Connecting

The world’s longest flight connects America to Asia, with passengers strapped into their seats for almost 19 hours – and it’s not for the faint-hearted

The world’s longest flight links America to Asia with travellers buckled in for nearly 19 hours. The current record holder for the longest long-haul journey is the Singapore Airlines route from New York’s JFK Airport to Singapore Changi.

The 9,537-mile trip has a scheduled flight time of 18 hours and 50 minutes and was introduced by the carrier in 2018. The service operates using Singapore Airline’s cutting-edge A350-900ULRs, which can remain airborne for more than 20 hours without refuelling.

The aircraft achieves such endurance thanks to a specially adapted fuel system. This enhancement boosts the plane’s total fuel capacity to an enormous 24,000 litres.

Yet the journey isn’t readily available to all, as Singapore Airlines doesn’t provide economy class seating on this route.

Rather, Singapore Airlines provides 67 Business Class seats and 94 Premium Economy Class seats. Premium Economy travellers can benefit from additional legroom, a footrest, and an adjustable headrest. Passengers can also utilise noise-cancelling headphones and WiFi throughout their journey.

Business class travellers experience ultimate privacy, whilst their seats transform into completely flat beds to ensure a peaceful sleep during travel.

Singapore Airlines assert that the A350-900ULR will provide customers with a “more comfortable travelling experience”. The aircraft boasts a range of additional features including elevated ceilings, expanded windows and specially designed lighting to combat jetlag.

The carrier maintains that the plane’s innovative carbon composite airframe also enables enhanced air quality. Those seeking a ticket are expected to be extremely wealthy, with seats routinely costing well into five figures.

Singapore Airlines’ CEO, Mr Goh Choon Phong, previously stated that the new route will be the “fastest way” to travel between the two major cities.

He said: “Singapore Airlines has always taken pride in pushing the boundaries to provide the best possible travel convenience for our customers, and we are pleased to be leading the way with these new non-stop flights using the latest technology, ultra-long-range Airbus A350-900ULR.

“The flights will offer our customers the fastest way to travel between the two cities – in great comfort, together with Singapore Airlines’ legendary service – and will help boost connectivity to and through the Singapore hub.”

TOKYO — President Trump opened his visit to Japan on Monday with greetings from the emperor a day before he meets new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who is banking on building a friendly personal relationship with the U.S. leader to ease trade tensions.

One key to this strategy might lie in an idea floated by Japan’s government to buy a fleet of Ford F-150 trucks, a meaningful gesture that may also be impractical given the narrow streets in Tokyo and other Japanese cities.

It’s an early diplomatic test for Takaichi, the first woman to lead Japan. She took office only last week, and has a tenuous coalition backing her.

Trump instantly bought into the idea of Ford trucks as he flew to Asia aboard Air Force One.

“She has good taste,” Trump told reporters. “That’s a hot truck.”

Japanese Emperor Naruhito welcomed Trump at the Imperial Palace after the president’s arrival, and the two spoke for about 30 minutes. Trump straightened his jacket as he stood next to Naruhito for photos before the two sat across a round table, with flowers in the middle, for their talks.

“A great man!” he said twice while pointing to the emperor. Trump last saw the emperor in 2019, soon after Naruhito ascended the Chrysanthemum Throne, becoming the first foreign dignitary invited to the palace.

Trump and Takaichi spoke over the phone while the president was mid-flight on Saturday. Takaichi stressed her status as a protege of the late Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, a favorite of Trump’s from his first term, and said she praised him for brokering the Gaza ceasefire that led to the return of hostages held by Hamas.

“I thought [Trump] is a very cheerful and fun person,” she said. “He well recognizes me and said he remembers me as a politician whom [former] Prime Minister Abe really cared about,” she said. “And I told the president that I extremely look forward to welcoming him in Tokyo.”

Trump spent Sunday in Malaysia, where he participated in a regional summit, and departed Monday morning for Japan. While on Air Force One on Monday, he said he planned to talk in Tokyo about the “great friendship” between the U.S. and Japan.

Resetting the trade relationship

Beneath the hospitality is the search for a strategy to navigate the increasingly complex trade relationship that Trump shook up earlier this year with tariffs.

Trump wants allies to buy more American goods and also make financial commitments to build factories and energy infrastructure in the U.S.

The meetings in Japan come before Trump’s sit-down with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Thursday in South Korea.

Both the U.S. and Japan have sought to limit China’s manufacturing ambitions, as the emergence of Chinese electric vehicles, artificial intelligence and advanced computer chips could undermine the American and Japanese economies.

“In light of the planned meeting between Trump and Xi Jinping shortly afterward, Trump may also be considering how he might strengthen his hand by demonstrating the robustness of the U.S.-Japan relationship,” said Kristi Govella, Japan chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington think tank.

Japan’s previous administration agreed in September to invest $550 billion in the U.S., which led Trump to trim a threatened 25% tariff on Japanese goods to 15%. But Japan wants the investments to favor Japanese vendors and contractors.

Japan’s economy and trade minister, Ryosei Akazawa, has said his ministry is compiling a list of projects in computer chips and energy to try to meet the investment target.

“As far as I know, I’m hearing that there are a number of Japanese companies that are showing interest,” he told reporters Friday, though he did not give further details.

Ford trucks in Tokyo would be a powerful symbol

Japanese officials are looking at the possibility of buying more American soybeans, liquefied natural gas and autos. The U.S.-China trade conflict has shut American soybeans out of the Chinese market, leading China to seek more Brazilian supply. China reported no U.S. soybean imports in September, a first since November 2018.

For Trump, the prospect of Ford trucks in the skyscrapered streets of Tokyo would be a win. The administration has long complained that American vehicles were being shut out of a market that is the home of Toyota, Honda, Nissan, Isuzu, Mitsubishi and Subaru. In a September interview on CNBC, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said Japan wouldn’t buy U.S.-branded vehicles because “Chevys” were popular with Japanese gangsters.

Takaichi may arrange for Ford F-150 trucks to be showcased in a place Trump gets to see them, Japan’s Nikkei newspaper reported. The government is considering importing the trucks for its transport ministry to use for inspecting roads and infrastructure, though there are concerns that the F-150 could cause congestion on narrow Japanese streets.

“We appreciate President Trump’s advocating for American made products,” Ford spokesperson Dave Tovar said. “We would be excited to introduce America’s best-selling truck to work and government customers in Japan.”

Japanese media have reported that Toyota Motor Corp. Chairman Akio Toyoda could announce plans to import his company’s American-made cars back to Japan during a dinner with Trump and other business leaders on Wednesday.

The gestures — combined with Takaichi’s connection to Abe — should help her deal with Trump, who seems predisposed to like her.

“I think she’s going to be great,” Trump said aboard Air Force One. “She’s a great friend of Mr. Abe, who was a great man.”

In 2016, Abe gave Trump a high-end golf club to celebrate his first election, and the leaders bonded over their love of golf. Trump often expresses sadness about Abe’s 2022 assassination.

But there are risks for Takaichi in emphasizing her ties to Abe, said Rintaro Nishimura, who specializes in Japan at the advisory firm The Asia Group.

“Because it’s Takaichi’s first diplomatic engagement I think she wants to start with sort of a bang,” Nishimura said. “Succeeding the Abe-line rhetoric is definitely going to be part of this engagement, although some also suggest that leaning too heavily on the Abe line might not exactly be good for her for creating her own kind of portfolio, her status as Japan’s leader.”

Following his meeting with Takaichi on Tuesday, Trump will give a speech aboard the USS George Washington aircraft carrier anchored in Japan, then hold a dinner with business leaders. Trump plans to leave for South Korea on Wednesday.

But aboard Air Force One on Monday, he told reporters that he was also ready to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, should that be an option.

“If he wants to meet, I’ll be in South Korea,” Trump said.

Boak and Yamaguchi write for the Associated Press. AP writer Chris Megerian contributed to this report from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

French train operator SNCF Voyageurs announced on Monday that the service would be discontinued as of 14 December 2025, after the French Ministry of Transport decided to stop financial support of the service with a state subsidy

Train fans have been dealt a blow as a key sleeper train network connecting Paris to Vienna and Berlin will cease operations in December.

The Nightjet service between Paris and Berlin was reintroduced back in 2023, just nine years after it was originally scrapped. However, two years on, and the iconic trainline’s days are numbered once more.

French train operator SNCF Voyageurs announced on Monday that the service would be discontinued as of 14 December 2025, after the French Ministry of Transport decided to stop financial support of the service with a state subsidy.

The trainline is a complex one to run, operated as it is by multiple different firms based in different countries. Nightjet was operated by SNCF, Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB), Deutsche Bahn (DB) and the National Railway Company of Belgium (SNCB).

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SNCF described night trains as a “huge economic challenge.” “While a seat on an airplane can be sold up to five times a day and a seat on a day train up to four times, a seat on a night train can only be sold once a day,” the train operator explained, the Independent reported.

“In addition, the personnel costs are higher on night trains (more service staff are needed, more cabin crew due to border crossings, and the cost of night services is higher). Long journeys incur costs related to accessing infrastructure in several countries and high energy costs. Finally, border crossings require locomotive and crew changes.”

The Paris to Vienna and Berlin train was just 70 per cent full on average in 2024, which meant the rail companies needed a state subsidy to break even.

Despite the withdrawal from Paris, the Vienna–Brussels Nightjet will continue to run three times a week in 2026. ÖBB remains the largest provider of night trains in Europe, operating services such as Vienna–Amsterdam and Munich–Rome.

ÖBB is also expanding its long-distance overnight services, introducing 24 new-generation Nightjet trains. These are intended to provide greater capacity and improved facilities on existing routes across the network.

A statement from ÖBB read: “Night trains can only be operated with the participation of international partners. ÖBB regrets that, following the withdrawal of the French partners, both night train connections can no longer be offered as of December 14, 2025.”

ÖBB maintained that its Vienna to Brussels Nightjet will remain in service in 2026 and will continue to operate three times a week.

The decision has been criticised by a group called Oui au train de nuit? (Yes to the night train?), which has also urged the French government to step in and save the service.

It said: “It is unacceptable that the only two international night trains serving France year-round should disappear. Each of the stakeholders has room to act, and each can take a step toward truly reviving international night trains.”

Two years ago Austria’s national railway, ÖBB, unveiled a new ‘pod’-style cabin aboard its Nightjet train. The sleek and space efficient design aims to pack railway users onto the train in a similar fashion to a modern Japanese hotel.

Pictures of the new design show that the pods have a mirror, coat hooks, a reading lamp as well as adjacent lockers for hand luggage and shoes. Customers will be able to lie back with a good book in comfort as the train whistles them across the Continent at 230 km/h.

FlixBus has rolled out its biggest-ever expansion, which will see significantly more cities and towns connected up by the green goliaths – including tourist hotspot Brighton

Forget the idea that coaches are just for seniors and students – travelling across the UK by coach is about to get a significant boost this summer with the introduction of more affordable fares.

FlixBus, with its distinctive green buses, is expanding its UK network, which already spans over 80 destinations, including Brighton. As of June 13, new coach services will connect Cambridge, London, Gatwick Airport, and Brighton, operating twice daily.

Prices are extremely competitive, with tickets between London and Brighton starting at £4.49 and those between Gatwick and Brighton available from £3.49. The journey from London to Brighton takes approximately two and a half hours – an hour longer than the train – but at a fraction of the cost.

FlixBus is also introducing a direct service between Cambridge and London, running four times a day, to cater to the growing demand for tourism.

Andreas Schorling, Senior Managing Director of FlixBus UK, expressed his enthusiasm for the new services: “Brighton is such a vibrant, inclusive city, especially during the summer, and we can’t wait to offer passengers the chance to visit for the first time on our network.”

“The people of Brighton will now have a fantastic service to central London, Cambridge and Gatwick. Known for its dedication to sustainability, it’s a perfect match for FlixBus.

“Londoners now have even more affordable, sustainable, and reliable travel options for weekend getaways, airport connections, and visiting friends and family this summer.”

Brighton has been named as one of Time Out’s top 50 cities in the world to visit in 2025, boasting attractions such as the iconic pier, the Royal Pavilion and its beach.

FlixBus has been busy throughout spring 2025, rolling out its largest expansion yet, adding new destinations including popular holiday spots like Bournemouth, Newquay and Truro.

The company now operates over 200 coaches across England, Scotland and Wales, providing nationwide travel that is sustainable, reliable and affordable. Tickets can be purchased at www.flixbus.co.uk or via the FlixBus app.

With a fleet of 200 coaches, FlixBus’ business is thriving, generating a turnover of £1.7 billion from 81 million passengers worldwide each year.

“This feels like a new golden age for coach travel”, says Schorling. “Over five million UK passengers have travelled with us since we launched three years ago and they keep coming back. By next summer, we’ll have over 200 vehicles on the road, more than twice the size of the Megabus network at their peak.”

According to TimeOut, FlixBus has managed to achieve something that Megabus couldn’t. It writes: “It’s made getting a coach – dare we say it – chic?”.

“It would seem unlikely that a bus could build and sustain a place in pop-culture” says Eglantina Becheru, Director of Brand & Creative at FlixBus. “But against the odds, Flix has created one.”