Best flight plan from east coast USA to Singapore
 

I have never traveled to the Far East, so am a bit overwhelmed at the number of in-flight hours (and cost!) for this trip. Would so appreciate suggestions about affordable ways to do this, and to possibly break up the trip, particularly on the flight over. (I will be returning from Hong Kong, so the flight plan is not as daunting). TIA!

As someone who has flown from the US to Indonesia and Australia via Singapore more times than I care to remember, my best advice is to fly Singapore Air and to spring for Premium Economy.

I've done it both ways, breaking up the flight (s) and traveling straight through. They're both pretty awful. All things being equal I prefer to just keep on going, and take an extra day to recover upon arrival.

There's a spa at the airport in Doha that I thought made an excellent way to break my trip fro the US to Singapore.

In choosing the best flight to Singapore both in time and money you have to first consider where you're starting from. "East coast" covers a lot of territory. There are plenty of good options from New York area airports, but the situation gets more complicated if the connections from your originating airport aren't good. Same for your return from Hong Kong. Some places are easier to get to than others. So the first question is where do you live?

To me the key criteria in choosing flights is number of stops you have to make enroute. The lower cost routes tend to stop more frequently, which adds both to the total travel time and to potential for delays and missed connection and overall exhaustion, especially if you have to change carriers or terminals along the way. To me, the peace of mind that comes with fewer stops are worth a bit more.

If affordable (and if Newark is accessible to you) then I would definitely go with Singapore Airlines non-stop. It is pricy though. The SQ flight through Frankfurt is also an excellent choice. Or London if you like the idea of spending a day sightseeing in London.

Again, depending on accessibility, my low cost choice would be Emirates through Dubai, probably the fastest and cheapest option from Boston to Southeast Asia.

Lastly, flight availability and cost is a moving target. Results are unpredictable, impacted by demand and date. difficult to predict. You need to devote some time on various airline websites and be prepared commit when a route and price combination pops up that fits your requirements.

My well-travelled son taught me to use google flights:

https://www.google.com/flights?hl=en...ls:1w;sd:0;t:h

Basically, you have to play around with your departure and arrival cities, and it gives you all sorts of filters for connecting airports, prices, and many other features. You can also google various airlines to check out their safety records. I then go directly to the website of the airline I have chosen, and get my tickets there. It's a fun strategy, and it works every time.

From the east coast your best route would be via EWR nonstop to Singapore. Second best would be via EWR or JFK via Hong Kong.

The map at the link below shows distances, going back and forth, between EWR and SIN, starting with a nonstop to SIN, return via Tokyo, etc. Below the map is shown the distances.

I ballpark the travel time at 500 mph. The difference between the nonstop and the longest one, via Doha, is only 1000 miles. So, 2 hours longer that way which sounds like a lot. But the nonstop is almost 19 hours.

Here is the link:
Great Circle Mapper

Just for fun, here are three trans-Pacific routes from Atlanta.
Great Circle Mapper

There are nonstop flights between all but maybe one of the city pairs used in the two links. That one segment is Honolulu - Singapore.

Go ATL (or other) to ICN (Seoul Korea) via Korean Air. Then direct on Korean Air to SIN. Probably lots cheaper than SIN Air.

Are you looking for a one way fare? You say you are returning from HK so do you have your ticket for the return?
Where are you flying out of and what month are you going?
You might find this useful.
https://matrix.itasoftware.com/

Thanks, Melnq8. After hours of consideration on this, I decided to go straight through. Excruciating as that will be!

marmot, thanks so much for your detailed and helpful suggestions! Much food for thought there. I live in NC, so will be flying out of either ATL or CLT. And yes, I definitely want the fewest number of flight changes and zero airport changes! Have decided to forego the stopover, as it seems to add too much to the price, including hotel and all. I had been thinking all the flights seem to go west, so will spend some time exploring the Newark idea.

Thanks for the suggestion. I always use "ati matrix" instead of google flights as it just gives me so many more options. Check it out!

Wow--I have never seen this mapper before! Thanks, mrwunrfl--sure gives perspective on how the flights are traveling!

Thanks, jobin!--Looks like this is what I will be doing. But having trouble getting layover times to work out right at this point (ie: too little time).

Yes, thanks, I have always used ita matrix. But it has been tedious this time with the multicity format. Hadn't thought of trying two one-way itinerary/tickets. Still working on it.

Hello PLR.. The airport in ICN is super nice. Every time i stop there i freely use the Korean Air lounge which offers top rate food, beer, coffee, lounge chairs, showers WIFI, etc. And the air staff are very accommodating helping me, and others, get on the transfer leg of my journey. No need to worry about luggage and such.

I go from ATL to Seoul, then to Chiang Mai Thailand and will not consider other options, regardless of costs. I go economy and have no issues. English spoken, and tons of in-flight cosmetics/jewelry/electronics offered on the plane. And, although you did not ask, i can recommend when in S'pore to lodge in, at least visit, Little India for a small taste of another culture.

Thanks again for the suggestions, jobin! How are you able to make use of the Korean Air lounge?

I simply walk in and have never been questioned. Nor have i offered to show my economy ticket to any clerk. The showers may cost a few won.