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Following the termination of the Airbus A380 in 2021, the Airbus A350 took its place as the flagship of the Airbus fleet. The aircraft is the world’s newest clean-sheet widebody aircraft, having entered service in 2015, four years after the Boeing 787 Dreamliner (2011). The Airbus A350 is one of the most comfortable airliners on the market today, and is a great option to fly business class.
The type is currently the second most popular widebody aircraft on the market after the 787, and its A350-900ULR and upcoming A350-1000ULR are the longest-ranged commercial aircraft on the market. The aircraft services some of the longest nonstop commercial flights in the world (including the longest). Here is what to know about how much it costs to fly business class on the longest A350 routes.
The Business Class Fares Considered
For this article, only flights longer than an average of 8,000 miles will be considered. Flight routes are provided by Cirium, an aviation analytics company, and exclude fifth-freedom flights if individual segments are under 8,000 miles. This article will also only consider advertised prices for business flights on the 21st of January 2026. As of the time of writing, that date is exactly one month out.
By selecting that date, this article will avoid price spikes from booking a flight within a couple of days of flying. It will also avoid the holiday period and the price distortions associated with flying at that time. The 21st is also a Wednesday, and avoids any price differences from flying on the weekend. While the 21st is somewhat arbitrary, it should be reasonably representative of a ‘normal’ fare.
Fares are also converted into US dollars for consistency, although it’s worth bearing in mind that currency fluctuations can change the converted price. Also, for the sake of brevity, only outbound flights will be considered from the airlines’ operating hub. Inbound business class fares could differ significantly. Prices can vary significantly when there is a connecting flight; even a seemingly minor connecting flight can massively impact the overall fare.
Singapore Airlines 8,000+ Mile Business Fares
Singapore Airlines has the most flights over 8,000 miles. These include the twin flights to New York—JFK (9,487 miles) and New York-Newark (9,484). Those flights are served by Singapore’s unique fleet of seven purpose-built Airbus A350-900ULRs (Ultra Long Range). Notably, these two flights only have premium economy and business class seating, and no economy class seating.
While these two flights are two of New York’s two main international airports and are similar in almost every way, the business class fares are starkly different. The cost of flying business to JFK on the 21st January is priced at $4,694, while the fare to Newark is almost double at $8,350. The price gap is similar for the 22nd. It is unclear why the fares are so different.
|
Select 8,000+ mile A350 routes |
Operator |
Distance (miles) |
Starting Business class fare for 21st January (per Airlines) |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Singapore to New York-JFK |
Singapore Airlines |
9,487 |
$4,694 |
|
Singapore to New York-Newark |
Singapore Airlines |
9,484 |
$8,350 |
|
Shenzhen to Mexico City |
China Southern |
8,777 |
$4,572 |
|
Atlanta to Johannesburg |
Delta Air Lines |
8,433 |
$6,558 |
|
Atlanta to Cape Town |
Delta Air Lines |
8,127 |
$9,683 |
|
Doha to Los Angeles |
Qatar Airways |
8,301 |
$4,181 |
|
Doha to Houston |
Qatar Airways |
8,046 |
$3,908 |
|
Hong Kong to New York-JFK |
Cathay Pacific |
8,070 |
$7,232 |
Source: Cirium
The other three Singapore Airlines A350 flights over 8,000 miles are to the three main West Coast destinations in the United States. Singapore is flying the 8,755-mile route to Los Angeles, the 8,440-mile route to San Francisco, and the 8,068-mile route to Seattle. Business class fares to LAX are priced from $3,444. There are two flights to SFO – the first starts at $6,004, while the second starts at $4,370. The fare to Seattle starts at $6,967.
What It Costs To Fly In Business Class On The World’s Longest Airbus A350 Routes
A round trip business class ticket on the world’s longest route can cost up to $12,500.
China Southern 8,000+ Mile Business Class Fares
China Southern is one of the four big airlines of China, and it is scheduled to have only one flight over 8,000 miles. That flight flies an average of 8,777 miles from Shenzhen Bao’an International Airport to Mexico City across the Pacific Ocean. These flights are scheduled every other day with a total of 13 flights scheduled for the month of December.
No direct China Southern A350 flights are scheduled for the 21st, but the beginning fare for business class on the next available flight (22nd) is $4,572. China’s fleet of A350-900s comes with two seating configurations. One configuration has 28 business class seats and 307 economy seats; the other has 28 business class seats, 24 premium economy seats, and 262 economy seats.
With China Southern, business class seats are Recaro CL6710 leather upholstered seats with six-way adjustable headrests. These seats convert into flat beds and have row pitches of 43 inches. The seat widths are 23 inches, and the touchscreen display is 18.5 inches.
Delta Air Lines 8,000+ Mile Business Class Fares
Delta Air Lines is one of the oldest airlines in the world, and is currently the only US-based airline to operate the Airbus A350, although United Airlines has A350s on order. Delta is scheduled to have two flights over 8,000 miles in December, with both of these being from its giant Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport hub in Georgia. The longest flight (8,433 miles) is to Johannesburg, the largest city of South Africa.
The flight frequency is 22 times per month, and there is no flight scheduled for the 21st. Flying business class on the 21st costs between $6,600 and $10,000, depending on the connecting flight and partner airline. The flight is scheduled for the 22nd, and the beginning business class fare starts at $6,558. The flight’s duration is 15 hours and 10 minutes. It departs at 20:50 and arrives at 19:00 local time.
The business class fare for the Cape Town flight is considerably more expensive at $9,683 on the 21st. This flight (DL210) departs Atlanta at 21:50 and arrives at 19:15 local time after a 14-hour and 25-minute flight. Like the Johannesburg flight, a total of 22 flights are scheduled for December. Delta One business class seats are Forty Thompson Vantage XL seats arranged in a staggered 1-2-1 configuration. They convert into fully flat beds and have 20.5-inch touchscreens.
What It Costs To Fly First Class On The World’s 7 Longest Nonstop Airbus A380 Routes
Three airlines operate the world’s seven longest A380 routes, with first-class tickets typically costing between $8,000 and $10,000.
Qatar Airways 8,000+ Mile Business Class Fares
Qatar Airways operates some of the longest nonstop flights in the world. For a time, it operated the longest scheduled passenger flight from Doha to Auckland in New Zealand with an A350. However, it was later superseded by Singapore’s longer flights to New York, and Qatar Airways replaced the A350 with a Boeing 777-200LR. Consequently, that route no longer appears in this article.
Qatar now has three A350 routes scheduled over 8,000 miles, all of which are to the United States and all are with its stretched A350-1000 variants. All three of these routes are operated daily. The longest route is to Los Angeles (8,301 miles), and business class fares start at $4,181. This is the standard fare, with all other business class fares being priced the same for that week. The flight departs at 07:40, flies for 16 hours and ten minutes, before arriving in Los Angeles at 12:50 local time.
The next longest route is to San Francisco (8,084 miles) and costs $4,070, a very similar fare to the LAX flight. These flights depart at 07:50 and arrive at 14:40 after a 15-hour and 50-minute flight. Finally, Qatar Airways is operating an 8,046-mile flight to Houston. The business class fare starts at $3,908, meaning all three US-bound flights are priced similarly. The flight departs at 07:55 and arrives at 15:15 after a 16-hour and 20-minute flight.
Cathay Pacific 8,000+ Mile Business Class Fares
Finally, the fifth airline to operate A350 flights over 8,000 miles is Cathay Pacific. It has two flights over 8,000 miles from its base at Hong Kong, both of which are to the United States. It has daily flights to Dallas-Fort Worth, an average of 8,120 miles, and twice-daily flights to New York-JFK, an average of 8,070 miles. The Dallas route is served by its A350-1000s, while A350-1000s and A350-900s serve the New York route.
Fares for the Dallas flight start at $7,232. That flight departs Hong Kong at 16:30 and arrives at 16:50 local time after a 14-hour and 20-minute flight. Interestingly, the two New York-bound flights are identically priced at $7,232. The first flight departs in the wee hours of the morning at 03:25 and arrives at 05:45, while the second flight departs at 09:30 and arrives at 12:00. The flight time is 15 hours and 20 minutes.
Overall, the most common ultra-long business class fare is priced at around $4,000 to $7,000, with some offerings from Singapore Airlines and Qatar Airways below $4,000. The cheapest is Singapore’s $3,444 business class fare from Singapore to Los Angeles. The most expensive business class fare is Delta’s flight from Atlanta to Cape Town. Singapore’s twin flights to New York are notable for the large divergence in fares ($4,694 to JFK and $8,350 to Newark).
