Beijing American Airlines DFW MSP –
I recently went on a weekend trip to Beijing on American Airlines. The trip included travel on the 787 Dreamliner as well as exploring two hotels in the city.
The trip report will include the following posts:
Beijing Trip Report – Introduction
Beijing Trip Report – American Airlines Minneapolis to Dallas Fort Worth
Beijing Trip Report – American Admiral’s Club at DFW – D Club
Beijing Trip Report – American Airlines Dallas Fort Worth to Beijing
Beijing Trip Report – Grand Hyatt Beijing
Beijing Trip Report – Park Hyatt Beijing
Beijing Trip Report – Sightseeing in Beijing
Beijing Trip Report – Air China First Class Lounge in Beijing
Beijing Trip Report – BGS Lounge in Beijing
Beijing Trip Report – American Airlines Beijing to Dallas Fort Worth
Beijing Trip Report – American Admiral’s Club at DFW
Beijing Trip Report – American Airlines Dallas Fort Worth to Minneapolis
Beijing Trip Report – American Airlines Dallas Fort Worth to Minneapolis
Date: February 26, 2016
Flight: American Airlines 1206
From: Dallas Fort Worth – DFW
To: Minneapolis – MSP
Aircraft: 737
Seat: 4B
My return flight got upgraded a couple weeks after I made the reservation when the SWU was processed for the Beijing to Dallas flight.
I approached the gate area a minute or two before the scheduled departure time. The gate area was busy with activity.
The gate agents were making announcements requesting volunteers to check their bags as well as ones regarding the sequence of boarding.
About 30 minutes before the flight, the boarding began. I joined the line and was greeted shortly by the gate agent. The gate agent asked for my boarding pass. I presented it and she scanned it and she thanked me and wished me a good flight.
I entered the airplane and was greeted by two flight attendants at the door.
I was assigned seat 4B and I located the seat. It was a standard 737 first class seat. The seat reclined and it offered a power outlet. A blanket was present at the seat.
The boarding process was efficient. The flight attendants walked through the cabin a few times but they did not offer pre-departure beverages or offer to hang coats.
Once the boarding process was complete, the flight attendants prepared the cabin for departure and showed the safety video.
The Captain made a brief announcement after the video and there was a short taxi before the flight went down the runway and took off.
Within a few minutes of getting in the air, the flight attendant entered the cabin and greeted me the passengers at their seat using their name. The flight attendant asked if I would like a beverage. I requested orange juice. The flight attendant thanked me and he asked if I wanted ice. I declined the ice and the flight attendant said he would be back shortly.
A few minutes later, the flight attendant provided a hot towel.
The towel was hot and it had a pleasant scent.
The flight attendant picked up the towels and then he served the beverages a minute or two later. The flight attendant provided a glass of water to accompany my orange juice.
The orange juice was served chilled and it had a good taste and flavor.
A snack mix was provided with the juice and water. The snack mix was warm.
A few minutes later, the flight attendant returned to my seat and offered a choice between a small cheese and cracker plate or hummus with pita bread. I requested the hummus and the colleague provided it.
A couple minutes later, the flight attendant returned and he provided flatware and a napkin.
The hummus was served chilled. It was presented on top of a bed of lettuce with some small lemon slices on top. The hummus was fresh and it had a hint of garlic flavor. The portion size was small. It was served with four small mini pita bread pieces. The bread was soft and it tasted fresh. In addition, a package of crackers was provided with it. The crackers were also fresh.
After I finished the snack, the colleague approached my seat and he offered to remove the dishes. I accepted and he thanked me. The colleague also asked if he could bring another orange juice. I declined the orange juice and he thanked me.
The colleague checked back with me one other time during the flight to see if I needed anything else.
Shortly before landing, the Captain made an announcement with arrival information and the flight attendants prepared the cabin for landing.
We landed about 15 minutes ahead of schedule and after a short taxi we arrived at a gate. The door was opened within a minute or two.
The flight attendants stood at the door and they both thanked me as I departed the plane.
Summary –
The Beijing trip ended without any issue and surprisingly all of the flights were on time and we did not experience any maintenance issues. The flight attendants on this flight were polite and they were attentive once the flight was in the air. The only thing that could have been better was if they offered a pre-departure beverage as well as offered to hang up my coat.