Review of American Airlines flight Chicago → Dallas/Fort Worth in Economy

Airline American Airlines
Flight AA1366
Class Economy
Seat 26A
Aircraft McD. Douglas MD-80
Flight time 02:20
Take-off 25 Jan 18, 09:40
Arrival at 25 Jan 18, 12:00
AA   #65 out of 94 Airlines A minimum of 10 flight-reports within the past two years is required to appear in the rankings. 596 reviews
Jett Tyler
By GOLD 1123
Published on 3rd April 2018
American Mad-Dog

Finally did it!



After 21 years, I finally got a ride on a McDonnell-Douglas MD-80!

So as part of a 2 week USA Trip, I added in a 4 flight Mile-Run with American Airlines and found myself a ride on the Mad-Dog!

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So my first flight of the day (EWR-ORD on an American B737-800) arrived at the gate 10 minutes earlier than scheduled, so I had enough time to find my gate and get some pictures around ORD.




The registration that day for my MD-82 was N7541A, a 27 year old example that first flew in Dec 1990 and had spent its whole flying career with American Airlines.

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We boarded the flight, and it was effectively full. Though I still had the 2 seats on the left of Row 26 all to myself which was pot luck!

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The retro cabin was a stark contrast to the 4 month old Boeing 737 I had just flown with. But it was nice to experience a retro theme cabin on such a plane.

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We pushed back & departed pretty on time! Which is amazing given the reputation Chicago O'Hare has as one of the busiest international hubs for the USA.

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Cruising along, the cabin crew did a snack & bar service. I picked up a free Dr Pepper and paid $8 for a Kentucky Whiskey to toast my first MD-80 flight. I was enjoying it!

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I also got an American Airlines snack-box for $5 so I could have the box for a souvenir, the savoury foods worked well on some of my trips hotel stays!

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The weather in Chicago and Dallas was brilliant & clear. Though one destination was warmer by comparison! The flight was fairly clear all round as we flew across the central USA.

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I took some time to get up and walk to the very back of the MD-80 to get some pictures of the galley and a shot from the end of the plane down the aisle.

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We descended into the Dallas area and landed ahead of our scheduled arrival time at DFW.

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Getting off the Mad-Dog I went via the flight deck for a quick picture of the MD-80's finest seating!

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I ended up seeing signs for the SKYLINK. So that managed to fill out most of my layover!

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Verdict

American Airlines

7.4/10
Cabin10.0
Cabin crew10.0
Entertainment/wifi1.0
Meal/catering8.5

Chicago - ORD

9.3/10
Efficiency10.0
Access8.0
Services9.0
Cleanliness10.0

Dallas/Fort Worth - DFW

9.3/10
Efficiency10.0
Access7.0
Services10.0
Cleanliness10.0

Conclusion

ORD: Great connection system as I could just walk between gates without any hassle.

DFW: Great place for a layover for any avgeek. Also great chance for finding AA MD-80s, and their small "Retro Fleet".

MD-80: Was a long wait worth held! Great to sit by the engine and hear it every second of the flight. Pleased I finally got a chance to fly at least one before retirement.

American: Really impressed and glad I got my AY Miles & a qualifying flight.

Information on the route Chicago (ORD) → Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW)

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