18 hours in the air can they be bearable? Airlines bet on very long-haul flights

The wellness exercises on some of the new long-haul flights go beyond the broad and flexible orientations of older training programs. In some cases, they begin even before passengers fly.

At the launch of its Perth-London route earlier this year, Qantas created a new transit lounge at Perth Airport for business class travelers, offering stretching and breathing classes every 15 minutes baths with light therapy in the showers designed to help travelers adjust time changes, and a hydration station with water infused with fruit and herbal tea. An outdoor terrace is open to people traveling in all classes of travel.

Earlier this year, Cathay Pacific partnered with the Pure Yoga International Yoga Studio to launch a new in-flight wellness program called Travel Well with Yoga. Six videos feature yoga and meditation exercises to improve circulation, mobility and relaxation.

The partnership between Singapore Airlines and Canyon Ranch extends to the guided stretching exercises presented by spa exercise physiologists in back-end entertainment systems videos. The embedded electronic library also includes suggested sleep strategies. Users who download the airline application can receive push notifications with tips.

Gyms, bars and nurseries

As early as 2005, according to reports in The Guardian, Richard Branson had touted the advent of casinos, gyms and beauty salons in airplanes, which never fully materialized. More recently, carriers in the Middle East, including Etihad Airways, which sells an apartment-type suite, and Emirates, which offers showers, offer luxury amenities in their highest class of service.

Qantas now wants to rethink the design of aircraft cabins to eventually include bars, nurseries and exercise areas. Its new exploratory program, called Project Sunrise, has challenged aircraft manufacturers to design planes capable of flying more than 20 hours between Sydney and London or New York by 2022. The airline is exploring ways to convert spaces not suitable for seating in bars, work areas and study areas.

The efforts are partly motivated by Australia's remote geographical location compared to other major airports. "We are not a hub carrier, we are an end-of-line carrier," said Phil Capps, head of customer experience at Qantas. "We need to take the customer more seriously than other operators in global hubs."