Going the Distance

Given that the world's longest-range passenger jet, the Airbus A340-500, isn't going to stop anywhere en route, die-hard smokers will want to stock up on nicotine patches before they board—everyone else, however, will be delighted. It comes into service on Dec. 1, making its maiden voyage from Dubai to Sydney under the Emirates airline livery. The flight time will be 14 hours, but this tireless behemoth can handle journeys of 17 hours or more, and Emirates has additional plans to deploy its fleet of eight A340-500s on trips to North America and New Zealand.

Staying power is not...