Faint-hearted fliers, look away now: tomorrow, a new record for the world's longest non-stop commercial flight will be set when Singapore Airlines (SIA) flight SQ22 from Singapore lands in New York. Operating one of the new Airbus A340-500s, SIA will have travelled more than 16,600km when it completes its 18-hour journey to Newark airport.

The flight will shave up to four hours off the current length of a one-stop service. 'The reason we can fly it is because we have fewer seats,' explains a spokesperson. 'It's simply a weight thing.'

Passengers will have access to 700 entertainment options, from films to games and CDs. And in a departure from the usual squeeze around the galleys when legs need stretching, large communal areas have been introduced, with baskets of snacks to pick at. Whether that will help the weight situation remains to be seen.