Chicago on the 787 –
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 – Tokyo Narita to Chicago on 787
Date: October 5, 2015
Flight: American Airlines
From: Tokyo Narita (NRT)
To: Chicago (ORD)
Aircraft: 788
Seat: 8C
Earlier in the day I received an email notification that the flight from Tokyo to Chicago was delayed about an hour. Throughout the day, the time changed. Originally, there was an hour delay, and then it moved to 45 minutes and then 40 minutes. A delay on the inbound aircraft was the reason for the overall delay.
About 10 minutes before the estimated boarding time, I walked to the gate area. The gate area was located on the lower level from the main terminal and it was accessed via stairway. All the gates in that area were sunken.
When I arrived the area was busy with activity. Announcements were made regarding boarding and the order and process for it.
When boarding was ready to begin, the gate agents asked guests to line up. The typical order with special assistance followed by business and priority before the regular boarding. Both the business cabin and the priority access members were asked to line up at the same time.
When I reached the front of the line, the gate agent reviewed my passport before scanning my boarding pass. The gate agent thanked me and she welcomed me on the aircraft. A security officer asked to see my boarding pass. He wanted to see the seat number. After I provided my seat number, the officer asked me to continue onto the aircraft.
When I arrived in the plane, the flight attendants asked for my seat number after greeting me. Once I informed them, they directed my down the correct aisle.
My seat was in the first row of economy in an aisle seat. The aircraft was a 787 and it was setup in 3-3-3 configuration. All seats had power ports and USB ports as well as an extensive selection of video programming. The entertainment system functioned on this flight and the video and sound quality was excellent.
The boarding process continued. The aircraft appeared to be completely full and the boarding process lasted for some time. A few announcements were made before the door was closed. Passengers were asked to turn off their phones and to relax for the flight.
The Captain made a brief announcement and welcomed everyone on board. The flight attendants prepared the cabin and they showed the safety video.
There was a long taxi before the plane was in the air. The taxi lasted approximately 25 minutes.
Once the plane was in the air, the flight attendants welcomed everyone and the Captain also made an announcement about the route of the flight and weather information for Chicago. The flight time was expected to be around 12 hours with a more direct route flying east.
The flight attendants distributed headphones for those that did not have their own followed by a hot towel. Another flight attendant picked up the used towels.
A few minutes later, a beverage and snack service was provided. When the flight attendant reached my seat, she greeted me using my name and she thanked me for my business and continued loyalty on American. The flight attendant offered a beverage. I requested white wine and a water. The white wine was poured from a bottle. The flight attendant also provided a rice cracker snack.
About 15 minutes later, the flight attendants removed the cups and trash before preparing the dinner service.
The dinner service included a choice between Pork or Fish. Both options were served with a small salad with a thousand island dressing, shrimp with vegetables, bread and butter, and a banana cake dessert.
When the flight attendant reached my seat, she again used my name and asked what option I would like. I asked if the fish was a curry and she said it was in a white sauce. I requested the pork. The flight attendant provided it and she asked me to enjoy the meal.
A few minutes later, I was offered a beverage. I ordered another glass of white wine. The flight attendant thanked me and she asked me to enjoy the meal.
The pork was served hot. The pork consisted of two breaded pork cutlets that were on top of rice with a cheesy sauce as well as a few vegetables. The pork had a good flavor. The rice was fresh and the sauce had a bold taste. The salad was served chilled and it was made with fresh lettuce and vegetables. The salad dressing was slightly sweet. The shrimp were also chilled and they were small in size. The shrimp had a fresh taste. The shrimp was served with vegetables with an Asian sesame flavor. The bread was served at room temperature. The bread was fresh and it was slightly sweet. The banana cake was fresh and moist and it had a sweet taste. The meal was served with chop sticks and flatware.
The flight attendants returned to the aisle to pick up the trays. They thanked me when they picked up my tray.
Another beverage was offered a few minutes later. I requested water and was given a glass.
I watched a movie on the video system and found that it was of good quality before taking a nap.
A snack station was setup in the middle of the cabin near the restrooms. The snacks included chips and rice cookies, water and orange juice.
The flight attendants dimmed the lights and they set the window shades to dark after the meal service.
I slept through the mid-flight snack. The flight attendants placed extra ones at the snack area. They were sandwiches in the small white boxes or an Asian noodle dish. I was not hungry so I did not try either snack.
About 1.5 hours before landing, the flight attendants turned on the lights in the cabin and they came in the aisles and offered a beverage service followed by a meal service. The flight attendants offered a choice between Pancakes or Noodles with Chicken.
When the flight attendant came to my row, I requested the noodles and an orange juice. The flight attendant thanked me and she presented the tray with the meal as well as the beverage.
The noodles were served hot. The noodles had a good taste and flavor and they were served with two small pieces of breaded and lightly fried chicken. The dish was served with mushrooms and onions. The vegetables had a good taste and flavor. The meal was served with a small plate with fruit and a bottle of water. The fruit was fresh and it included grapes, melon, orange and grapefruit. The orange juice was fresh and it had a good taste.
The flight attendants returned 20 minutes later to pick up the trays and to clean the cabin. The flight attendant that greeted me by name earlier thanked me sincerely again for choosing American.
The cabin was prepared for landing. The Captain made an announcement about arrival information and a video regarding customs and immigration was shown on the video monitors.
The flight landed on time and after a short taxi, the flight reached the gate. When I exited the plane, the flight attendants thanked me sincerely and they wished me a good day.
I proceeded to the customs and immigration area, where I utilized Global Entry. The process was efficient and they now offer a one stop line for those without checked luggage so that made it easy. I was through customs and immigration within five minutes of exiting the aircraft.
Overall this was another great 787 flight. It was nice that the flight attendants greeted me by name and they acknowledged my status. I felt that my business was appreciated. The seat at the front of the economy cabin was much better than the exit row as there was very limited foot traffic between cabins. The food was good overall. This was a great international flight.