The Big Show! AA's 787 Inaugural in First
May 8, 2015, 12:41 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: MIA
Programs: AA EXP (AC), DL G (SC), Bonvoy LTP, & IHG AMB
Posts: 1,798
The Big Show! AA's 787 Inaugural in First
I wanted to share with you a my photos from AA's inaugural 787 service from Dallas to Chicago. This would be my first 787 flight and first inaugural service with AA. Truly, it was a great experience and a lot of fun to meet so many others on the forum. Being in the company of so many others who share an enthusiasm for 'flights to no-where' was far more pleasant than sitting in the office and working 
Borrowing from The Iliad:
‘Sing to me, oh goddess, of the rage of AA frequent flyers, and AA’s devastation of said community with its lack of PDBs and its dysfunctional reservations process, which put pains thousandfold on those brave souls…’
Before getting into the flights, I think it's worth re-visiting the booking experience way back when in February when the rumors first started hitting the forums that the inaugural service would occur in May. In the depths of winter (we had a pretty nasty one this year in Boston), dozens and dozens of AA devotees, Flyertalkers and aviation enthusiasts bombarded the various AA call centers attempting to secure a seat. If you recall, it was actually Valentines day week-end. So, in between exchanging chocolates, flowers and champagne, multiple calls were made to the AAdvantage line to get some sort of confirmation of the route, the flight and then later on, seats. Consulting the AAdvantage line was about as confounding as a consultation with the Pythia or the ancient Oracle at Dodona, given what seemed like the cryptic nature of the responses. 'Well, we have a lot of flights between Dallas and Chicago that day, but I'm not seeing a Boeing 787' went one of the calls. 'Oh, Fortuna, you capricious sprite!’ as Ignatius Riley would say (John Kennedy Toole, A Confederacy of Dunces).
In the end though, the seat maps were made available and I was able to 'change seats' to a rear-facing one in the main F cabin, 4A. Truth be told, the only way I was able to get permission from the Home Office for this 'flight to no-where' and it being Valentines day was to use miles. One of the lesser advertised perks of the AAdvantage Citi Card is the redemption discount. So, at 55K miles for an AAnyTime F seat, the actual cost was 49.5K miles, plus the $5.60 or so in tax. Not being able to participate for UA's inaugural 787 service since I was overseas, I definitely did not want to miss this one, hence the AAnyTime award category, but the booking process really seemed bungled and was very frustrating. I can't recall this process ever being such a mess with what seemed like zero coordination from the top. Having gone through that though, and realizing that I would be in DC and not Boston the day before the flight, I looked up one way flights to Dallas. AA came out to be a bit high, at either $550 or, I think it was also 55K miles. So, I booked with Virgin America, the 'millennial's' choice of airlines for less than $300 in F. I'd not flown with them before and I thought it might add to the experience.
Thanks for indulging me, on with the flights:
VX 733
DCA -> DAL
Scheduled Departure 1140
Scheduled Arrival 1400
Seat 2A
Getting to Dallas from DC meant an early departure for me, as I'm usually down there Monday through Friday. DCA is hands-down, one of the best airports I use. It's small enough that you can get from check in at a kiosk and past security in less than five minutes. Of course, I've noticed that TSA seems to be handing out 'randomly selected' for PreCheck more often, which really diminishes the program when you have five or six people in front of you, asking about shoes, laptops and gels or aerosols. Also, I believe DCA either has or will over-take IAD in terms of passengers, so it's going to get very crowded there. More so than it already is.
VX Check-In Area
The check-in area is nice, and it seemed like there was no one there checking in. So after printing out my ticket, I headed to the AC in Terminal B to wait for the boarding time. Thankfully, the AC was almost completely empty which was a welcome change from the Friday afternoon zoo I usually experience.
Boarding was called promptly at 1110, with F being called up along with Elevate Elite Gold and Silvers. I had noticed when I checked in that I would have a seat-mate in row 2 and I assumed that the rest of the cabin would fill up as well since VX does up-sell at check-in. The cabin would go out with only 6 of eight seats taken. Initial impressions of the cabin were fantastic. I really liked the mood-lighting and the fact that all of the window shades were closed. Apologies in advance for the photo-quality, or lack thereof, I didn't break out the Nikon for this flight.
VX F Cabin and Seat
Boarding wrapped up pretty quickly as I would estimate the flight was maybe 60% full. Nevertheless, the cabin felt really comfortable and the padding on the seat was very generous. Moreover, the personal space was probably the best I've experienced on a narrow-body aircraft. I'm not sure how comfortable the seat would be for a transcon, when all of the competition offers lie-flat seating, but for the two hour flight to Dallas, it was great. PDBs were also offered, with the FA asking if any-one wanted mimosas for bloody maries. So yes, full bar. I asked for a glass of white and received a generous amount.
With boarding completed and taxi started, the crew 'performed' the safety demonstration. I thought it was kind of hilarious because it was actually a song complete with different characters singing or speaking the FAA's mandatory information.
After take-off, I ordered another glass of white, and decided to explore the IFE. The monitor is located in the center console, which was a bit awkward as you fold it out and have to remove the water bottle that already there. Otherwise though, Red, has a decent selection of films and topics to watch. I read my book for a bit and then decided to watch 'The Judge' with Robert Downey Jr. It was entertaining.
For the meal service, the FA had a menu card from which each person could select their main courses. I went with the vegetable curry, which tasted pretty good. At least the vegetables tasted fresh and the rice wasn't hard from over-cooking. The salad was also quite nice.
Sorry, I didn't eat break-fast and was pretty hungry by the time the meal was given. It was probably about thirty five minutes or so after take off when I was served.
Before too long, we started to hit some light to moderate chop, which I suspected meant we were getting close to Dallas, with the storms in the area. Despite encountering some light chop periodically throughout the flight, I appreciated the Captain's 'European' approach to the seat-belt sign whereby it stayed off almost the entire flight. I understand safety concerns and all of that, but it seems like domestic captains these days illuminate the sign at the first sign of chop.
In sum, the service, the meal, the seat and the experience was highly enjoyable with Virgin. I was glad I decided to try them out rather than just fly with AA to Dallas. What is more, it's hard to justify paying twice the price for an AA F seat when a solid service is available from VX. Unfortunately, with VX's route network, I doubt we'll have many opportunities to use them. Although, based on the experience, I wouldn't hesitate to try Virgin Atlantic again to London, rather than BA. Love Field is also a nice little airport. I could tell that the City has invested a lot, what with the myriad of shops, bars and restaurants. Still, I had to get to the Grand Hyatt at DFW, so an Uber was called up and we made it an about half an hour.
The BIG SHOW!
The gathering the night before was a lot of fun, but the alarm going off at 0430 definitely was not ideal. Thankfully, the flight had been moved from Terminal A to Terminal D, so I just had to go down the escalator and through security. Couldn't have been easier. I also decided to head up to the AC in Terminal D as opposed to the Centurion Lounge in the vain hope of getting a decent shot of the majestic 787. The lighting, however, would not cooperate. Had the flight started a few hours later, the shots would have been great.
At 0500, I made my way down to the gate. A decidedly festive air was about despite the departure time. I tried to scope out some spots to get pictures of the speeches and found a place on the stairs near the mezzanine level restaurants. Of course, the man, the myth, the legend, SFO777 was already there! I very much enjoyed the laughs we shared as the speeches commenced and during the course of the flight.
The Boeing Representative. Dude, speak into the mike! No one can hear you!!!
Boarding was called surprisingly on-time, so I joined the hoards of people already in the line.
The FA looks thrilled, just thrilled to be here.
No certificate?
OMG! A PDB! Don't worry, it wasn't Krug
The Captain, distributing coins. Really nice guy.
The ground crew's presence reminded me of flying in and out of Japan. I almost thought they were going to bow as the plane departed.
The cabin was really quiet during roll and take-off. Personally, I love rear-facing seats and what with the configuration of the cabin, I think 4A has to be one of the best seats on the plane. With the enormous windows, the seat felt like it had more space.
After take off, the party got started as every-one got up to start exploring.
Y looks really cramped!
Breakfast is served. Actually, it was pretty good in that it was cooked and not cold, like I've had on several previous flights with AA.
I have to hand it to the crew as they were brilliant given the circumstances. With about thirty minutes or so left in flight, it seemed as if the entire plane was in the forward F cabin and the crew didn't seem that bothered. I did speak with one of the ladies working the galley and noticed that there was no space for food prep. I'm not sure how well that's going to go over on Long Hauls with a multiple course service. Otherwise, and tragically, it's just too short a flight time to really get to know the plane. My seat wasn't working, so I wasn't able to put it in recline and I didn't bother with the IFE, but before I knew it, we were already over Lake Michigan.
We arrived at L10, which I have no idea what AA was thinking when they selected the arrival gate. It's really in the middle of nowhere and it's old and dirty. Also, there wasn't a fire cannon salute which I thought they might have either in Dallas or in Chicago. I guess there have been some mishaps with that lately. Or, perhaps, both cities are just showing solidarity with California and refusing to waste water.
In sum, this really was a fantastic experience. I'd not flown on the 787 before, but generally liked what I saw. Of course, the much touted cabin pressure improvements went un-realized on a flight of such short duration, but from every-thing I've read or from people I've spoken with, it is noticeable. We're looking to head back to Asia this summer and JAL's 787 service from Boston is an ideal, albeit pricey, option.
As far as the 787 for AA goes, it really is just too hard to tell what a 'proper' flight would be like. The F seats were definitely comfortable and the padding was rather good, but I would hesitate to book in a non-rear facing seat as they seemed a bit cramped.
Lastly, a huge thanks to the crew on this flight for being so understanding of the excitement and the nice gesture which was the coins. I'll definitely be holding onto to both of them.
Thanks for reading!
Borrowing from The Iliad:
‘Sing to me, oh goddess, of the rage of AA frequent flyers, and AA’s devastation of said community with its lack of PDBs and its dysfunctional reservations process, which put pains thousandfold on those brave souls…’
Before getting into the flights, I think it's worth re-visiting the booking experience way back when in February when the rumors first started hitting the forums that the inaugural service would occur in May. In the depths of winter (we had a pretty nasty one this year in Boston), dozens and dozens of AA devotees, Flyertalkers and aviation enthusiasts bombarded the various AA call centers attempting to secure a seat. If you recall, it was actually Valentines day week-end. So, in between exchanging chocolates, flowers and champagne, multiple calls were made to the AAdvantage line to get some sort of confirmation of the route, the flight and then later on, seats. Consulting the AAdvantage line was about as confounding as a consultation with the Pythia or the ancient Oracle at Dodona, given what seemed like the cryptic nature of the responses. 'Well, we have a lot of flights between Dallas and Chicago that day, but I'm not seeing a Boeing 787' went one of the calls. 'Oh, Fortuna, you capricious sprite!’ as Ignatius Riley would say (John Kennedy Toole, A Confederacy of Dunces).
In the end though, the seat maps were made available and I was able to 'change seats' to a rear-facing one in the main F cabin, 4A. Truth be told, the only way I was able to get permission from the Home Office for this 'flight to no-where' and it being Valentines day was to use miles. One of the lesser advertised perks of the AAdvantage Citi Card is the redemption discount. So, at 55K miles for an AAnyTime F seat, the actual cost was 49.5K miles, plus the $5.60 or so in tax. Not being able to participate for UA's inaugural 787 service since I was overseas, I definitely did not want to miss this one, hence the AAnyTime award category, but the booking process really seemed bungled and was very frustrating. I can't recall this process ever being such a mess with what seemed like zero coordination from the top. Having gone through that though, and realizing that I would be in DC and not Boston the day before the flight, I looked up one way flights to Dallas. AA came out to be a bit high, at either $550 or, I think it was also 55K miles. So, I booked with Virgin America, the 'millennial's' choice of airlines for less than $300 in F. I'd not flown with them before and I thought it might add to the experience.
Thanks for indulging me, on with the flights:
VX 733
DCA -> DAL
Scheduled Departure 1140
Scheduled Arrival 1400
Seat 2A
Getting to Dallas from DC meant an early departure for me, as I'm usually down there Monday through Friday. DCA is hands-down, one of the best airports I use. It's small enough that you can get from check in at a kiosk and past security in less than five minutes. Of course, I've noticed that TSA seems to be handing out 'randomly selected' for PreCheck more often, which really diminishes the program when you have five or six people in front of you, asking about shoes, laptops and gels or aerosols. Also, I believe DCA either has or will over-take IAD in terms of passengers, so it's going to get very crowded there. More so than it already is.
VX Check-In Area
The check-in area is nice, and it seemed like there was no one there checking in. So after printing out my ticket, I headed to the AC in Terminal B to wait for the boarding time. Thankfully, the AC was almost completely empty which was a welcome change from the Friday afternoon zoo I usually experience.
Boarding was called promptly at 1110, with F being called up along with Elevate Elite Gold and Silvers. I had noticed when I checked in that I would have a seat-mate in row 2 and I assumed that the rest of the cabin would fill up as well since VX does up-sell at check-in. The cabin would go out with only 6 of eight seats taken. Initial impressions of the cabin were fantastic. I really liked the mood-lighting and the fact that all of the window shades were closed. Apologies in advance for the photo-quality, or lack thereof, I didn't break out the Nikon for this flight.
VX F Cabin and Seat
Boarding wrapped up pretty quickly as I would estimate the flight was maybe 60% full. Nevertheless, the cabin felt really comfortable and the padding on the seat was very generous. Moreover, the personal space was probably the best I've experienced on a narrow-body aircraft. I'm not sure how comfortable the seat would be for a transcon, when all of the competition offers lie-flat seating, but for the two hour flight to Dallas, it was great. PDBs were also offered, with the FA asking if any-one wanted mimosas for bloody maries. So yes, full bar. I asked for a glass of white and received a generous amount.
With boarding completed and taxi started, the crew 'performed' the safety demonstration. I thought it was kind of hilarious because it was actually a song complete with different characters singing or speaking the FAA's mandatory information.
After take-off, I ordered another glass of white, and decided to explore the IFE. The monitor is located in the center console, which was a bit awkward as you fold it out and have to remove the water bottle that already there. Otherwise though, Red, has a decent selection of films and topics to watch. I read my book for a bit and then decided to watch 'The Judge' with Robert Downey Jr. It was entertaining.
For the meal service, the FA had a menu card from which each person could select their main courses. I went with the vegetable curry, which tasted pretty good. At least the vegetables tasted fresh and the rice wasn't hard from over-cooking. The salad was also quite nice.
Sorry, I didn't eat break-fast and was pretty hungry by the time the meal was given. It was probably about thirty five minutes or so after take off when I was served.
Before too long, we started to hit some light to moderate chop, which I suspected meant we were getting close to Dallas, with the storms in the area. Despite encountering some light chop periodically throughout the flight, I appreciated the Captain's 'European' approach to the seat-belt sign whereby it stayed off almost the entire flight. I understand safety concerns and all of that, but it seems like domestic captains these days illuminate the sign at the first sign of chop.
In sum, the service, the meal, the seat and the experience was highly enjoyable with Virgin. I was glad I decided to try them out rather than just fly with AA to Dallas. What is more, it's hard to justify paying twice the price for an AA F seat when a solid service is available from VX. Unfortunately, with VX's route network, I doubt we'll have many opportunities to use them. Although, based on the experience, I wouldn't hesitate to try Virgin Atlantic again to London, rather than BA. Love Field is also a nice little airport. I could tell that the City has invested a lot, what with the myriad of shops, bars and restaurants. Still, I had to get to the Grand Hyatt at DFW, so an Uber was called up and we made it an about half an hour.
The BIG SHOW!
The gathering the night before was a lot of fun, but the alarm going off at 0430 definitely was not ideal. Thankfully, the flight had been moved from Terminal A to Terminal D, so I just had to go down the escalator and through security. Couldn't have been easier. I also decided to head up to the AC in Terminal D as opposed to the Centurion Lounge in the vain hope of getting a decent shot of the majestic 787. The lighting, however, would not cooperate. Had the flight started a few hours later, the shots would have been great.
At 0500, I made my way down to the gate. A decidedly festive air was about despite the departure time. I tried to scope out some spots to get pictures of the speeches and found a place on the stairs near the mezzanine level restaurants. Of course, the man, the myth, the legend, SFO777 was already there! I very much enjoyed the laughs we shared as the speeches commenced and during the course of the flight.
The Boeing Representative. Dude, speak into the mike! No one can hear you!!!
Boarding was called surprisingly on-time, so I joined the hoards of people already in the line.
The FA looks thrilled, just thrilled to be here.
No certificate?
OMG! A PDB! Don't worry, it wasn't Krug
The Captain, distributing coins. Really nice guy.
The ground crew's presence reminded me of flying in and out of Japan. I almost thought they were going to bow as the plane departed.
The cabin was really quiet during roll and take-off. Personally, I love rear-facing seats and what with the configuration of the cabin, I think 4A has to be one of the best seats on the plane. With the enormous windows, the seat felt like it had more space.
After take off, the party got started as every-one got up to start exploring.
Y looks really cramped!
Breakfast is served. Actually, it was pretty good in that it was cooked and not cold, like I've had on several previous flights with AA.
I have to hand it to the crew as they were brilliant given the circumstances. With about thirty minutes or so left in flight, it seemed as if the entire plane was in the forward F cabin and the crew didn't seem that bothered. I did speak with one of the ladies working the galley and noticed that there was no space for food prep. I'm not sure how well that's going to go over on Long Hauls with a multiple course service. Otherwise, and tragically, it's just too short a flight time to really get to know the plane. My seat wasn't working, so I wasn't able to put it in recline and I didn't bother with the IFE, but before I knew it, we were already over Lake Michigan.
We arrived at L10, which I have no idea what AA was thinking when they selected the arrival gate. It's really in the middle of nowhere and it's old and dirty. Also, there wasn't a fire cannon salute which I thought they might have either in Dallas or in Chicago. I guess there have been some mishaps with that lately. Or, perhaps, both cities are just showing solidarity with California and refusing to waste water.
In sum, this really was a fantastic experience. I'd not flown on the 787 before, but generally liked what I saw. Of course, the much touted cabin pressure improvements went un-realized on a flight of such short duration, but from every-thing I've read or from people I've spoken with, it is noticeable. We're looking to head back to Asia this summer and JAL's 787 service from Boston is an ideal, albeit pricey, option.
As far as the 787 for AA goes, it really is just too hard to tell what a 'proper' flight would be like. The F seats were definitely comfortable and the padding was rather good, but I would hesitate to book in a non-rear facing seat as they seemed a bit cramped.
Lastly, a huge thanks to the crew on this flight for being so understanding of the excitement and the nice gesture which was the coins. I'll definitely be holding onto to both of them.
Thanks for reading!
May 8, 2015, 12:52 pm
#2
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: East Coast
Programs: AA CONCIERGE KEY & 1MM, HILTON DIAMOND
Posts: 11,970
Excellent trip report! However, very sad to see that AA couldn't cater something nicer than the pathetic breakfast quiche on this inaugural flight.
May 8, 2015, 3:23 pm
#4
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Denver • DEN-APA
Programs: AF Platinum, EK Gold, AA EXP, UA 1K, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 21,602
Great report, pics and summary of a fun day. Your rear facing 4A was a great choice. I had 2L on the return flight and it seems much more spacious than the forward facing seats. I enjoyed chatting with you and hope that our paths cross again. Maybe at an FBO somewhere. 
+1 on the gate choice.
Not to worry about Windy City water solidarity. We got the water salute from both sides of the plane on the return.
We arrived at L10, which I have no idea what AA was thinking when they selected the arrival gate. It's really in the middle of nowhere and it's old and dirty. Also, there wasn't a fire cannon salute which I thought they might have either in Dallas or in Chicago. I guess there have been some mishaps with that lately. Or, perhaps, both cities are just showing solidarity with California and refusing to waste water.
Not to worry about Windy City water solidarity. We got the water salute from both sides of the plane on the return.
May 9, 2015, 5:04 am
#6
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Kent, UK
Programs: BA Gold, SPG Platinum, Marriott Platinum, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 3,809
Thanks for the report. Not sure what I think about the seats in First though. It looks like your head is very close to your neighbours. Was that the case?
May 9, 2015, 6:00 am
#7
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: MIA
Programs: AA EXP (AC), DL G (SC), Bonvoy LTP, & IHG AMB
Posts: 1,798
Excellent trip report! However, very sad to see that AA couldn't cater something nicer than the pathetic breakfast quiche on this inaugural flight.
It too was a little skunky, but it's the thought that counts.
It looks like people enjoyed it. By the way, is that a black boeing-logo laptop bag on your seat?
Not to worry about Windy City water solidarity. We got the water salute from both sides of the plane on the return.
Not sure what I think about the seats in First though. It looks like your head is very close to your neighbours. Was that the case?