American Airlines Dallas to Hong Kong

Dallas to Hong Kong in Economy on American Airlines 777-300 with Premium Economy

This page features a review of my flight from Dallas/Fort Worth to Hong Kong on an American Airlines 777-300 with premium economy.  This trip was my first opportunity to be in the retrofitted cabin that included Premium Economy in addition to Main Cabin Extra.  Please note that my review features my experience in Main Cabin Extra, not Premium Economy.  

For a review of Premium Economy you can visit this website which has an excellent review.

American Airlines - My Flight Review - Dallas/Fort Worth to Hong Kong - Table of Contents

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Flight Information - Purchasing and Selecting a Seat - Dallas/Fort Worth to Hong Kong - American 777-300

With an upgrade to Premium Economy being over $1000 round trip I chose to spend an additional $165 on a Main Cabin Extra Seat.  American has scaled back their main cabin extra seats on the American Airlines 777-300 with premium economy.  Main Cabin Extra only consists of all of Row 20, Exit Row 31, the 4 seats in Row 32, and the middle 4 of row 33, 34, and 35.  When I booked my flight, I chose seat 35H as I figured the two middle seats in row 35 would be the last Main Cabin Extra Seats purchased.

I am not too fond of the exit row on long haul flights because the tray table being in the armrest makes it challenging to eat, work on my computer, and keep my drinks from spilling.  Due to this inconvenience, I usually only take an exit row on a narrow body, short haul flight.  

I have also found that it is less likely to have someone sit in the middle seat on the right side of the plane than the left side of the plane.  This may be coincidental or it may have to do with how the computer assigns people at random who are checking in with no remaining regular economy seats available.

I figured that the 15 hours plus flight would give me an excellent chance to work on my website and review the new American Airlines 777-300 with premium economy.

American Airlines Seating Chart - 777-300 with Premium Economy

Boarding and My Seat on an American Airlines 777-300 with Premium Economy

My day began very early with a 3:30 a.m. wake-up.  I was at Minneapolis International Airport by 4:30 a.m. and my first leg from Minneapolis to Dallas Fort-Worth was pretty uneventful.  After landing in Dallas Fort-Worth, I had to take the tram to transfer terminals.  I made it to my departure gate about half an hour before we began boarding.  Twenty-four hours earlier it appeared that I might have a row to myself.  Now, we were told that it was a full flight and that every seat was taken.  Boarding took a long time as many people needed pre-boarding.  I was happy to see that the overhead space next to my seat was available.  The total flying time was just over 16 hours, and I knew I would need every last bit of space.  One of the nice things about a 16-hour flight is that we get to skip the line for take-off.  The pilot explained that because every gallon of fuel counts we were cleared for an immediate take off.

Gate Sign - American Airlines - Dallas/Fort Worth to Hong Kong
Gate Sign at Dallas Fort-Worth
American Airlines 777-300er
Our Boeing 777-300ER

This flight was my first time in the new American Airlines 777-300 with Premium Economy.  As I walked by the lie-flat business class seats and through the Premium Economy Cabin, I was not impressed.  Premium Economy is a narrow body first class seat.  At check-in, they wanted $899 to upgrade to the new American Airlines 777-300 Premium Economy.  I don’t believe it would have been worth $299.  My Main Cabin Extra seat had almost as much legroom and came much cheaper.  My Main Cabin Extra Seat was just as expected.  The only difference is that it is slightly in front of the seats on the other side of the aisle.  The new cabin design only has MCE in the middle section.  The seats to the left and right of the aisles were regular economy seats.

Only 3 Rows of Main Cabin Extra - American Airlines 777-300 with Premium Economy
Only 3 Rows of MCE, Just 12 Lonely Seats
American Airlines 777-300 - 36 Inches of Seat Pitch in Main Cabin Extra
36 Inches of Pitch
Our Route on American Airlines from Dallas to Hong Kong
Our Route Took Us Over Alaska, Russia, Japan, South Korea, and Into Hong Kong

WiFi on American Airlines 777-300 - Dallas/Fort Worth to Hong Kong

While the seating on this “retrofitted” plane was no improvement, I was thrilled with one of the amenities.  I purchased WIFI for $17 which allowed me to update Buzzinaroundtheworld.com during the flight.  At $17 for a 17-hour flight, it came out to about $1 per hour.  In an age where airlines are trying to nickel and dime every possible cent out of their customers, I was pleasantly surprised with the speed and quality of the WIFI.  Everything on this page uploaded to my website at 30,000 feet during my flight.

Service and Meals on American Airlines 777-300 - Dallas/Fort Worth to Hong Kong

The service was typical to what I expected on a long haul flight.  The only difference is that we would receive three meals instead of two.  I am used to the European Fights that provide dinner and then breakfast.  The flight attendant told us we would be receiving dinner, breakfast and then a snack.  The service began with a bag of pretzels and two rounds of the drink cart.

Meal Service 1 - Dinner - Dallas/Fort Worth to Hong Kong on American Airlines

Dinner had a choice between chicken and pork as well as two additional rounds of the drink cart.  I am quite familiar with American Airlines Chicken, so I decided to go with the pork.  While the pork wasn’t anything special, as far as airline food goes on American it was pretty good.  Being that I was on my way to Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Japan, I attempted to eat with my chopsticks.  It helped me eat slower, and I was impressed that I didn’t spill anything on my shirt.

To go with the pork was American’s common vegetables and instant rice.  It was served with a roll, some butter, a chocolate cake in a jar, and a bottle of water.  Absent for some reason was the side salad and the cheese and crackers.  I have always received those on my American Airlines flights to and from Europe.

Following the meal, there was another round of drinks, and then the flight attendants went off duty for a few hours.  I was able to take a nap for about an hour, but it is difficult as many of the other passengers bump into me on the way to the lavatory.

American Airlines Pork, Rice, and Vegetables - Dallas to Hong Kong
American Airlines Pork, Rice, and Vegetable Feast
American Airlines Cake in a Jar - Dallas to Hong Kong
Cake in a Jar

Meal Service 2 - Snack - Dallas/Fort Worth to Hong Kong on American Airlines

The next food service came about eight hours into the flight.  The flight attends brought by vegetarian calzones and vanilla bean ice cream. The calzones were surprisingly delicious, and the ice cream was just what I needed after sitting on an airplane for eight hours.  Once again, the drink cart came through two additional times.  The flight attendants on this flight worked hard to keep all of us well fed and hydrated.

In addition to the meal services, there were juices, coffee, and tea in the galley with a bunch of snacks including pretzels, dark chocolate covered peanuts, and chips.  The kids sitting behind me were especially fond of the snacks.  They went up for a bag of chips every few minutes.

Margherita Stromboli - American Airlines - Dallas to Hong Kong
Margherita Stromboli
Margherita Stromboli - American Airlines

Below is a screenshot from Flight Aware showing our route about seven hours into the flight.  Dallas Forth-Worth to Hong Kong is one of the world’s longest, and I was amused to think that I would be just about to land if I had gone to London instead.  Facing another nine hours in the air at this point seemed pretty difficult.

American Airlines Route - Dallas to Hong Kong
Flight Aware Showing Our Route

Meal Service 3 - Breakfast - Dallas/Fort Worth to Hong Kong on American Airlines

The final service began with about 90 minutes to go in the flight.  This service was breakfast which was a choice of English or Chinese breakfast.  I went for the English Breakfast which was eggs, a tough slice of ham, and some soggy hash browns.  The highlight of breakfast was a plastic-wrapped coffee cake and yogurt with some granola.  By the time we finished breakfast, there was less than an hour to go.  

English Breakfast - American Airlines
English Breakfast

Arriving After 15 Hours and 40 Minutes - Dallas/Fort Worth to Hong Kong

The final 45 minutes or so were the longest of my life.  We landed in Hong Kong after roughly 15 hours and 40 minutes on a plane.  I enjoyed my time on the new American Airlines 777-300 with Premium Economy but did not feel like the main cabin extra seats had changed at all.

Dallas to Hong Kong Flight Tracker - 15 hours and 45 minutes
Time Since Departure 15:45

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