Dallas Fort Worth to Beijing –
I recently traveled on a complicated itinerary / Mileage Run Vacation to Seoul South Korea. I will be writing about my experience over the following posts:
Seoul Trip Report – Introduction
Seoul Trip Report – American Airlines – Minneapolis to Dallas Fort Worth
Seoul Trip Report – American Airlines – Dallas Fort Worth to San Diego
Seoul Trip Report – JAL – San Diego to Tokyo Narita
Seoul Trip Report – JAL First Class Lounge – Tokyo Narita
Seoul Trip Report – JAL – Tokyo Narita to Seoul
Seoul Trip Report – Sheraton Incheon Hotel
Seoul Trip Report – Sightseeing in Seoul
Seoul Trip Report – Korean Air Lounge – Seoul Incheon Airport
Seoul Trip Report – Asiana Lounge – Seoul Incheon Airport
Seoul Trip Report – American Airlines – Seoul to Dallas Fort Worth
Seoul Trip Report – Sheraton Grand DFW Airport
Seoul Trip Report – American Airlines – Dallas Fort Worth to Atlanta
Seoul Trip Report – American Airlines – Atlanta to Miami
Seoul Trip Report – American Admirals Club – Atlanta
Seoul Trip Report – American Admirals Club – Miami – D15
Seoul Trip Report – American Airlines – Miami to Minneapolis
Seoul Trip Report – Delta – Minneapolis to Atlanta
Seoul Trip Report – American Airlines – Atlanta to Dallas Fort Worth
Seoul Trip Report – Element by Westin – Dallas Fort Worth North
Seoul Trip Report – The Club at DFW – Priority Pass Lounge
Seoul Trip Report – American Airlines – Dallas Fort Worth to Beijing
Seoul Trip Report – Asiana Airlines – Beijing to Seoul
Seoul Trip Report – Aloft Seoul Gangnam
Seoul Trip Report – Cathay Pacific First and Business Class Lounge at Seoul Incheon Airport
Seoul Trip Report – JAL – Seoul to Tokyo Narita
Seoul Trip Report – Cathay Pacific First and Business Class Lounge at Tokyo Narita
Seoul Trip Report – American Airlines – Tokyo Narita to Chicago on 787
Seoul Trip Report – American Airlines – Chicago to Minneapolis
Seoul Trip Report – American Airlines – Dallas Fort Worth to Seoul
Date: October 3, 2015
Flight: American Airlines 263
From: Dallas Fort Worth (DFW)
To: Beijing (PEK)
Aircraft: 788
Seat: 19J
Originally I was booked on Dallas Fort Worth to Seoul; however, early that morning I received notice that the flight was cancelled and that I was rebooked via Beijing connecting on Asiana Airlines to Seoul.
I was unable to check in via the app as the flight was via China. So I went to the airport about 2.5 hours before the flight.
I approached the check in area and was directed to use the kiosk. The kiosks did not work as I expected so I waited in a short line to be assisted by an agent.
The agent checked me in quickly and I asked him to verify the seating. The agent confirmed I was in an exit row at the front of the plane. The agent also was able to select the seats for the Asiana airlines flight from Beijing to Seoul and he printed the boarding pass. I was surprised that was possible. The agent thanked me and he wished me a good flight.
I went through security within three minutes as pre-check was open and there was no one in front of me.
After making a quick visit to the Priority Pass lounge, I proceeded to the gate area for boarding.
The gate area had a lot of people standing around waiting for boarding. The gate agents made a few minutes stating that boarding would be delayed for a few minutes.
The boarding process started about 10 minutes later than the posted boarding time. The line moved relatively quickly and the gate agents were attempting to enforce the zone system.
Once the gate agents invited the Priority Access guests to board, I entered the line and I reached the front within a few minutes. The gate agent greeted me and she verified my passport and scanned my boarding pass. The gate agent also confirmed that I was willing to help in an emergency since I was assigned the exit row. The gate agent welcomed me on the plane.
A flight attendant greeted me by the door and she asked for my seat number. After I told her, she provided direction to the seat. She welcomed me on board.
I located my seat, which was located at the middle of the plane behind the wing by the exit door. The seat was an aisle seat located just behind the galley and two restrooms. The seat was a standard economy seat. Because it was an exit row, the screen and the tray table were located in the armrests. The seat offered a power outlet below the seat and a USB power port on the video monitor. I utilized both and they provided power.
The boarding process was completed and the door was closed right at the departure time. The flight attendants made welcoming announcements and the safety video was shown on the video screens. Some of the passengers continued to get up and walk around, which caused a brief delay before the flight could taxi.
The taxi process lasted about 15 minutes before the plane was in the air. The Captain made an announcement to provide the route which would be over the North Pole. He said we could follow it on the video screens in the interactive maps. The Captain thanked the guests and asked them to enjoy the flight.
The flight attendants made an announcement that the video system was not working and that they were attempting to reset it and they said that they were sorry that the system was not functioning. The reset did not work and the entertainment system throughout the plane did not function for the entire flight.
About 30 minutes after take-off, the flight attendants entered the aisles and they provided a hot towel.
A few minutes later they flight attendants provided a beverage service and offered pretzels. When the flight attendant reached my seat, she greeted me politely and asked what I wanted. I ordered a white wine and a water. The beverage was provided quickly and the flight attendant thanked me. The white wine was a blend and it was poured from a bottle.
A short while later, the flight attendants returned to remove the glasses and trash before the meal cart was brought into the aisles.
The meal choice was a beef with mac and cheese or chicken with rice.
When the flight attendants reached my row they offered a choice, and I ordered the chicken. The flight attendants thanked me and they provided the tray.
A few minutes later, I was offered another beverage. I asked fort additional wine and water. The flight attendant provided it and wished me a good meal.
The meal consisted of a chicken with rice and vegetables. The chicken was served hot. The chicken was cooked well and it had a good seasoning level. The rice had a slight Spanish flavor and the vegetables were fresh. The meal included a small salad with a creamy dressing, noodles with shrimp, bread and a brownie. The salad was fresh and the vegetables had a good taste and flavor. The dressing was rich and creamy. The noodles with shrimp was served cold. Three pieces of shrimp were provided and the noodles had an Asian seasoning and a good flavor. The bread was dry and it was cool. The brownie was in an individual package and it was sweet and had a good taste. The meal was served with chopsticks and flatware.
The flight attendants returned after about 20 minutes to pick up the used trays and the trash. They thanked me when they picked up the items.
An additional beverage service was offered and I was offered coffee or tea, water or juice. I requested additional water. The flight attendant thanked me.
The windows were dimmed and the lights were turned low with a blue tone along the ceiling.
A snack station was setup in the galley near the middle of the economy cabin. The snack basket offered chips or cookies. Juice and water was also setup.
A lot of people gathered in the area directly in front of my flight and several people stayed standing there and talking for a good portion of the flight. It was also the area where all the restrooms were located as there were a bank of four at the middle and none at the rear of the aircraft. It made it a little distracting as everyone was gathering in the area.
The flight attendants were noted to walk up and down the aisles every 20 minutes or so and they seemed happy to assist guests with beverages as they were requested. The flight attendants also maintained the snack area and replenished the food frequently.
The video system remained out throughout the flight and I heard a lot of the passengers talking about that.
I watched a few movies on my iPad and did some work on the computer.
The 787 is equipped with WiFi. I bought a flight pass for $19; however, for the majority of the flight, the system did not work as we were traveling north and were not in the range of the satellite. The webpage that you login to the T-Mobile Internet service showed that the service was unavailable. There is a notation for how long the outage would be; however, that was not listing anything on this flight.
When the internet was available, the connection was good and the speed was relatively quick. I was able to upload pictures to Instagram and Twitter as well as chat on iMessage.
A little over halfway through the flight the flight attendants returned to the aisles to offer a snack box and a beverage.
When the flight attendants reached my row, they provided the box and they asked what I wanted to drink. I requested a Coca-Cola. The flight attendant thanked me and she provided a can for the Coca-Cola.
The snack consisted of a turkey sandwich with cheese and mustard on a white roll, a rice cracker snack mix and a vanilla bean gelato. The turkey sandwich was fresh and it had a good taste. The bread was soft and the sandwich was seasoned well. The rice crackers mix was fresh and it was also good. The gelato was served cold and it was rich and creamy and had an excellent flavor.
The flight attendants walked through the cabin to remove the used items and to clean the cabin.
About an hour and a half before landing, the flight attendants returned to the aisle and served an arrival meal of an omelet or Asian noodles. In addition, the flight attendants followed with a beverage service.
When the flight attendants reached my row, I requested the noodles and a Coca-Cola. The flight attendants provided the meal and drink and wished me a good meal.
The meal included a small container of Asian noodles with vegetables. The noodles were cooked well and they were served hot. The vegetables were fresh and they had a good taste. The dish was served with a small fruit salad and a bottle of water. The fruit salad was fresh and the fruit was sweet and had a good taste. The Coca-Cola was served with the can as well as a cup of ice.
After I finished the meal, the flight attendants picked up the tray and cleaned the cabin before preparing for landing.
The flight attendants made an announcement to apologize for the lack of the entertainment system on the flight. They also mentioned that they hoped to have information regarding the connecting flight to Seoul for those that were impacted by the cancellation. The flight attendants thanked everyone for flying American and they wished them a good day.
The flight landed about 15 minutes before the scheduled arrival time. There was a short taxi to the gate. Upon arrival at the gate. The gate agent informed the guests that were connecting about where to go and they wished everyone a good day.
As I departed the plane, several flight attendants thanked me and they wished me a pleasant day.
I entered the airport and proceeded to the transfers area where I went through immigration followed by a security check. The process took about 50 minutes in total and I found myself in the departures area of the airport.
I was happy to learn that I was able to fly on the 787 again; however, it was unfortunate that the entertainment system was not operating during the flight. I was glad that I followed my advice and loaded my iPad with content so that I would have options in case there was an issue with the system. So this was just a reminder that it is important to do that.
I felt that the flight attendants were polite and they made me feel welcome. They seemed sincere when they said they were sorry that the system was not working.
I would not select the exit row in the future as too many people stood in the area in front of me and talked throughout the flight.
Overall it was an enjoyable flight. The flight attendants were polite and friendly and they were attentive throughout the flight. It was unfortunate that the entertainment system did not not function as it is a great system with a lot of content. Hopefully it will work on my next 787 flight.