for a meaningful sleep opportunity.
“Having first flown these flights more than 30 years ago, I’ve seen tremendous advancements in the ergonomic design of cockpits and crew rest facilities since then,” said Champion. “I’ve also seen vast improvement to rest regulations like FAR Part 117 and pilot contract language concerning rest and crew complement, thanks to years of pilot input and data supporting better management of crew rest.”
