Review of American Airlines flight Hong Kong Dallas/Fort Worth in Economy

Airline American Airlines
Flight AA138
Class Economy
Seat --
Aircraft Boeing 777-300ER
Flight time 15:15
Take-off 19 Jan 15, 13:40
Arrival at 19 Jan 15, 14:55
AA   #69 out of 96 Airlines A minimum of 10 flight-reports within the past two years is required to appear in the rankings. 591 reviews
KévinDC
By SILVER 12889
Published on 22nd January 2015
Hello everyone,

After much much much delay, here finally, is the first flight of the return portion of this series of flights with American Airlines. As previously mentioned, this trip was essentially a mileage run over a long weekend yielding 19,000 miles. You might be wondering why this flight is in Economy with all the other flights in Business and First. In my previous reports, I spoke about having problems with my ticket. I had used SWUs (Systemwide Upgrade vouchers) to upgrade on all flights; however, due to the aforementioned mysterious problems with my tickets resulting in a corrupted PNR, I ended up not being able to upgrade this flight. Although I wasn't expecting to sit in Y, I decided to make the best of it and thought to myself that it would be a good for the #AvGeek in me to be able to experience both cabins on this route.

So here we go for a 14 hour flight across the Pacific…


The routing:

Washington Reagan DCA - Dallas Fort Worth DFW, American Airlines, B737-800
Dallas Fort Worth DFW - Hong Kong Chek Lap Kok HKG, Amercian Airlines, B777-300ER
Hong Kong Chek Lap Kok HKG - Dallas Fort Worth DFW, American Airlines, B777-300ER [THIS REPORT]
Dallas Fort Worth DFW - Washington Reagan DCA, American Airlines, B737-800

Although the flight was at 1:40PM, I got to the airport a little before 10AM so that I could do some lounge-hopping. As often as I've flown in and out of HKG, I always find the architecture to be impressive.

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Unfortunately, the AA check-in was not yet open and it wasn't possible to check in online or on the AA App, so I went outside for some planespotting as I waited for the counter to open.

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MH B738

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CX A333

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KA A333

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And A321

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Soon enough the AA counter opened and I was able to get my boarding pass and lounge invitation.

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As soon as we got airside, we were right next to the Qantas lounge so we decided to go check it out. It had heard that it had been renovated since my last visit years ago when DL used the QF lounge.

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The lounge is literally around the corner on the right as soon as you get airside.

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The lounge agent was very welcoming and courteous and apologized that there was no First class section when she saw the oneworld Emerald status. For those not familiar with oneworld and American Airlines' program, the highest AA FF status, Executive Platinum (oneworld Emerald), allows entry into the International First class lounges of any oneworld carrier no matter the class of travel. Having been a longtime Delta and SkyTeam loyalist, this is definitely a nice perk.

There will be plenty of time to check out Cathay Pacific's First class lounge later. For now, let's take a look around the recently renovated Qantas lounge.

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Very nice first impression. The furnishings look modern yet comfortable and the fact that the lounge is on a mezzanine level makes it bright and airy.

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Nice looking bar

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The lounge is almost empty at this time of day. It's always nice getting a lounge to yourself!

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In case you want to have a large family dinner in the QF lounge, they have you covered :-P



Or perhaps you're in the mood for hibachi? They have that too :-)

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The buffet area with a decent breakfast offering, including some hot choices and pastries. Living in the US and being used to carrot sticks and fake cheese in US lounges, I'm always thrilled to get real food when travelling internationally.



My selection

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With a glass of surprisingly good Australian sparkling

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Cheers! It's never too early for bubbly!

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A few more pics of the lounge. It is very spacious and although you are far from the windows you can still do some planespotting.



After a very enjoyable stay in the Qantas lounge, we headed accross the way to Cathay Pacific's The Wing First class lounge.

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The agents at the desk were also very nice. There is a champagne lounge as soon as you walk in. I like the concept, but I'm not a fan of the dark look of this lounge.

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The furniture is plush and comfortable, but there's something very 90's chic and unappealing about the decor in general, although the lounge has also been recently renovated.

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But that did't stop me from enjoying a glass (or 2 or 3) of Moët & Chandon Rosé Imperial :-)

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The Wing Features and First and Business class section. First class passengers and oneworld Emeralds can access both sides.

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Overall the lounge is quite nice and large. However, although I've never been in the AF La Première lounge in CDG or the LH First Class Terminal in FRA, two lounges with very good reputations, the CX the WIng F lounge does not feel as exclusive as the AF or LH lounges sound in the reports I've seen. Don't get me wrong, it's a really nice lounge and I enjoyed it, but you don't have someone waiting on you hand and foot and to escort you everywhere like in the AF la Première lounge, so it's not really in the same league.



There is, however, one feature of this lounge that does feel exclusive and First Class-y, the restaurant.

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There is a buffet with a large selection of food including dim sum and desserts, or you can choose dishes from the menu. I did a mix of both.

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A few items from the buffet. The dim sum was very good.

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I also chose the duck breast from the menu which was very good. Throughout the meal the waitress kept my glass of champagne full.

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A selection of desserts from the buffet.

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And a Cognac to wrap up a nice meal.

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By boarding time I was well fed (read: I stuffed my face) and well tipsy, so I was starting to care less about sitting in Y for 15 hours. I've done 17 hours in Y from DTW-HKG before….piece of cake!

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Boarding had just started when I go to the gate. Here's our beautiful bird for the day–couldn't get a better shot.



Boarding was fast through the Priority lane, but the security checks after the boarding gate tend to slow down the flow of passengers. At the boarding door I was was warmly greeted by a Hi there! Back already! That was a short trip–it was the same great crew we had on the way over. I knew right away, even though we were sitting in the back that the crew experience would be positive.

My first impression of the Y cabin was generally positive despite my general aversion to the 3-4-3 configuration on 777s.

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The touchscreen IFE screens are large.

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Oh the poor people that have to sit in the middle for 15 hours in such a tight configuration–I hope they're all short and thin :-P

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Luckily I was able to grab one of the 2-seaters towards the back so my friend and I didn't have to wory about one of us sitting in a middle.

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The view from my seat all the way in the back.

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The seat pitch is decent–it could be worse. Another advantage to the two-seater rows in the back is that they are farther from the sidewall than normal rows so you get more lateral space.

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The IFE screen is nice and large. The touchscreen is very reactive.

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View from my seat



View out the window

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Boarding was fast and efficient and we pushed back a few minutes early as the safety video comes on.

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A little planespotting while taxiing.



Beautiful CX 77W

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It's always funny seeing UA narrowbodies in HKG

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We got some good views on takeoff and flew directly over the city. Unfortunately, it was a hazy day so the photos are not clear.



Flying over the heart of the financial disctrict.



As always, shortly after takefoff some announcements are made on the IFE

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I switch the IFE to the airshow right away. It's going to be a very short flight today with strong tailwinds .

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View of the cabin before the meal service. The 3-4-3 configuration looks tight.

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Hot towels are handed out before lunch

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Pre-meal drink service. I got a white wine and water.

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The meal is served halfway to Japan.

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The options were chicken (no surprise there) or vegetarian. By the time the FAs got all the way to the back, there were no other options so I had to go with the vegetarian meal. I wasn't particularly happy about not having a choice of meals, but it actually turned out to be pretty good. It was an Indian style vegetarian curry–certainly more interesting than the usual bland chicken or beef.

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After the meal the lights were turned off and most pax went to sleep so it was quiet in the cabin.

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I wasn't tired yet and got to chatting with some of the FAs–some of which I'd met on the DFW-HKG flight. After a nice chat with this very nice crew, I went back to my seat. One of the awesome FAs stopped by and discretely offered us a bottle of wine to enjoy at our seats. What a great gesture that more than made up for the lack of meal choice!

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Wow, we are going really fast!

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After half a bottle of wine I was ready for a nap :-)
The mood lighting was on at this point

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i woke up over the middle of the Pacific right before the mid-flight snack.

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The mid-flight snack box was ok, nothing spectacular. It was a sandwich with some cheese and crackers and a chocolate bar. This is comparable to what I've had on DL on TPAC flights in Y.

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The mid-flight snack was a good break from boredom in the middle of the flight. Afterwards, I watched a movie, played some poker on the IFE, and took another quick nap.

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You can buy duty-free from the IFE

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I woke up as the sun was rising approaching the California coast.

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Nice scenery over Northern California despite some morning haze.

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One nice feature of the IFE is that you can see the duration of movies to see if you have enough time to watch before arrival.

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Some more moodlit cabin shots

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The pre-arrival breakfast was served a little over an hour before arrival. With only 3 pieces of fruit and a croissant sandwich, it was definitely less generous than breakfasts I've had in TPAC Y on DL before which usually consisted of an omelette with sausage links and potato wedges as well as fruit. Our wonderful FA came by and offered us a second sandwich after we were finished our meal, which I accepted.

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Somewhere over the Rockies

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More mood lighting.

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Less than an hour left to arrival.

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Over the dry west Texas plains.

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A video about US customs and immigrations is played shortly before arrival.

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Almost there



Love the 77W's raked wingtips



We landed over 45 minutes early. Those tailwinds were really pushing us along.



People standing up while we are still taxiing–a very common sight on flights to/from Asia in my experience. I've seen people get up and struggle up the aisle during takeoff before! This is nothing :-)

Needless to say FAs had to make several announcements to get people to sit down, but many did not listen.

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Well, I survived Y on a long TPAC flight yet again. It really wasn't bad at all.

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Last view of our 77W on the way to immigration.

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Immigration was rediculously fast. I used the new self-serve kiosks and was through in less than 5 minutes. I think it was a record for me. Even my friend who has global entry took longer than me, lol. Speaking of Global Entry, now that I have an American passport, I should probably get it.

Thanks a lot for reading this very long report!

A little tourist bonus of Hong Kong to make it even longer :-)

I always enjoy eating out in Hong Kong



There's something for everyone. #AvGeek



Thanks for reading!
See more

Verdict

American Airlines

7.8/10
Cabin6.0
Cabin crew9.5
Entertainment/wifi9.0
Meal/catering6.5

Qantas Business Lounge

8.0/10
Comfort8.0
Meal/catering8.0
Entertainment/wifi8.0
Services8.0

Hong Kong - HKG

9.0/10
Efficiency9.0
Access8.0
Services10.0
Cleanliness9.0

Dallas/Fort Worth - DFW

8.5/10
Efficiency10.0
Access8.0
Services8.0
Cleanliness8.0

Conclusion

All in all, it was a pretty decent flight. The wonderful and especially attentive crew really made it an enjoyable experience.

Cabin comfort - I'm not going to lie, the 3-4-3 configuration is tight. The seats are definitely too narrow for this type of long-haul flight. However, having gotten the 2-seater block of seats in the back made it a more comfortable flight with more lateral space and no middle seat or stranger sitting next to us.

Catering - The main meal was really good, but the other two were disappointing. I'm again comparing to Delta on similar routes and Delta wins hands down on TPAC Y catering.

IFE - Great IFE system. Fast, responsive, great airshow and lots of content.

Related

31 Comments

If you liked this review or if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to post a comment below !
  • Comment 135572 by
    byromania 38 Comments
    First of all, thank you for taking the time to post this flight report. I enjoyed reading it very much. Unfortunately, if this is the best that the new American can offer their Y class passengers, I think I'll take a pass. Although the cabin looked decent enough, the actual service offerings, i.e. snacks and meals, looked abysmal. The US3 still continue their rant against the ME3, but I would take any of them over a US carrier any day. Their service is simply superior. Thank you again for your report.
    • Comment 315271 by
      KévinDC TEAM SILVER AUTHOR 6668 Comments
      Hi there, thanks for your comment. Yes, I agree with you--the soft product is definitely sub par. Unfortunately, these are the standards we've gotten used to in the US. The cabin, seats, and IFE are on par with the ME3, but the catering is not even close. The US3 have made a lot of progress in improving the premium cabins, but are lagging behind in Y. UA has recently announced improved catering in Y, so I think the big 3 are starting to look at the Y experience. In a way, the lack of competition means less competition on pricing--perhaps US carriers will now have to compete on actual product to differentiate themselves. Although I had an enjoyable flight, I know that my experience was far from typical. Thanks for reading!
  • Comment 135576 by
    Wingslover 657 Comments
    Thanks for sharing this report. :)

    I hope that my flight LHR-MIA in July will be operated by a -300ER :)
    (The website says 777-200/777-300)
    • Comment 315272 by
      KévinDC TEAM SILVER AUTHOR 6668 Comments
      I think the 777-300ER is more common on the LHR-JFK and LHR-LAX routes, but fingers crossed for you! The 777-200ER are being retrofitted with new cabins similar to the 777-300ER so either way you might get a new cabin,
  • Comment 135578 by
    jetsetpanda 2283 Comments
    Thank you Kevin for sharing this informative and detailed report, especially for making the selfless sacrifice of sitting in Y in order to give us a first hand experience of what it's like to fly in the back with AA. ;)

    It's great that you were able to access the lounges before the flight. I guess it helped to cushion the blow somehow. I plan to do some lounge hopping while in HKG when I go there in Nov. and I've heard the Bridge by CX is not to be missed.

    I'm surprised you didn't splurge for the poor man's premium seat (Main Cabin Extra). The first meal looks OK but for the rest it is disappointing and DL has the upper hand for sure. It remains to be seen how much improvement will UA bring with their new catering. As of now, some will argue that UA has a slight advantage over AA with the introduction of their new premium meals for the North American market.

    Beautiful bonus and spotting as usual.
    • Comment 315273 by
      KévinDC TEAM SILVER AUTHOR 6668 Comments
      Haha...Selfless, I like that...although it's not like I had a choice in the matter :-P
      Yes, the lounge hoping in HKG definitely helped to improve the overall experience.
      No need to splurge, I would have gotten Main Cabin Extra for free, but there were no good seats available when I booked. Not to mention MCE is all 3-3-3 so being on the 2-side in the very back was better for not having a middle seat or stranger next to us.
      For domestic premium meals, UA may (oddly) have the advantage, but AA is backtracking from their catering downgrades in fall of 2014, so hopefully AA can get back to the top. Thanks for your comment!
  • Comment 135579 by
    whitelight44 346 Comments
    Awesome FR, thanks for sharing. I just love AA's new cabin look and livery. I can't wait to try their new cabins but I wish they were more comfortable.
    • Comment 315274 by
      KévinDC TEAM SILVER AUTHOR 6668 Comments
      Thanks for your comment! Yes, the new cabins look good visually, and the mood lighting is pleasant. It is a shame that AA was the first US carrier to introduce 3-4-3 seating in Y. I used to think no US carrier would do that, but I was wrong.
  • Comment 135593 by
    NGO85 SILVER 1963 Comments
    Fantastic report Kevin, it was well worth the wait ;)

    AA doesn't do city check-in with the AirportExpress? Where did you spot from outside? You got some really nice take-off photos.

    In case you want to have a large family dinner in the QF lounge, they have you covered :-P
    - I'll be sure to keep that in mind for Thanksgiving, it will avoid a lot of family debate. How big was this lounge, it looks excessively large. I guess QF sends a lot of flights to HKG, so maybe at peak times its filled up...

    Or perhaps you're in the mood for hibachi? They have that too :-)
    - I was thinking more Medieval Times (round table), but maybe hibachi too.

    But that did't stop me from enjoying a glass (or 2 or 3) of Moët & Chandon Rosé Imperial :-)
    - Is that why the next couple of pictures were blurry?

    The new Y cabin does look very good, AA's selection for decor on the 77Ws (in both classes) was a success. Seriously, why do airlines keep those disgusting pillow covers for Y? I understand they are one-time use so they want them to be cheap, but they feel so sterile/hospital-like. The IFEs do look very sharp and bright, but I don't particularly care for their placement of the outlet... that was a big miss in design.

    It's always funny seeing UA narrowbodies in HKG
    - I didn't know that HKG was part of the Micronesia network.

    Spanish subtitles for the safety video on a flight from HKG-DFW???

    I wasn't particularly happy about not having a choice of meals, but it actually turned out to be pretty good.
    - The offering doesn't look too bad. The salad actually has some color instead of just being plain industrial lettuce. I guess you had your fill at the lounge before getting on the plane, but a vegetarian meal is usually not too filling.

    One of the awesome FAs stopped by and discretely offered us a bottle of wine to enjoy at our seats.
    - Was it a Y or J wine? Either way a nice gesture since you didn't even have to bribe her like KL651 :)

    The pre-arrival breakfast was served a little over an hour before arrival.
    - These long-haul pre-arrival breakfasts are getting bad recently. I guess they figure you can eat when you get there so why bother giving you a proper meal. I wouldn't call that three pieces of fruit, that was two pieces of fruit and half a strawberry...

    Over the dry west Texas plains.
    - Your arrival photos were beautiful and reminded me of home.

    People standing up while we are still taxiing--a very common site on flights to/from Asia in my experience.
    - Yeah, weird stuff goes on over here.

    Well, I survived Y on a long TPAC flight yet again. It really wasn't bad at all.
    - Yeah, these TPACs are not great in Y, but they are manageable in the end. For me, it's always the build-up to the flight. You know in your mind that it is going to be 14-hours of HELL and that's all you can think about for the days leading up to the flight, then once you land you realize it wasn't so bad after all.

    Your bonus of HK looks beautiful, unfortunately today it has been grey and rainy so my picture look nothing like yours :(

    If you take away your great crew, this unfortunately looks like a very mediocre product (which is standard for a US carrier). The seats are tight and the catering is light. Luckily, you had the nice crew to pull you through this long flight.
    • Comment 315512 by
      NGO85 SILVER 1963 Comments
      I was not anywhere near the downtown or Kowloon stations to do city check-in
      - People hype this feature, but it really is a limited service. I was up in the New Territories where it's utterly useless. The AirportExpress is slightly over-hyped in my opinion, only useful if you are staying right next to HK/Central (not too many hotels close to Kowloon station).

      So many people are rude of dismissive with cabin crew and then wonder why they weren't waiting on them hand and foot.
      - Very common observation in Asia, and it's not just passengers, it's also pilots. I had a MU pilot dead-heading next to me (in uniform) and the condescending way he would talk to her or shoo her away was repulsive. I don't speak any Chinese, but I could tell by his tone, facial expressions, and hand gestures what was going on. Company image concerns? I guess not. I always find that when you are kind to them, they return the hospitality.

      I've seen some pax go to the restroom in groups so that one can hold the door closed...
      - Always strength in numbers ;)

      To a large degree, that pre-flight psychological state of dreading a long flight in Y is what leads me to buy J or W.
      - Same here, it cuts out that 3 months of depression leading up to the flight. I already have too much stress in my life, worrying about upcoming flights should not be one of those problems.

      I found your spotting corner next to the smoking area (near the Regal Airport Hotel side), but when I was there, that runway was not active at that time (~7am).
    • Comment 315275 by
      KévinDC TEAM SILVER AUTHOR 6668 Comments
      Thanks for all the comments!

      AA does have city check-in I believe; however, because I was staying at a beach hotel, I was not anywhere near the downtown or Kowloon stations to do city check-in. The MRT was not particularly convenient from where I was staying so I took a cab for around $20 US.

      The lounge is really huge. It's as big as the CX The Wing, except it's not split up in F and J sections so it's just really huge. In fact, there was even a large section of the lounge that I did not photograph because it was closed off since it was so empty at that time. Yes, QF has a lot of flight in and out of HKG so I imagine it can fill up, but probably not to the degree US lounges fill up where you can't find a single open seat.

      Is that why the next couple of pictures were blurry? - Probably! After the several glasses of Australian Sparkling in the QF lounge as well, I was feeling good :-)

      The offering doesn't look too bad. The salad actually has some color instead of just being plain industrial lettuce. I guess you had your fill at the lounge before getting on the plane, but a vegetarian meal is usually not too filling.
      - Yes, you are correct, veggie meals are not usually very filling, though regular meals have such small portions these days there's not much difference. But, since I had already stuffed my face in the lounges, it was just fine, lol

      Was it a Y or J wine? Either way a nice gesture since you didn't even have to bribe her like KL651 :)
      - it was one of the cheap bottles they leave sitting out at the Business class bar I believe. Haha, no bribing like KL651--it helps that I used to work for an airline so I have the lingo down and can relate easily. I tend to always always make friends with the crew, it definitely helps pass the time and have a more enjoyable flight. There are some really good cabin crew out there and it helps to be friendly since they do work hard and crazy hours. So many people are rude of dismissive with cabin crew and then wonder why they weren't waiting on them hand and foot.

      - These long-haul pre-arrival breakfasts are getting bad recently. I guess they figure you can eat when you get there so why bother giving you a proper meal. I wouldn't call that three pieces of fruit, that was two pieces of fruit and half a strawberry...
      - HAH...I should ammend that to 2.5 pices of fruit :-P

      Your arrival photos were beautiful and reminded me of home. - Deep in the heart of Texas! LOL. Glad to bring back memories of home.

      Yeah, weird stuff goes on over here. Another fun thing I've witnessed a few times - I've seen some pax go to the restroom in groups so that one can hold the door closed...I guess some people don't know they lock...

      Yeah, these TPACs are not great in Y, but they are manageable in the end. For me, it's always the build-up to the flight. You know in your mind that it is going to be 14-hours of HELL and that's all you can think about for the days leading up to the flight, then once you land you realize it wasn't so bad after all.
      - You are so right. A lot of it is psychology. I know I always tend to psych myself out thinking OMG this is gonna suck so bad and then it turns out it was fine. I guess in a way it's good because then I'm pleasantly surprised...although I could do without the pre-flight psychological trauma, LOL. It would have been even worse than normal on this flight considering I was expecting to sit in J, but the nice lounge experiences softened it. To a large degree, that pre-flight psychological state of dreading a long flight in Y is what leads me to buy J or W.

      Your bonus of HK looks beautiful, unfortunately today it has been grey and rainy so my picture look nothing like yours :( The last time I was in HKG before this trip it was gray and rainy. Got lucky on this trip!

      If you take away your great crew, this unfortunately looks like a very mediocre product (which is standard for a US carrier). The seats are tight and the catering is light. Luckily, you had the nice crew to pull you through this long flight.
      - True statement. Like I said in an earlier comment, I know this isn't a typical experience in Y. The crew really made the flight. If you take away the crew it's a very Meh product aside from the aesthetically pleasing cabin.

      Thanks for your detailed comments!



    • Comment 315278 by
      KévinDC TEAM SILVER AUTHOR 6668 Comments
      Oh I forgot to mention. I did the planespotting from the departures area outside all the way to the right (facing the terminal) you could see the runways from there. The only problem was that the sun was right there, so the light wasn't ideal, but in the PM it's probably good.
    • Comment 315538 by
      KévinDC TEAM SILVER AUTHOR 6668 Comments
      Yep, that's it. I should've mentioned it was next to the smoking area, duh, lol. Shame there was no traffic. I figured it's like LHR where one of the runways is always active in one direction. I have a similar spotting area at Heathrow--same thing, at the extremities of the departures sidewalk at T5 by the smoking areas. If you're even in Heathrow
  • Comment 135597 by
    KL651 TEAM 4534 Comments
    Thanks for this FR.

    Well on such a long flight tail winds really are a blessing.

    The first meal served really looks identical to what UA serves on TATL flight, indeed the food tastes good.

    The breakfast is clearly not sufficent, a yoghurt should be added.

    Nice lounge hopping, the QF one appeal to me more than the CX one, I guess the very dark decoration isn't very inviting.
    • Comment 315279 by
      KévinDC TEAM SILVER AUTHOR 6668 Comments
      Thanks for your comment!
      Yes, the tail wind was a blessing on this flight!
      UA serves Vegetarian Indian curry on TATL? And here I thought the AA meal was original.
      The breakfast is really insufficient. A yogurt or even a granola bar or something would make it better.
      Yep, I definitely preferred the QF J lounge to the CX F lounge.
  • Comment 135609 by
    SMilano 1284 Comments
    Thanks for sharing this nice report !
    I really enjoyed reading it ! :)

    This flight is a good surprise from AA. This is a pretty good flight from a US airlines in Y.
    The first meal looks like good but the rest is quite small, we can expect more on this type of flight.
    The new cabin looks much better than the old style !

    800mph wow ! That's fast ^^

    The both lounge looks very good ! But I prefer the Qantas style :)

    Beaufitful spotting as usual with you :)

    See ya
    • Comment 315280 by
      KévinDC TEAM SILVER AUTHOR 6668 Comments
      Thanks for the compliment and thanks for reading!
      Yes, it is a pretty good flight for a US airline in Y...so below average for non-US Airlines :-)
      Except for the firstst meal, the rest were very disappointing.
      The new cabin does look so much better, but too bad they went to 3-4-3 configuration.
      Yeah, we were going freakishly fast! I know 800mph was groundspeed and not actual nautical miles, but still...so fast.
      I much preferred the Qantas lounge as well!
      Glad you enjoyed the spotting. It was against the sun, so the lighting wasn't ideal...but I can't stop myself from planespotting :-)
  • Comment 135622 by
    beijinner 157 Comments
    Thanks for the report!

    Great flight with AA and interesting lounge hopping.

    14 hours flight in Y should have been a nightmare but it seems AA and the great crew you had made it more enjoyable.

    I hope to read you soon and thank you for the HK bonus.
    • Comment 315293 by
      KévinDC TEAM SILVER AUTHOR 6668 Comments
      Thanks for reading! Yes, 14 hours in Y would have been quite unpleasant without the great crew. I have a lot of reports I need to publish; I am super behind, so hopefully I can start catching up on posting.
  • Comment 135623 by
    AirCanada881 1616 Comments
    Thanks for sharing Kevin, yeah these 10 abreast on a 77W is bad, airlines are pretending the seats are more comfortable with these huge IFE's, and probably small guys won't notice the loss of comfort but I am sure I would. It's cool you got a nice crew though :)
    Too bad about the upgrade :/
    • Comment 315294 by
      KévinDC TEAM SILVER AUTHOR 6668 Comments
      Thanks for your comment! Yeah, it's bad. I swore to myself I'd never do Y on a 3-4-3 777, but now I've done it on AF and AA. It's getting harder and harder to avoid! You'd have to be REALLY small not to notice how tight the seats are getting. But then again, I think most Y pax who don't fly very often expect it to be uncomfortable so airlines take advantage of that. At least I got the upgrade on the next leg so my back could recover from this one, LOL.
  • Comment 135648 by
    Rl 777 802 Comments
    Fantastic FR! Very detailed report and thanks for sharing it!

    Even though the config wasn't the best (3-4-3), the crew was great at least. The crew is probably the most important factor in a good flight IMO.

    The IFE is really sleek looking!

    Thank you for the bonus pictures from Hong Kong, can't wait for your next report!
  • Comment 135660 by
    lagentsecret 12186 Comments
    Thanks for sharing this FR

    QF Lounge is quite nice but the breakfast food offer is very basic

    the CX the WIng F lounge does not feel as exclusive as the AF or LH lounges sound in the reports
    The FRA FCT is not that exclusive and IMO it's on par with The Wing

    By boarding time I was well fed (read: I stuffed my face) and well tipsy
    That's the secret to be able to bear a 14 hours Y flight ;)

    Smart choice of the 2-seaters

    Tight seat :(

    Typical US company food offer with a bigger salad (usual it's not that big) and of course these horrible black plastic containers

    The main doesn't look too bad

    The breakfast is really poor

    Well, I survived Y on a long TPAC flight yet again.It really wasn't bad at all.
    Well after a lounge hopping why not ? ;)

    See you soon for a next report
    • Comment 315336 by
      KévinDC TEAM SILVER AUTHOR 6668 Comments
      Thanks for your comments!
      Yes, the breakfast is basic, but it's more than I'm used to in US lounges where breakfast consists of mini muffins and bagels, lol.
      Oh ok, I thought the FRA FCT was more exclusive since it's a whole dedicated terminal.
      The lounge hopping in very nice lounges definitely helped to make the overall experience much more enjoyable.
      DL uses white containers in Y I believe. But yeah, US airlines, must have the same suppliers.
      The breakfast was definitely insufficient. Luckily, I got two sandwiches.
      Thanks for reading!
  • Comment 135692 by
    indianocean SILVER 7572 Comments
    Although I don't like the chairs, Qantas Lounge looks quite nice.
    Mixing eastern and western styles is interesting.

    I concur that black marble in The Wing Lounge doesn't give the best effect. That's why I prefer latest one, The Bridge, much cosier.

    There is, however, one feature of this lounge that does feel exclusive and First Class-y, the restaurant.--> you should definitely try AF First Class Lounge in CDG.

    Beautiful aerial views of HK after take-off.

    I'd thought that you would have been served first as a high-tier AA Platinum member and hence have a choice of hot meals. Bad point to AA!
    Three pieces of fresh fruits. That's miserable!

    Thank you Kevin for this very interesting experience and report.
    • Comment 315915 by
      KévinDC TEAM SILVER AUTHOR 6668 Comments
      Thanks for your comment!

      I think the chairs in the QF lounge look way better than in the CX lounge. I found the weird round chairs in the Wing particularly ugly, haha. I'll have to try the Bridge next time. Thanks for the tip!

      I've wanted to try the AF la Premiere lounge in Paris for a long as it's existed, haha. Unfortunately, you can't use DL miles for First class awards...and I can't really justify paying F fares. Perhaps I'll try the option to buy the la Premiere ground service experience when flying AF J one of the days.

      Yeah, you would think AA would give Elites a first pick at meals...but no, I guess that's asking too much, lol.
  • Comment 135698 by
    AFGK1 46 Comments
    Hi Kevin!

    Thanks for sharing this FR.

    The lounge seems so-so, although the offering in the lounge seemed good.

    Nice pictures of HKG! I hope Ill be back there soon, hopefully not with CX.

    The tram there was pretty jam packed as I remembered.

    I wasn't surprised when I saw people standing up their seats, it seemed like they dont like waiting, although I never saw this on my previous flights before but well I guess its a common sight to see.

    I'm not really shocked that AA downgraded their services because of their merger with US Airways, but I think their food portions are small, and their breakfast reminded me of BA's breakfast, well, without the box. At least it wasn't worse than United.

    I don't actually like seating in a 3-4-3 configuration especially for a 12+ hour flight...

    Looking forward to your next report!

    • Comment 315919 by
      KévinDC TEAM SILVER AUTHOR 6668 Comments
      Thanks for your comment! That tram to the peak is always jam packed. I've seen people get into physical fights over seats it gets so full.
      At least it wasn't worse than United hahaha, true, though that's not saying much :-P
  • Comment 135981 by
    Chibcha SILVER 540 Comments
    AA's new interiors are sure a great improvement over the former (sans the packed config). The catering seemed to be the weak link on AAs product.
    The views while taking off from HKG were awesome, thanks for sharing!

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