AA flight DFW-HKG-DFW experiences, questions
 

I was aboard Flight 137 on June 11th and wanted to share my experience. Because I dreaded the thought of flying three hours to DFW from LAX and then boarding a sixteen plus hour flight to HKG, I decided to leave for DFW on June 10th and stay overnight at the Grand Hyatt at Terminal D. Even though I have no status with Hyatt, a desk agent by the name of Taylor was very helpful in securing a room facing the western runways on a high floor (it is service such as Taylor provided that makes me rethink my loyalty to Hilton). I enjoyed a room service meal and had a great time watching airport operations for a large part of the evening.

The next morning I left for the terminal at 10:30 AM. I quickly cleared security through pre-check and headed for the Admirals Club but my path was interrupted by a couple of dragons chasing evil spirits (part of the inaugural festivities for both the Hong Kong and Shanghai flights). After placating my evil spirits the dragons allowed me to continue to the Club. There I was issued three drink chits. I used one for a bottle of water and hid two others under the keyboard of a computer in the cybercafé.

Headed for gate D25A (a gate change from D23) at noon and boarded fairly quickly. The captain came by my seat (2A) and introduced himself. I learned that we had four pilots on board (three of whom were captains and one an extremely experienced first officer). The purser (Ginny) then came by and decided I was a small/medium in jammies. Prior to pushback the purser had announced that our flying time to Hong Kong would be fifteen hours and twenty-seven minutes, a bit under the sixteen hours and twenty minutes AA had allotted for this flight.

Pushback from the gate was right on schedule at 12:45 PM and we were treated to a very cool water cannon salute by the DFW fire department.

Lunch service commenced shortly after takeoff and, as usual, AA overfeeds you on these international flights. I said no to the amuse-bouche, yes to the Thai chicken starter, no to the hot and sour soup, and yes to the salad. For my entrée, I had preselected the cashew chicken. It was excellent as was the baby bok choy, the rice not so much but, then again, I don’t expect perfection in dining when I fly on any carrier. There were two more food services after lunch but I only ate a little of the third service. It was actually quite tasty consisting of dim sum and some noodles.

The cabin crew (Ginny, Sandra, and Ron) in first class was excellent. They were attentive to our needs without being obsequious and obviously took pride in this new international flight. I thought there would be one snack bar back in business for both first class and business class on this flight but Ron the FA came by and told me to come up and take a look at the spread they had put out for first class in the first class galley.

At approximately 6:30 PM (central time) we crossed from Canada into Alaska. At first thought it was surprising that after almost six hours on a flight from DFW to HKG we were still over land but not so surprising when you realized we were on a polar route. As a matter of fact, the vast majority of the route is over land. At about 7:34 PM (central time) we started over the Bering Sea. At about 8 PM (central time) we entered the Russian Federation. Entered China from Russia at about 11:50 PM (central time) and soon lost internet access. I assumed this was due to the “great firewall of china”.

Shortly before landing, Ginny came by and gave me back my first class menu which she had every member of the flight crew autograph. That was really cool on her part and that menu will always be a memento of this flight.

We landed in HKG about 5:47 PM (Hong Kong time) which was about twenty minutes ahead of our scheduled arrival. Arrival formalities went very quickly and I was soon on my way to the Conrad in Central. This was an historic inaugural flight and I truly hope it augurs well for American Airlines growth in Asia.

Great report marnold3. Glad you enjoyed it and loved having you onboard. Being part of this inaugural was the highlight of my career!

Thanks for the trip report, marnold. I'm glad to hear it was such a great flight. ^

Thanks for the report! Any festivities at the gate prior to boarding?

I think there were a few speeches from some dignitaries but I only cared about the dragons so after watching them a bit, I headed for the Admirals Club. For years I had to listen to commencement speakers and look interested. Now I skip the speeches and just do the fun stuff

Just got off the hkg dfw inaugural. Good flight in general also received 500 miles, small tumi branded socket adapter. There was a bit of celebrations at the gate prior to boarding with I assume the same cheerleaders.

Morning was a bit messy at the check in gates. Could definitely tell that this their first day and they were figuring stuff out at hkg.

Will prob post a trip report later.

For those interested, there is an excellent write-up over on the Trip Reports forum:

Welcome to Hong Kong: American Airlines Inaugural from DFW to HKG on June 6, 2014

Is someone able to confirm the exact mileage posted to their account for the flight? AA's Route Map suggests 8,119 miles, but I find it often disagrees with what I actually receive. Thanks!

DFW-PVG and DFW-HKG Starting Summer 2014
 

Some observations from AA137 on 6/13.

Big scramble to pull out of DFW on time. We ended up leaving 5 minutes late. Ground crew was pushing hard to get folks seated. Almost to the point it made me think they have bonuses attached to on-time departures. I really have no idea.

First failed SWU in my AA lifetime. J inventory looked good at T-2 days. Still reading through other threads to see if my first leg from DCA also numbered 137 could be the root cause.

MCE isn't bad. Decent seat with pitch. Width is lacking. The main cabin looks incredibly tight. I'm surprised the aisles aren't considered a safety hazard. AVOD is ok with a good amount of content. I found the UI to be counterintuitive.

Wifi didn't work for the first ~3 hours. Technically wifi worked but couldn't connect to any networks outside the aircraft. I slept for 6 hours and found it working when I woke up. $19 charged for the full flight. Works great for text based applications.

First meal, lunch, was standard coach chicken or beef. I saw another MCE pax with beef- totally red including the outside (yikes). I had chicken and it was enough to hold me over until I can get to The Wing at HKG. Only 2 drinks served and a bottle of water. I didn't hound them for more.

Lots of Y pax using the J restrooms at the back of J. Ditto for J pax using Y restrooms.

Looks like we'll arrive just about on time. Will report back with anything of interest. Hopefully the inbound is an improvement.

Just checked my account and it hasnt posted for me.

All in all it was good flight. I was in Paid J, waitlisted for UPG but did not clear despite being 1st on the list. Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders was a nice touch.

500 miles....better off not doing it all. I mean seriously? Giving everyone a 500 mile UPG sticker or two would have been better.

I've had a great extended weekend stay here in HK but it is time to leave. I'll be on AA 138 today (June 16th) in seat 1A.

Wow - a CK representative personally escorted me to the Wing and will be back to escort me to the gate (Gate 64) in a bit. Such service!

Are they sending all the passengers with lounge access to the CX lounges?

Wow. Are you CK?

No, I believe you have to be EXP to get into the Wing.

No, I am not CK nor have I ever been. This is just one of those examples where my loyalty to AA is rewarded with an unexpected perk.

When I boarded the flight, one of the pilots on board started chatting with me. He told me to go up to the cockpit where they let me sit in the captain's seat. Another pilot asked for my phone and took my picture. I told the guys that I would trade 1A for the jump seat (at least for takeoff) but that just elicited laughter.

Can EXP/OW Emerald use the CX F Wing lounge when flying on AA HKG-DFW?

Yes, EXPs/Emeralds can use any Oneworld First Class lounge when they have an onward Oneworld ticket in any class of service. :)

Yes, it's always been that way, but I still prefer the Cabin for its superior food offerings when flying during non peak times.

flight deck fun
 

A year back or so, MIA-ORD in 3A, I inquired at gate about "flight patterns and weather conditions." This resulted in my invitation to sit up front until just prior to push-back, "Now, which one is the jump seat?"

While such an inquiry could be regarded as suspicious I, having been a frequent pax on this route, knew the views of the FL peninsula were great
but were impossible to capture even with super wide-angle lens, except from the flight deck.

Pilot informs me of low ceiling, 12K, and offers to take the picture from flight deck. "Too low ceiling." I decline the very kind offer. Once at altitude FA inquires whether I would like pilot to try anyhow-looking out window it was not opportune.

So, sitting way "up-front," for a bit, exchanging contact info with both(I was returning from Inauguration)and provided them both with my special "Inaugural Commemorative Package," photos and copy of invitation was a real treat.

Flight 138 arrived at the gate (D25) about an hour ahead of schedule. Took skylink to Terminal A for my flight back to LAX. This time I was issued four drink chits. I'm using one and hiding the other three under a computer keyboard near the bar in the Terminal A Admirals Club. Hope someone finds them and puts them to use.

Excellent, I'll have to try both! I'll be a newly-minted EXP sometime later this month while flying over Middle America, and I have a trip to HKG in early September! Excited to try the lounges!!

Flew on AA 137 DFW-HKG on June 17. Level of service was about equivalent to what I am used to on 772 business class services transpacific. Of course the seat was fantastic. Felt like flying CX seat 773.

They do have growing pains though. The map was loaded in English and Spanish. Oops, huh? Also the Chinese announcement was a little awkward, referring to flying over the USSR, not Russia. Also didn't have entry cards for HK.

Hopefully they'll get it up to speed quickly. All in all a pleasant flight.

Would you pay the same money as CX charged? I ask because I have all but abandoned AA to Asia, but it sounds like you are an experienced CX J traveler.....would love your perspective on value and other things. I have obviously done a tone of CX and AA to Asia, but not done DFW-HKG yet......

Thanks!

Cheers,
AA777

I just booked a trip LGA-DFW-HKG and back. There were over $300 in "carrier imposed fees" I don't recall seeing this on AA before even for other int'l flights. Anyone know what these are covering? It took my $770 fare to over $1K. Still not bad but I don't recall ever seeing this before.

I have only flown CX J transpacific on award. The new AA 77W seat to HKG is in almost all ways identical to CX's, which makes a huge difference on a 16-hour flight. All aisle access, flatbed, pretty good IFE (although less HK-oriented obviously). DFW-HKG is going to be a tough upgrade over time, because it is so much more comfortable than 772 seats to ICN, PVG, NRT and PEK. At least until the new 772 seats are set to go. Service level just can't match CX, of course. This is a US-based carrier. All things equal (factoring in FF/elite considerations of course) would fly CX if I could, but no SWUs on CX, so AA it is.

Unfortunately, AA is not releasing saver F and J awards to HKG.

You're saying there are zero F or J milesAAver awards currently available on the DFW-HKG route. However, limited as they may be, that's simply untrue.

Fixed that for you, or at least how it feels these days :(

I searched month by month and ALMOST nothing is available, close in or far out.

The only saver F awards are on 6/25 and nothing else for the rest of the year or 2015; J has a few saver awards March - May 2015... considering the daily service AA offers, that's almost zero, especially in F.

April/May 2015 has a very large amount of business milesAAver availability-- far, far more than I expected when I went to check after reading your claim.

By the time we see much more than that-- or anywhere near the amount that FTers would be happy with-- we'd have yet, another "route that AA tried but didn't make it..." casualty.

The lack of -Z- availability doesn't surprise me in the least, very few seats, people use AAnytime awards for those-- happens every day as much as that aggravates those here and we wish it wasn't the case.

In fact, the large amount of -U- availability AA is releasing for April/May of 2015 should raise some eyebrows for anyone that cares about the long-term viability/success of this route.

As someone who has alternated between flying on OPM in paid premium cabins to flying on upgrades across oceans on AA Q and N fares I am quite aware that in effect someone else is footing the bill, namely those are paying cash for premium cabins wherever I fly. If I were to see too much U availability that actually would worry me as well. I will certainly be observing the success of this route closely.

Catering in J & F- Anything Run Out Catering Wise?
 

Just curious if folks that have flown this flight in J or F have seen catering items, from wine options to snacks, run out on this, the longest flight AA has? I've seen it few time on DFW-NRT flights, but not consistently.

Reading the report it did happen on the inaugural at the very least.

Did not happen on 6/17 to DFW...plenty of food, water, snacks, can't speak to wine.

Snacks etc
 

Flew DFW-HKG on Saturday 21 June. By 10 hours in, most snacks were gone - some cookie-looking items were left.

For some unknown reason AA believes it should serve breakfast 1.5 hours prior to arrival (6PM arrival). Seems contrary to the concept of serving the meal appropriate for the time zone one in which one is arriving.

Wines/whisky did not run out. Service was fair - seems the new Canto crew were not quite up to norm (not that AA norm is anything to shoot for).

Baggage arrived on carousel 3 which hosted flights arriving from Vancouver, Tianjin, and one other city + DFW. It was mayhem to say the least.

The hard product is really spectacular though I would redesign a better partition for the middle business seats and I would put the headphone jack in a position it could be used without a mirror.

Not the case for me
 

I was able to book two R/T's in J for 55k miles each way. I thought that AUS-DFW-HKG on AA metal for 110k R/T in J was a good deal so I grabbed two of them. I seem to recall there being a fair amount of options too - maybe not June/July 2014 but further out.

Yeah. I noticed the Spanish maps, too. Also, the snack bar ran out of food very quickly. One thing to note is that AA doesn't have mobile boarding passes at HKG (unlike other airlines), so if you forget to print out a boarding pass and you use HKG as a connection point from another country in SE Asia, you can't use the transfer stations and you'll have to go through immigration and get back in.

Thanks for your .02. I just booked my first DFW-HKG on AA for September right after Mid Autumn Festival only because the rate was fantastic, first time in a long time have I seen a VERY reasonable rate for AA J. If the price, like it's been, was the same as CX, I would have booked CX. I book J and F and save SWUS for friends and family. Though for 16+ hrs I may upgrade to F on the way home.....

Cheers,
AA777

Sometimes it is intentional-I have seen pax place their HKID on the tray to save the FA time when distributing cards.

Flew 137/138 a week ago, and yes the moving map is in spanish/english, which i thought was funny. Maybe Cantonese is not loaded into the system? Actually for the first hour of AA138 HKG-DFW, DFW wasn't even loaded as the destination into the computer so it just showed Time to Destination --:-- and Distance to Destination ----. i bet they only fixed it cuz a passenger brought it up.

Also on the DFW-HKG segment it was english/cantonese announcements while on the return HKG-DFW segment it was english/cantonese/mandarin which i suspect was due to the 100+ CX connections in HKG. Most of the people i noticed on the HKG-DFW segment were mainland chinese.

Both flights i took arrived around 30-45 minutes early. DFW-HKG was only around 75% full while HKG-DFW was oversold by at least 30+ pax.

Also the wifi cuts out if you fly over mainland china but this is no big secret. blame the communists who dont want you having uncensored internet over their airspace. :)

Unless there is a hearing impaired option, Cantonese will never be loaded into the system. :)