United Airlines will resume its longest San Francisco to Singapore flight in January 2022

United’s longest route is making a comeback in the new year. The carrier’s flight from San Francisco (SFO) to Singapore (SIN) is set to resume four times a week effective Jan. 5. The 8,500-mile journey will be operated using a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner featuring the airline’s latest Polaris business class seat and its premium economy product, Premium Plus.

The westbound flight, United Flight 1, will depart SFO at 10:30 p.m. and arrive two days later in Singapore at 7:40 a.m., a 17-hour and 25-minute trip across the Pacific Ocean. The eastbound return flight, United Flight 2, departs Singapore at 10:10 a.m. and arrives in San Francisco at 8:50 a.m., a significantly faster 14 hours and 35 minutes — due to tailwinds.

The route debuted in 2016, and was included in an early wave of COVID-19-related route suspensions that United announced at the beginning of March 2020.

These flights will operate in accordance with the Singapore government’s Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) program, which allows travelers to avoid quarantine upon arrival. Before booking, know that these VTL requirements are quite stringent.

Proof of vaccination is required, and not just a CDC vaccination record card. Americans must produce either a digital SMART Health Card linked to their vaccination record, a digital vaccination record retrieved through a state or local public health database or the physical vaccination records and a letter from the vaccination provider attesting to vaccination status. A series of PCR tests are also required: one taken with two days of departure, and another taken on arrival at Singapore. Finally, travelers must present proof of a health insurance policy that is valid for the duration of their stay in Singapore and covers a minimum of SGD $30,000.