Returning to Dallas after couple months to fly one of American Airlines’s longest routes today. Back in October 2022, American Airlines launched its first non-stop route to Oceania from its home in Dallas, with one of the airline’s 787-9 Dreamliners taking off for Auckland, New Zealand, becoming the third airline to connect the Lone Star State and the western lands beneath the Southern Cross after Kiwi flag carrier Air New Zealand (AKL-IAH in 2015) and United Airlines (IAH-SYD in 2016). Together with its AKL-LAX route, American is well-positioned to take advantage of a burgeoning New Zealand market as travelers between there and the U.S. increases, particularly in the Northern Winter season. This flight is also going to be my first really in-depth trip report with American’s new long-haul cabin on the 787-9 with the Adient Ascent-based Flagship Suites in business class.
Server: Solo
Airline: American Airlines
Aircraft: Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner
Origin: Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, Grapevine, Texas (DFW)
Destination: Auckland Airport, Māngere, New Zealand (AKL)
Flight Number: AA35
Route: KDFW-NZAA
Seat: 9L (Flagship Business)
Time En Route: 14 Hours 50 Minutes
Ready to board our aircraft at Gate D29A. We’re not the only American Airlines transpacific flight heading below the Equator this evening, as right next to us at D28, another AA 787-9 is pushing back for Brisbane as AA7.
Taxiing by Terminal B as we head to Runway 18L for takeoff. Right away, we’ve noticed the new cabin on the 787-9s is a massive leap ahead for the airline’s premium product. This particular aircraft, configured as a 78P (“P” for “Premium”), has a staggering 51 Flagship Suites, which are a full generation ahead of the airline’s prior 787 business class. As a matter of fact, the 78P-configured 787-9s are the most premium-heavy aircraft in the American Airlines fleet. All these new suites exact a hefty toll on capacity, though, with the airplane having 41 less seats than the older configuration. Clearly, American is counting on increased business class and premium economy traffic to make up the distance as the Texas Eagle spreads its wings to compete with Delta Air Lines and United Airlines.
Wheels up from DFW as we get airborne for Auckland. We’re kicking back and relaxing in our fully-enclosed suite, which is comfortable, spacious, and above all, private. It’s like having a small section of the cabin cordoned away for us specifically.
Climbing over Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth, the former Carswell Air Force Base and production site of the Convair B-36 Peacemaker, B-58 Hustler, General Dynamics F-111 Aardvark, and current production site of the Lockheed Martin (formerly General Dynamics) F-16 Fighting Falcon and F-35 Lightning II. We’ve got one of the many movies available for watching playing on our 17-inch IFE screen as we climb up to FL340.
Getting ready to get some sleep as we reach the Pacific just south of Newport Beach. Earlier, we had a dinner of herb grilled beef fillet, which was likely the best meal we’ve had on an American flight in ages, with a dessert of what American calls a “traditional ice cream sundae” as a sweet treat. Now it’s time to put the seat’s comfort to the test as we cross the ocean.
We’ve woken up over the South Pacific somewhere north of Samoa, after several hours of deep, uninterrupted sleep. Wow. The new business class lie-flat seat is leagues beyond the old product for sleeping, giving us the best sleep we’ve had in a long time on a U.S. airline that’s not Delta.
Final approach into AKL. New Zealand’s North Island has some of the most beautiful scenery out the window to descend into. Small wonder, then, that tourism to New Zealand is increasing.
Morning arrival in Auckland. We’re the first of 2 American Airlines flights to touch down here today, the other being AA83 from Los Angeles, operated by a 777-200ER.
Pulling into Gate 6 after almost 15 hours of flying. Been an exciting journey, but now it’s time to enjoy Auckland.
One last look at our aircraft. While American has in recent years been running in third place to domestic rivals Delta and United, the new Flagship Suites are a game-changer for the airline’s long-haul product, making it competitive with Delta One and Polaris. From comfort, to the food, to privacy, to service, everything was outstandingly good. Excited to see where American goes with this!
