American Airlines Maui Dallas Fort Worth
This post covers the flight on American Airlines Maui Dallas Fort Worth.
Trip Summary
Date: January 24, 2017
Flight: American Airlines 6
From: Maui – OGG
To: Dallas Fort Worth – DFW
Aircraft: 767-300
Seat: 13B
Check In
My wife and I arrived at the airport about three hours early.
When we arrived, the check in area was completely empty and no other passengers were waiting to check in.
Being that we were in Hawaii, we had to send our checked bags through the Agriculture Screening prior to checking in with American Airlines. Later near the gate area, we had to have our carryon bags checked as well.
We entered the ticketing area and an agent asked us to use the kiosk for checking our bag. I normally would have followed her advice; however, I wanted to swap my wife and my seat because I noted that I was #1 on the upgrade list and I currently was assigned the aisle, which meant if the upgrade cleared the remaining economy seat would be the window one.
A friendly agent assisted us in checking in and making the swap on the seat. She confirmed that I was at the top of the list for an upgrade.
We proceeded through security where we also encountered no line so we made it through in a couple minutes.
Once in the terminal we had three hours to spare so we visited a bar and relaxed for a bit.
Gate Area
The gate area had plenty of seating available so we took a seat and waited for boarding to begin.
Boarding starting about 40 minutes before the departure time.
We joined the line when Executive Platinum boarding was called. The gate agent was polite and she scanned our boarding passes and invited us onboard.
Before boarding, I mentioned I was number one on the list and confirmed I should boards at that time. The agent said yes and I thanked her.
Aircraft
From the seat map prior to the flight it appeared that the aircraft was one of the upgraded 767 with lie flat seats because it was 1-2-1 configuration. This unfortunately was not the case.
We boarded the aircraft and discovered it was the non-updated 767-300 model with 2-2-2 in business and 2-3-2 in economy.
The plane featured angled flat seats in business class and standard economy seats in the main cabin.
The aircraft features overhead video, no power outlets and no WiFi.
We took our seats in the Main Cabin Extra cabin which is a mini cabin between business and the galley.
The seat offered good leg room and decent recline and I found it comfortable for the flight.
Upgrade
Shortly before the door was closed, a gate agent approached me and asked if I wanted the upgrade to business class. I said yes, and she asked if I preferred an aisle or window seat. I let my wife choose and she requested the aisle seat. The gate agent thanked us and she invited my wife to the new seat.
In Flight Service
Boarding was efficient and the flight departed the gate ahead of schedule. There was a short taxi before we were up in the air.
Within 20 minutes of takeoff, the flight attendants offered a meal selection in the economy cabin of a turkey or vegetable wrap sandwich followed by a beverage selection.
The meal service was similar to the flight from Dallas to Honolulu and the meals were pre-packaged and included a small wrap, chips and a cookie. In this case, the chips were Maui chips and there was a Hawaiian fruit cookie.
I selected the veggie wrap and Ginger Ale.
The veggie wrap was with tomato and cheese. The wrap was on the small side. The tomatoes were rather soggy and the wrap could have used a bit more flavor.
The chips were fresh and crispy and the cookie was fresh and sweet and it had an excellent taste.
The Ginger Ale was fresh and it had a good taste.
About 30 minutes later, the flight attendants returned to pick up the meal boxes and offer an additional beverage.
The cabin lights were dimmed.
A movie was shown on the overhead screens. The picture quality was poor. I did not check the sound quality.
The flight attendants were noted to circulate the cabin every so often during the flight.
Landing
There was a strong tailwind and the flight only lasted about six hours. We landed 45 minutes early.
Overall
It was a quick flight and it was rather uneventful. The flight attendants were polite. The meal service was okay. The best part was the Hawaiian cookie. The seat was comfortable and I was able to sleep for part of the flight. Although it was a disappointment the aircraft was one of the older models, the flight went by quickly and soon enough we were back on the ground.
Have you flown on American Airlines old 767-300 aircraft? How did your experience compare to mine?
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4 comments
This is my flight of choice. DFW to OGG and back. I do this flight multiple times per year. It’s unfortunate that the aircraft AA uses is old with few amenities. American claims they will add WiFi over the water, but with Hawaii’s location so far south, it may not be possible with the geocentric satellites. Your experiences seemed to mimic mine, a quick no perks flight. No need to entice people to goto Maui.
A few times a year to Maui is nice! Where do you normally stay in Maui? Do you ever get the updated AC? Even though in economy it doesn’t add much I know, but at least up front it gets the lie flat seats… The best thing about the return flight is how fast it is!
I always end up in the Main Cabin Extra seats. I travel with my wife and child so I don’t get the upgrade to first with 3 people, if I travel alone, then I usually take the upgrade. I stay in condos in Wailea when I goto Maui. I have a directory website I use (similar to AirBnb but no fees to the directory) to find for rent by owner condos, http://MauiOwnerCondos.com. Like you, I enjoy the personal family touch. You’re right the return flight from OGG to Dallas can be very quick with a good head win 30 – 45 mins early is typical.
Awesome tip. Wailea is a nice area. We had dinner there one night. Its quiet and peaceful normally. I’ve also stayed there on a previous trip at Andaz. That’s a nice property, although they are stingy with award points and block redemption’s. The old 763 Main Cabin Extra Seats are not bad at all. They have a decent amount of room but the lack of amenities really makes the flight drag on. I had dinner, watched some shows on my iPad and then did a lot of work on my laptop to pass the time. I just got an offer from Starwood for a new property there to do a presentation and you get four nights at the resort and car rental for around $850. So very similar pricing to AirBNB and other sites. But you have to sit through the presentation.