Multi-stop international direct flights used to be common, but these days there are a dying breed. In terms of the most number of stops on a single flight number on an international flight, is EK418/419 DXB-BKK-SYD-AKL the highest total (2 stops) at present?

UA154 HNL-MAJ-KWA-KSA-PNI-TKK-GUM

Full through flights like that are less common, but do cater to long/special routes that cannot be served economically non-stop such as SQ IAH-DME-SIN soon to be IAH-MAN-DME

The "good ol' days" of PanAm multistop flights are gone

303dk wrote:

UA154 HNL-MAJ-KWA-KSA-PNI-TKK-GUM

Doh! I forgot about the Micronesia Multi-Hop. Considering I used to work for CO I should have remembered that. Are all those islands part of the Federated States of Micronesia?

pa747sp wrote:

303dk wrote:

UA154 HNL-MAJ-KWA-KSA-PNI-TKK-GUM

Doh! I forgot about the Micronesia Multi-Hop. Considering I used to work for CO I should have remembered that. Are all those islands part of the Federated States of Micronesia?

USA-Marshall Islands-Marshall Islands-Micronesia-Micronesia-Micronesia-USA. Also interesting: GUM and HNL are separate US Customs Territories and even the non-stop flights are "international" arrivals.

Alliances, JV agreements seem to have negated the need for many multi-stop flights.

Don't forget about the Air France island hopper, Cayenne-Fort de France-Pointe a Pitre-Port au Prince-Miami.

Air France 613 operates between Miami and Cayenne, French Guyana thrice weekly via Port Au Prince, Pointe Pitre and Fort de France. It takes longer to fly that flight than it does from Cayenne to Paris non-stop.

I love this thread. I have such fond memories of the UA Island Hopper.

I believe that up to a couple of years ago the Argentinian Air Force (Civilian Flights division) was flying F28/1000s on long multi-stop flights to Tierra del Fuego from Buenos Aires, in like 5 hops that took almost 7 hours in total...
Anyone knows more than me about these?

I know the thread is about international flights, but it's hard to beat the northern Canadian airlines at the multi-stop game. Check out these Nunavut routings from Winnipeg (PDF), or here's a typical Air Inuit route in northern Québec for example:

Montreal 8:00
Kuujjuaraapik 10:55 11:30
Sanikiluaq 12:00 12:20
Umiujaq 12:50 13:10
Inukjuak 13:55 14:25
Puvirnituq 15:00 15:40
Akulivik 16:05 16:20
Ivujivik 16:55 17:15
Salluit 17:45

It takes a whole day to get from Montreal to Salluit, while a direct flight would take a little over 2 hours. That being said since there are no roads at all, the only alternative is by ship in the summer, so...

GOL used to have GIG-GRU-EZE-SCL-LIM and FLN-POA-EZE-SCL-LIM, also GRU-CWB-ASU-EZE. They also had GRU-LIM nonstop, but the milk run used to cater to individual demand with 5th freedom right.

LATAM Brazil in november is beggining GRU-SCL-LIM with A321 and GRU-EZE-BOG with 763.

Good old times when Varig had RG 818/819 GIG-GRU-JNB-BKK-HKG swapping between MD-11 and 744...

ojjunior wrote:

Good old times when Varig had RG 818/819 GIG-GRU-JNB-BKK-HKG swapping between MD-11 and 744...

I was just going to say that.

TransBrasil had something like GRU-REC-AMS-VIE if I'm not mistaken.

TR763 wrote:

ojjunior wrote:

Good old times when Varig had RG 818/819 GIG-GRU-JNB-BKK-HKG swapping between MD-11 and 744...

I was just going to say that.

TransBrasil had something like GRU-REC-AMS-VIE if I'm not mistaken.

Yes they did, also VP had GRU-LAX-ICN

FlyingSicilian wrote:

Full through flights like that are less common, but do cater to long/special routes that cannot be served economically non-stop such as SQ IAH-DME-SIN soon to be IAH-MAN-DME

All current SQ routes to the U.S. are one-stop.

KLM and BA have flights between Middle Eastern cities. I believe LX does too. TG operates BKK-KHI-MCT for years. I know you mentiones multi stops howe've these are one stop to their final destination. Air China, Garuda have flights between cities in Europe.

BA125 LHR-BAH-DOH comes to mind instantly.

southsidesilver wrote:

BA125 LHR-BAH-DOH comes to mind instantly.

Similarly, LH has a FRA-KWI-DOH. There used to be more of that sort of route - long legs to the Gulf and then a tag within the region.

southsidesilver wrote:

BA125 LHR-BAH-DOH comes to mind instantly.

That flight ends at the end of this month. Both BAH and DOH will then then be served nonstop by separate BA flights. The same applies for the flight that now operates LHR-AUH-MCT and will become nonstop to both points.
http://mediacentre.britishairways.com/p ... 16-72/6299

southsidesilver wrote:
BA125 LHR-BAH-DOH comes to mind instantly.


That flight ends at the end of this month. Both BAH and DOH will then then be served nonstop by separate BA flights. The same applies for the flight that now operates LHR-AUH-MCT and will become nonstop to both points.
http://mediacentre.britishairways.com/p ... 16-72/6299

Oh interesting , well I happen to be flying it next week. Makes me look forward to it a bit more.

Cathay still does 888/889

HKG-YVR-JFK

ASL Airlines flies YHZ-DUB-CDG summer-seasonally.

Does NZ's AKL-LAX-LHR and TN's PPT-LAX-CDG count ?

Edit : Forgot, is the AF CDG-LAX-PPT still running, and I think there is also an NZ LAX-PPT-AKL flight ?????

LH flies FRA-JED-ADD...

AA also has MIA-LPB-VVI-MIA

jetwet1 wrote:

Does NZ's AKL-LAX-LHR and TN's PPT-LAX-CDG count ?

Edit : Forgot, is the AF CDG-LAX-PPT still running, and I think there is also an NZ LAX-PPT-AKL flight ?????

I would say NZ AKL-LAX-LHR, and QF MEL/SYD-DXB-LHR would have to be some of the longest ones distance wise. AKL-RAR-LAX on NZ is another interesting one! Along with EK Tasman flights DXB- SYD/MEL-AKL/CHC

I'm wondering what then would be the record for any international flight, at any time. I flew LHR - FRA - ATH - DAM - THR - KUL - MEL - SYD on a QF707 in the early 70s, but I am not sure if this was scheduled or a government migrant charter. Also not entirely sure of the routing, other than definitely remember THR / KUL / MEL

pa747sp wrote:

I'm wondering what then would be the record for any international flight, at any time. I flew LHR - FRA - ATH - DAM - THR - KUL - MEL - SYD on a QF707 in the early 70s, but I am not sure if this was scheduled or a government migrant charter. Also not entirely sure of the routing, other than definitely remember THR / KUL / MEL

At ANY Time?
I propose the QF/IA [Imperial Airways] joint service Sydney - Southampton in the late 1930s. Flight time = 10 days [more or less] Number of stops = 22. Aircraft = Shorts S23 "Empire" class flying boat.
Some years ago I did a post of the full route but I can't find it, I suspect it was before 2004 which seems to be the limit for posts still on the site. Basically it went up the east coast of Australia to Townsville, across to Darwin, to Java to SIN, then across to India, across the Middle East to southern Europe then up to Southampton Water.

Gemuser

KLM had a wonderful (7-stop if I remember right) AMS-HPL (sic) in the late 70's. Perhaps someone can dig out the stops. Flew it once and it took about 20 hours. And then SAS had a milk run from CPH to TYO, also about 7 stops. Flew on that CPH-CCU but cannot recall the whole route.
And hello to everybody, my first post.

Should not write sic when writing a mistake .HLP of course. (cheeks burning red..)

I wonder why no one here is mentioning LAN or now LATAM with their "mini-hub" (which isn't that mini) in MAD. They have a boatload of flights to Madrid every day from multiple airports and countries in South America and some of them continue on to various European destinations and the pax can change between the flights at Madrid.

Gemuser wrote:

I propose the QF/IA [Imperial Airways] joint service Sydney - Southampton in the late 1930s. Flight time = 10 days [more or less] Number of stops = 22. Aircraft = Shorts S23 "Empire" class flying boat.
Some years ago I did a post of the full route but I can't find it, I suspect it was before 2004 which seems to be the limit for posts still on the site. Basically it went up the east coast of Australia to Townsville, across to Darwin, to Java to SIN, then across to India, across the Middle East to southern Europe then up to Southampton Water.
Gemuser

Those who were fortunate to have flown the route would always look back on it with fond memories. The flight included nine overnight stops in luxury hotels (indicated by the letter N below) and numerous other refueling stops before arriving at the other end. Initially, Qantas Empire were responsible for the aircraft from Rose Bay to Singapore, from were it was continued by Imperial Airways. Later, if my memory serves me right, Qantas Empire would continue the flights as far as Karachi before handing over to an Imperial crew.

The complete route was Sydney - Brisbane - Gladstone - Townsville (N) - Karumba - Groote Eylandt - Darwin (N) - Kupang - Bimia - Surabaya (N) - Batavia (now Jakarta) - Klabat Bay - Singapore - Penang (N) - Koh Samui - Bangkok - Rangoon - Akyab - Calcutta (N) - Allahabad - Gwalior - Raj Samand - Karachi (N) - Jiunni - Dubai - Bahrain - Basra (N) - Habbaniya - Tiberias - Alexandria (N) - Mirabella - Athens - Brindisi - Rome (N) - Marseilles - St Nazaire - Southampton.

PanAm used to fly LAX-GUA-SAL-MIA
MIA-GUA-SAL-MIA
UA had an LAX-GUA-SJO-GUA-LAX
KLM had MEX-GUA-MEX tag on their AMS flights
Mexicana also did MEX-GUA-SJO I don´t remember if they went directly to MEX or to GUA on the return.

DL used to fly PDX-SEL-TPE-BKK.

Currently, RwandAir does Kigali - Douala - Libreville - Cotonou and return (Flight WB214/5) 3 times weekly. Instead of the usual B737, tomorrow (7/10) it will be operated with the new A332.
I think there is another route with 2 stops with Brazzaville and/or Accra...

Ethiopian Airlines and their partner ASKY Airlines have numerous multi-stop international flights. For a lot of destinations in Africa, this is the only way to make air travel viable.

Flightsimboy wrote:

KLM and BA have flights between Middle Eastern cities. I believe LX does too. TG operates BKK-KHI-MCT for years. I know you mentiones multi stops howe've these are one stop to their final destination. Air China, Garuda have flights between cities in Europe.

LX operates : ZRH-DXB-MCT-DXB-ZRH & ZRH-NBO-DAR-ZRH

FlyingSicilian wrote:

Full through flights like that are less common, but do cater to long/special routes that cannot be served economically non-stop such as SQ IAH-DME-SIN soon to be IAH-MAN-DME

To be correct, IAH-MAN-SIN

A lot of people on here can't grasp the different between a multi-stop and single stop flight.....

ushermittwoch wrote:

LH flies FRA-JED-ADD...

Actually LH operates quite a few such flights, I found the following through their website:

FRA-JED-ADD
FRA-TSE-ALA
FRA-GYD-ASB
FRA-DMM-BAH
FRA-KWI-DOH
FRA-LOS-SSG
FRA-ABV-PHC

flylondon wrote:

A lot of people on here can't grasp the different between a multi-stop and single stop flight.....

Can people please READ THE D*MN TOPIC!

CARST wrote:

I wonder why no one here is mentioning LAN or now LATAM with their "mini-hub" (which isn't that mini) in MAD. They have a boatload of flights to Madrid every day from multiple airports and countries in South America and some of them continue on to various European destinations and the pax can change between the flights at Madrid.

From what I've been told MAD-FRA leg from SCL-MAD route is due to cargo from Lat.Am. to FRA.
It connects in MAD with LIM, GYE and GRU, although JJ flies GRU-FRA non stop.

flylondon wrote:

A lot of people on here can't grasp the different between a multi-stop and single stop flight.....

I think it's mostly driving home the point that single-stops are still pretty common and multi-stops are indeed quite rare. It's gotten a bit off topic, though. It seems the only current ones mentioned outside of the OP are:

UA154 HNL-MAJ-KWA-KSA-PNI-TKK-GUM
Cayenne-Fort de France-Pointe a Pitre-Port au Prince-Miami (which sort of stretches the definition as the first 3 cities are all part of France)
Kigali - Douala - Libreville - Cotonou
Possibly some ET/ASKY routes

Really not too many.