We all grumble when we hurriedly buy our flight tickets, and only then realize after we’ve purchased them how long the flight actually is. The prospect of being stuffed into a seat that usually doesn’t feature the word “comfortable” makes some of us want to jump off the wing of the plane before we even step into the cabin. Air travel is now de ri·gueur, not the luxury that it used to be. Still, we are extremely lucky to be able to fly at all. Close to 90% of the world population does not fly in a given year, and of those flying, shares of in between 11.0% and 26.5% have reported just one trip per year. So, if flying is simply “a thing” for you, count your lucky stars.
OK, with those stats established, let’s look at the next group of people who do fly, and fly regularly, but may not consider it a blessing. We’re talking about the air crew that bring you your meals, tuck you in to your blanket and do it all with a smile. We’ll go one step further now, when we focus on the long-haul crews. For example, Singapore Airlines’ New York City to Singapore route: its longest flight path, which connects Singapore’s Changi Airport with New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport, 9,585 miles away, takes 18 hours and 40 minutes. You can only imagine how that effects their internal clocks, especially if they’re on round-trip shifts.