"But people seem to be wildly different when it comes to the experience of jetlag - and we need more research on what contributes to jetlag and travel fatigue, so we can try and reduce the impact of long-haul flights." "We know from the basic science of circadian rhythms that a bigger time difference between departure and arrival locations, and travelling east rather than west, tends to mean people feel more jetlag," University of Sydney professor Stephen Simpson told AFP. With a 15-hour time difference between New York and Sydney, the impact of jetlag will be closely watched.
READ: How to survive an ultra long-haul flight on your next holiday Pilots will also wear a device that tracks their brain waves and alertness. Scientists from two Australian universities will be on board to monitor passengers' sleep patterns, melatonin levels, and food consumption. No other airline has ever achieved the feat, which Qantas CEO Alan Joyce has called the "final frontier in aviation". Passenger numbers have been restricted to minimise the weight on board and give the plane sufficient fuel range to travel about 16,000km without re-fuelling, heading west over the Pacific. READ: World's longest SIA flight departs Singapore for New York READ: Singapore Airlines’ world’s longest flight: What it’s like to fly 18 hours in the back of the plane They operate daily between Singapore Changi Airport and Newark Liberty International Airport.
Singapore Airlines flights 21 and 22, which travel about 18 hours from Singapore to New York, previously held the record for longest nonstop commercial flight. The plane is scheduled to arrive Down Under on Sunday morning. Up to 40 passengers and crew - most of them Qantas employees - will be on board the Boeing 787-9 when it departs New York on Friday (Oct 18).
In the first of three "ultra long-haul" test flights planned by Australia's national flag carrier this year, researchers will monitor the effects on passengers of the 19-hour nonstop journey. SYDNEY: A plane and its passengers are set to test the mental and physical limits of long-haul aviation when Qantas operates the first direct flight by a commercial airline from New York to Sydney this weekend.