American 138
Hong Kong (HKG) – Dallas (DFW)
Sunday, September 14
Depart: 1:30PM
Arrive: 4:00PM
Duration: 15hr30min
Aircraft: Boeing 777-300ER
Seat: 4J (Business Class)
Boarding was through door 2L, and I turned left into the business class mini-cabin and settled into my “usual” seat, 4J.
American business class seat 777-300ER
As I mentioned on the outbound, I love American’s new business class hard product, and especially love the mini-cabin.
American business class seat 777-300ER
American business class seat controls 777-300ER
Most of the goodies for the flight were already waiting at my seat, including a pillow and blanket, bottled water, amenity kit, and Bose headphones.
American business class seat 777-300ER
American business class seat storage 777-300ER
American business class bottled water and amenity kit 777-300ER
Boarding was completed within about 10 minutes of me settling in. While we were offered pre-departure beverages, I passed. I did change into my pajamas before takeoff, though.
At around 1:25PM the captain came on the PA to welcome us aboard and inform us of our flight time of 14hr6min, which he anticipated would put us into Dallas ahead of schedule. At this point every seat was taken in first and business class, while economy was about two thirds full as far as I could tell. Interestingly there was also an upgrade list of about 30 people that didn’t clear, and at least half of them were Executive Platinum members.
Tarmac view Hong Kong Airport
We pushed back at 1:30PM sharp, right as scheduled, at which point the safety video began to play. My eyes were glued outside the window thanks to the cool variety of traffic at Hong Kong Airport in the afternoons.
Tarmac view Hong Kong Airport
Tarmac view Hong Kong Airport
The runway configuration was working in our favor today, as they were using runways 25L and 25R for takeoffs and landings, which are closest to the terminal. We taxied to runway 25L, which took all of three minutes.
Tarmac view Hong Kong Airport
However, we had to hold short of the runway and give way to the Singapore 777, Cathay Pacific A330, and Philippine Airlines A321 ahead of us.
Tarmac view Hong Kong Airport
Tarmac view Hong Kong Airport
Tarmac view Hong Kong Airport
Runway view Hong Kong Airport
That wait took about 15 minutes, as a few planes landed on the runway as well, and they seemed to be spacing out things a bit more than usual. At 1:50PM we were cleared to line up and wait, and shortly thereafter began our long takeoff roll.
Runway 25L Hong Kong Airport
Cathay Pacific Airbus A330 Hong Kong Airport
HongKong Airlines Airbus A330 Hong Kong Airport
View on takeoff from Hong Kong Airport
We hit some light chop on the initial climb out, though the ride got smooth pretty quickly once we passed through the initial layer of clouds.
View on takeoff from Hong Kong Airport
View after takeoff from Hong Kong Airport
The airshow indicated that the flight time might be a bit longer than the captain’s anticipated 14hr6min, though you never really can trust the airshow.
Airshow between Hong Kong and Dallas
Airshow between Hong Kong and Dallas
Airshow between Hong Kong and Dallas
View at cruising altitude
About 25 minutes after takeoff the flight attendants sprung up and began their service. They started by taking meal orders. On this flight they began taking meal orders in the front of the aircraft, given that it was an eastbound flight.
The lunch menu read as follows:
The wine/beverage list read as follows:
Service began with hot towels and was quickly followed by drinks and warm mixed nuts. I ordered a Diet Coke with lime, though since it was catered in Hong Kong it was actually a Coke Light.
American business class hot nuts and drink
Within 15 minutes the appetizer and salad were served. The appetizer consisted of parma ham with arugula and melon salsa, and then there was a salad with Asian dressing. I also had a pretzel roll to accompany it.
American business class appetizer and salad
American business class parma ham appetizer
American business class salad
For the main course I had the stir-fried prawns, which were served with noodles, snap peas, and carrots. The dish was surprisingly flavorless, especially taking into account that it was catered in Asia (which usually means the food is at least a bit more flavorful).
American business class stir-fried prawns
I skipped dessert, and instead decided to connect to the inflight Wi-Fi and get some work done. As was the case on the outbound, the cost for unlimited Wi-Fi on the flight was $20, which is a heck of a deal. That’s especially true compared to airlines which charge based on data usage, where you can maybe load your email inbox for $20 if you’re lucky.
Anyway, the meal service was done maybe 90 minutes after takeoff. The crew on this sector was fine — they were efficient, friendly enough, and completely unmemorable (which is a good crew for a longhaul flight on a US airline, as far as I’m concerned).
About 30 minutes after the meal service the snack bar was set up, which I snapped a few quick pictures of before all the business class passengers circled it like starved vultures.
American 777-300ER business class walk-up bar
As I’ve said before, I find the business class bar to be a really nice touch. It’s not that expensive on the part of American, though in a way it shows at least some commitment to their premium soft product, which I really appreciate.
American 777-300ER business class walk-up bar snacks
American 777-300ER business class walk-up bar snacks
I worked for a while, and eventually we were already over Southern Japan, at which point I figured it was time to sleep, especially since the sun was beginning to set.
American airshow between Hong Kong and Dallas
Window view at sunset
I managed to get about four hours of sleep, and upon waking up found us right over the middle of the Pacific, cruising at 710+ miles per hour. Yowza!
American airshow between Hong Kong and Dallas
View over the Pacific
Since I woke up literally at the halfway point of the flight (like, to the minute), they were just starting the midflight snack service.
The snack menu read as follows:
I had the smoked salmon sandwich, which was served with horseradish cream sauce, potato salad, and a bowl of fruit.
American business class smoked salmon sandwich
After that I decided to have some Hong Kong style milk tea. Naturally I sought out one of the new hire Chinese flight attendants to make it. 😉
American business class Hong Kong style milk tea
I worked for a little while longer, and then napped for a couple of hours. Before I knew it we were already over the US.
Airshow approaching Dallas
Airshow approaching Dallas
I worked a bit longer on my laptop, and then about 90 minutes before landing the brunch service began.
The brunch menu read as follows:
I ordered the dim sum for brunch.
American business class dim sum brunch
American business class dim sum brunch
The dumplings were actually quite tasty, there just weren’t very many of them. The noodles were bland so I skipped them.
American business class dim sum brunch
Then there was a salad with cherry tomatoes and croutons.
American business class salad
And then a blueberry cheesecake bar for dessert.
American business class cheesecake dessert
About 30 minutes before arrival the captain came on the PA to inform us of our updated arrival time. He expected we would touch down at 2:50PM, which was over an hour before our scheduled arrival time.
American 777-300ER mini business class cabin view
As we began our descent I changed out of my pajamas and back into my jeans and t-shirt, and stored my carry-ons.
The views on descent weren’t especially exciting.
View on approach into Dallas
View on approach into Dallas
View on approach into Dallas
View on approach into Dallas
We had a smooth touchdown on runway 18R at 2:50PM sharp, and a 10 minute taxi from there to our gate. We taxied past some of the more exciting international airlines at DFW, including Qantas, KLM, and Lufthansa.
Taxiing to the gate DFW Airport
Eventually we parked at Terminal D, right next to another American 777-300ER bound for London Heathrow.
American 777-300ER DFW Airport
American business class bottom line
This was another good flight in American business class. The food was decent, service efficient, and hard product top notch. Add in Wi-Fi with unlimited data at a great cost, and this is a very competitive product for flying transpacific, in my opinion. Of course you can’t beat the ability to upgrade from cheap economy class fares either.
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