Will 20-hour flights be bad for you? What to know about ultra-long hauls
How do you pass the time?
Love movie marathons? You're in luck. On Qantas's new route, you could potentially watch as many as 13 feature-length films – and you won't even need to pack snacks (these will be available in self-service fridges onboard).
Served meals, however, can feel few and far between when flying ultra long-haul. On Singapore Airlines' 19-hour JFK-Singapore route, there's (tray) table service for only dinner and breakfast, with light snacks in between.
The good news is there's a lot more than 'chicken or beef' to eat on these flights. 'Meal services are being re-engineered,' says Bauer. 'For example, lighter, low-inflammatory meals with adjusted timings help modulate melatonin levels and align with passengers' destination time zones – a practice pioneered by Qantas and Singapore Airlines.'
What's it like to sleep on board?
First and business class passengers should have no problem getting some rest. Bauer says airlines are engaged in an 'arms race in premium comfort' and cites Qatar's business class QSuite, which comes with doors, mood-lighting and fully lie-flat beds, as the cream of the crop.
On Qantas's new planes, specially designed first class cabins are like small, but very sleek, bedrooms, complete with dining areas for two and comfy beds with flexible backrests. Business class passengers will sleep in lie-flat beds, and premium economy passengers get footrests and 40-inch (102-centimetre) seat pitches. But, while the cheapest seats will have 33-inch (84 centimetres) pitches (more than other Qantas planes), shelves for iPads and free Wi-Fi to help the time pass more quickly, spending 19 hours in economy still doesn't look like a particularly enticing prospect.
There may be another issue with shut-eye too. According to the Sleep Foundation, 'the circadian clock takes about 1-1.5 days to adapt per time zone crossed,' so it could take more than nine days to recover from an ULH flight between Sydney and London. A stopover in the Middle East means a more gentle adjustment and gives passengers the opportunity to seek out daylight and fresh air en route, both of which can help with jetlag.
Are ultra long-haul flights bad for your health?
Operators are keen to do whatever they can to make ULH flights as comfortable as possible. 'It's not just an amenity issue – it's a strategic imperative to justify premium pricing and mitigate health and fatigue risks,' he says. 'Some carriers are piloting AI-driven in-flight wellness apps that adjust lighting, and offer hydration reminders and stretch routines based on biometric feedback.'
Qantas's new planes will even have 'Wellbeing Zones' available to all passengers, featuring stocked fridges and 'movement areas' with guided exercises. Lights have been designed to 'optimise the circadian effects of different times' across all the cabins.
With so much being done to mitigate the ill effects of ULH travel, it may be tempting to skip the ankle and neck rolls and regular jaunts through the cabin that physiotherapists so often advise. Don't.
Flights lasting longer than 10 hours pose the greatest risk of DVT according to the American Society of Hematology. Meanwhile, easy exercises such as the ones recommended by physiotherapist Helen Davison in this article should help keep aches and pains at bay.
What can passengers do pre- and post-flight to mitigate any ill effects?
Embrace drink – just not the alcoholic or caffeinated kind. Experts suggest people can lose up to two litres of water on long-haul flights. Liquids can help keep headaches and joint swelling at bay and electrolyte sachets could help too.
Meanwhile, the UK Civil Aviation Authority advises moving bed and waking times in the weeks before flying, in order to more easily adjust to a new time zone. Passengers can also use an online jet lag calculator to find out the best times to seek out sunlight on arrival.
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There's no better excuse for a spa treatment either. At the Sofitel London Heathrow, guests can book an hour-long Jet Lag Recovery massage that starts with work on the legs and feet (and may help with puffy, achy ankles), before moving on to a tension-relieving back and shoulder massage and rehydrating facial.
Will we see more ULH routes?
Definitely. According to Bauer, 'Singapore Airlines and Qantas are exploring new non-stop services to secondary North American cities such as Boston, Chicago and Miami,' while 'Air India, under its Tata-led transformation, is evaluating a direct Delhi–Los Angeles route'.
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The slow adoption of the kiosks have created bottlenecks for exhausted passengers who have often flown for hours before arrival in Australia only to wait in long lines to be cleared for entry to the country. Although Smartgates are typically paid for by the Australian Border Force, Sydney Airport has footed the bill for eight new kiosks at T1 to speed the processing capacity. It will install a further 32 SmartGate kiosks by 2026, the airport says. The trial of a digital incoming passenger card for the Sydney-bound flights from New Zealand follows an earlier trial for all international Qantas flights into Brisbane which began in October 2024. Qantas International CEO Cam Wallace said the launch of the limited Sydney digital incoming passenger card 'is a significant step forward in simplifying the arrival process into Australia, and the overwhelmingly positive response from our customers in Brisbane has demonstrated just how much demand there is for this innovation'. 1.39pm Union alarm as mining giant mulls sick leave overhaul By Aaron Bunch and Alexander Darling Thousands of iron ore workers could have their sick leave entitlements slashed, unions claim. Rio Tinto has proposed a slew of changes to its sick leave policy, including reducing workers' entitlement of three months a year to 12 days, the Australian Manufacturing Workers' Union says. The Mining and Energy Union said this amounts to a cut of 33 to 36 days of sick leave in real terms. The proposals raised serious concerns for workers, and the mining giant needed to provide more information, AMWU state secretary Steve McCartney said. 'Rio Tinto is starting with workers' sick leave entitlements — but who's to say wages and broader conditions aren't next on the chopping block?' he said. According to the union, the revised policy includes 10 days of sick leave and two additional days a year, which do not accrue year-on-year. Loading Workers would be eligible for a $1000 annual payment for wellness programs, it said. Rio Tinto said it was consulting with its employees over proposed changes to its sick and carer's leave policy for its iron ore business. 'Safety and wellbeing of our people is our top priority,' a spokeswoman said. 'Prompted by feedback from our people survey, we are conducting a review of the sick and carer's leave policy for Rio Tinto Iron Ore.' Rio Tinto Iron Ore employs about 16,000 people. Under the National Employment Standards, full-time employees are entitled to 10 days of sick leave each year. With AAP 1.36pm Quick explainer: What is a tariff? 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In the past, US President Donald Trump has used tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China as a bargaining chip, to force those countries to change their approach to controlling the flow of fentanyl and illegal immigrants to the US. 1.20pm Today's headlines By Daniel Lo Surdo Good afternoon, and thank you for reading our national news blog. Here's a look at today's biggest stories: Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has defended Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan's controversial work-from-home plan, saying Allan's remote work stance was 'consistent' with the federal government. Allan faced criticism after announcing plans to enshrine the right to work from home into law, with legal experts and business groups both sharing their concern. Albanese said Allan was responding to views in Victoria, and that flexible working arrangements 'help workers, and they help employers'. Health Minister Mark Butler has said he is 'very concerned' after US President Donald Trump threatened a 250 per cent tariff rate on Australian pharmaceuticals amid increasing pressure from American pharmaceutical lobbyists. Butler reiterated the government's refusal to present the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme as a negotiating chip in tariff negotiations, and said he would press for the continuing of free trade with the US on pharmaceuticals. Australia exported a record $5.7 billion worth of non-monetary gold in June, according to figures released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics this morning. Gold exports enjoyed a spike at the start of the year amid concern from American investors about Trump's trade policy, helping Australia run a rare trade surplus with the US. Australia exported a record $46.9 billion worth of gold in the 2024-25 financial year. Trump has suggested he may use the National Guard to police the streets of Washington in his latest threat to grant a federal takeover of the US capital. It comes after Edward Coristine, the young staffer known as 'Big Balls' who formerly worked for Elon Musk's so-called department of government efficiency, was beaten and assaulted at the weekend. Trump, who has threatened a federal takeover of Washington on several occasions, said the capital was 'very unsafe', and that 'we have to run DC'. 12.50pm Taxpayers pour $50 million into Gina Rinehart-backed lithium miner By Nick Toscano Australia's national investment fund has taken a $50 million stake in Gina Rinehart-backed Liontown Resources, in the latest sign the Albanese government is doubling down on efforts to help critical minerals producers ride out a long-running price slump. Liontown, a Western Australia-based miner of the electric battery raw material lithium, said on Thursday a $266 million capital raise to fortify its balance sheet would be led by a cornerstone $50 million investment from the federal government's taxpayer-funded National Reconstruction Fund. Rinehart, Australia's richest person, is ASX-listed Liontown's single largest investor with an 18 per cent stake held through her flagship company Hancock Prospecting. The National Reconstruction Fund Corporation – established in 2023 to support priority areas of the Australian economy – said its Liontown investment was in line with the government's strategy to transform Australia into a 'global leader in the critical minerals supply chain'. 'Australia is well-positioned to be a competitive, long-term supplier of lithium to the rest of the world,' the corporation's chief executive David Gall said. Australia is home to some of the richest known reserves of lithium, a metal often called 'white gold' due to its silvery-white appearance and the fact it is an ingredient the world will need in far greater quantities to manufacture lithium-ion batteries to power electric cars and store renewable energy. Since the dawning of the electric vehicle era, automakers across the globe have been scrambling to lock in lithium supplies, striking long-term contracts with producers in WA and the Northern Territory. However, lithium prices have fallen sharply since hitting record highs in late 2022, amid a global slowdown in electric vehicle sales, putting producers' balance sheets under mounting pressure. Liontown managing director Tony Ottaviano described the government's investment as a 'strong endorsement' of the strategic importance of the company's Kathleen Valley lithium project, adding that Liontown was 'well-placed to remain resilient in this low-price environment'. Earlier this year, the $15 billion National Reconstruction Fund took a $200 million stake in Arafura Rare Earths, a company aiming to mine and process crucial raw ingredients needed to make high-strength magnets in the Northern Territory. 12.20pm Trump threatens DC takeover after staffer known as 'Big Balls' assaulted US President Donald Trump suggested he may use the National Guard to police the streets of Washington, DC, in his latest threat to take over running the city that serves as the seat of the US government. 'We have a capital that's very unsafe,' Trump told reporters at the White House on Wednesday. 'We have to run DC.' Trump, who has threatened a federal takeover of the city multiple times, renewed those threats after a young staffer who was part of Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency was assaulted over the weekend. Musk, the billionaire former adviser to Trump who once spearheaded the DOGE effort, said the man – Edward Coristine, known by the nickname 'Big Balls' – was beaten and received a concussion. 'It is time to federalise DC,' he wrote. A spokesman for DC Mayor Muriel Bowser declined to comment. Violent crime in the first seven months of 2025 was down by 26 per cent in DC compared with last year while overall crime was down about 7 per cent, according to the police department. 12.09pm Australian gold exports hit record high By Shane Wright The great musician Prince may have said that all that glitters ain't gold, but he wasn't singing about Australia's extraordinary golden trade performance of the past year. Figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics released this morning revealed that in June, the country exported a record $5.7 billion worth of non-monetary gold. There was a spike at the start of the year as gold exports from Australia and several other nations to the United States soared on concerns among American investors about Donald Trump's trade policy. So large were our exports that Australia ran a trade surplus with the US for the first time since Harry Truman was president (and Vera Lynn, Bing Crosby and Tony Bennett dominated the music charts). The trade surplus has come to an end, but Australia is still exporting record amounts of gold. In 2024-25, the country exported a record $46.9 billion worth of the shiny stuff, a 42.4 per cent lift on 2023-24. It's almost double the value of gold exports in 2022-23. By contrast, the nation's single large export – iron ore – slid by 15.5 per cent last financial year to $116.5 billion.
