A report from the world's longest flight – an 18-hour, 10,400-mile epic

Getting from Singapore to New York in one hop is better than a layover — even if it involves taking the world's longest flight.

That's my jet-lagged verdict after disembarking from Singapore Airlines' Flight 22, the return of the carrier's Changi-to-Newark, N.J., journey after a five-year hiatus.

The final quarter of the 10,400-mile trek was tedious, I must say. By hour 14, somewhere over Canada, the fancy new Airbus A350-900 Ultra Long Range was starting to feel like a luxurious prison. My skin was parched, and I couldn't help trying to think of other scenarios in which that many people in a confined space would collectively go so long without a shower. Even the thought of another mimosa couldn't get me enthusiastic about still being airborne.

But traveling to the world's opposite time zone is never going to be entirely painless. Doing it in business class — and there are no economy seats on this almost 18-hour flight — reduces the trauma. In comparison with the other options to get from Singapore to the Big Apple — flying via North Asia, Europe or the West Coast — this route is definitely preferable. I will choose it for New York work trips from now on.

Regular Singapore Airlines business-class fliers will recognize the 67 comfortable and stylish seats from the regular A350-900s, which ply routes including Singapore-Melbourne and Singapore-San Francisco. They're spacious, though not excessively so, with a width of 28 inches. The pitch — the distance between a point on a seat and the same point on the seat in front of it — is 60 inches, and the seat flips forward to convert into a 78-inch bed. You can keep a small bag near your feet and there's a storage bin in the right-hand console, and another next to the in-flight entertainment screen.

I was in seat 12D. I would recommend booking as far forward in the first business-class cabin as possible — most of the food and drink service is conducted from the middle galley. The middle front-row seats have more leg space, and those are my top picks if you can live without a window seat. Row 19 at the front of the second cabin has the same benefit, though that is also where the bassinets are located, so proceed at your own peril.

The addition of a mattress topper makes the bed noticeably more comfortable than the same seat on other routes. The foot cubby remains quite small, though, and sleeping on a diagonal angle feels a little weird. That said, I managed 6½ hours of almost continuous rest, disrupted only by turbulence, and felt good when I woke up.

Gripes: There's no skybar/lounge, and the space around the galleys is too tight to stand and stretch without getting in the way. Bathrooms are small and quite spartan. There are only four for the business-class cabins, and three for the 94 seats in premium economy. So when everyone wants to change into and out of their sleepwear, be prepared to wait.

Supper, served about 1½ hours after takeoff, was a main with fruit as a dessert. I had the lobster thermidor from the Book the Cook menu for its nostalgia and novelty value. It's pretty tasty, even though it fails on every diet front. This must be ordered 24 hours before the flight. On-board options included pan-seared snapper fillet and steamed lobster dumplings in superior soup.

The showstopper main meal was served about 11 hours into the flight, though you can change the timing if you prefer. This was the full Singapore Airlines performance: satay, appetizer, main, dessert, cheese, chocolates, served with Charles Heidsieck Champagne and a wide range of wines and cocktails. Everything I ate was delicious and beautifully presented.

If that sounds too gluttonous there's a "wellness" option designed by Canyon Ranch, thankfully the only page of the menu where the calories are printed next to the food.

You can also order from a "refreshment" menu throughout the flight, with choices from noodles to Greek yogurt and granola parfait.

There are Wi-Fi and in-flight roaming options to get online, including "all you can eat" roaming data packages available to people on a phone plan with two big Singapore telecommunications providers. If you plan to work on board, it's important to note that on the North Pacific route there's a Wi-Fi blackout of about two hours 15 minutes, starting around the 11th hour. I also had issues connecting outside those times, as did other passengers nearby, though I can't say if that was due to the number of data-hungry journalists on board.

For entertainment there's the airline's extensive selection of movies, TV shows and music, with an extra 200 hours of content for this flight. I wasn't jazzed about this month's movie selections (where was "Crazy Rich Asians"?), but with 130 titles in the "Hollywood and More" section alone, it seems ridiculous to complain.

Singapore Airlines doesn't usually give amenity kits, but for the first three months on this route, passengers get their selection of lip balm, hand cream, fabric spray and stain remover, which are offered after takeoff. Eye masks, socks and slippers are also given to each passenger and the usual business-class amenities (facial mist, toothbrushes, etc.) are in the bathrooms.