I wanted to go on a trip before I started working. I was going to go with my sister. We looked around at a few places, but decided we wanted to go to Europe. My sister was finishing up her semester, and couldn’t go until the end of the month. One place that had a lot of open seats, was London, and neither of us had been before. We left the day of her last final. She had a test in the afternoon. That left us only one option for the flight. I would have liked to have left earlier in the day and either gone through CLT or JFK. But we had to connect in Dallas, which was a little out of the way. I was looking forward to this trip. It was my first international trip other than Mexico, since the Summer of 2019



The airport was very busy. The lines for check in and security were very long. By the time we got to the gate, boarding was just finishing up. So we didn’t have to wait a long time until we got our seats assigned

American 2524
Miami, FL (MIA) – Dallas/Ft Worth, TX (DFW)
Airbus A321
N160AN
Seat 16F
Scheduled Departure Time – 7:20pm
Actual Departure Time- 7:49pm
Scheduled Arrival Time – 9:45pm
Actual Arrival Time- 9:26pm
2 hours 37 minutes





Boarding



16F, next to N338RS that had just arrived from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic



Pushing back next to N976JT that had just arrived from Los Angeles, and G-XLED that had just arrived from Heathrow









Line Up and Wait



Tower told us RNAV CSALT, and then changed their mind and told us to fly runway heading



The captain said that he was anticipating some turbulence on the initial climb out, and it proved to be a little bumpy as we climbed through the dark clouds







Once we got through the clouds, it was a nice sunset





Once we leveled off at 36,000ft, the flight attendants came through with drinks and snacks







Cruising









It started to get darker out, as we flew over Louisiana





It was pretty much dark out by the time we got to Texas





Descending on the BEREE1 arrival





Final 17C







Touchdown



After holding for 6 planes to takeoff, we crossed 17R and taxied to gate C29

N160AN departed two days later to Boston



We didn’t have that long of a layover. By the time we got to the next gate, boarding was starting

American 78
Dallas/Ft Worth, TX (DFW) – London – Heathrow (LHR)
Boeing 777-200
N762AN
Seat 28L
Scheduled Departure Time – 10:59pm
Actual Departure Time- 11:08pm
Scheduled Arrival Time – 2:25pm
Actual Arrival Time- 1:58pm
8 hours 50 minutes





N762AN getting ready for its second flight across the pond for the day. It had arrived earlier in the afternoon from Frankfurt, Germany. This flight was originally supposed to be on a 777-300, but earlier in the day was downgraded to a 777-200.





28L



The flight was not full, and there were over 100 open seats. Luckily, I had no one sitting next to me. We pushed back a few minutes early. The engines were quickly started, and a few minutes later we were taxiing. It was late and the airport was pretty dead, so we didn’t have to wait long. We were in the air within 15 minutes of pushing back



“American 78 Heavy RNAV BPARK wind 150 @ 12 gust 17, runway 18L cleared for takeoff. A Qantas 787 taxied our behind us for the 16 hour flight to Sydney







Climbing out of Dallas



We climbed up to 37,000ft, where we stayed for the entire flight to Europe. They came through and did the dinner service within 45 minutes of takeoff. A little over an hour after takeoff the service was done, trashed picked up and lights off for the night

My view for the 8 hours





Dinner



Cruising over Canada





Starting to get light out







I was able to sleep for about 3 hours of the flight



Approaching Europe



A little over an hour before landing, the flight attendants came through with a small breakfast service



It was an overcast day in London. The captain made a brief announcement announcing the initial descent, and that was the only announcement he made the entire flight



the speed brakes were out for a lot of the descent







Into the clouds







Final 9L





Pulling into the gate next to N729AN getting ready to depart to JFK. N729AN was originally supposed to be the plane for the plane for my flight



G-EUYS arriving behind us from Dublin



N762AN flew right back to Dallas



As we were driving out of the airport, I saw this 777 G-YMMO taking off for Phoenix



We spent a few days in London. It was a fun trip. It was my first time there, so we spent a few days checking out the city. For the flight back, I was flying on a 787 to Philadelphia, and then an A321. I got to the airport 2 and a half hours before the flight back. The line was moving slow, because they had to verify everyone’s Covid test.



Check in



N860NW getting ready for a flight to Detroit



G-VSPY had just arrived from Montego Bay, Jamaica







N820AL at gate 29, after arriving from Philadelphia





American 737
London – Heathrow (LHR) – Philadelphia, PA (PHL)
Boeing 787-9
N820AL
Seat 19A
Scheduled Departure Time – 2:05pm
Actual Departure Time- 2:24pm
Scheduled Arrival Time – 5:00pm
Actual Arrival Time- 4:20pm
6 hours 56 minutes





19A. Just like on the other flight, I had the entire row to myself



This flight was also pretty empty. Boarding started at 1:30pm, and everyone had boarded by 1:45pm. The door was closed at 1:50pm but we sat at the gate for a little bit, and didn’t start pushing until 2:05pm.



Once the engines were started, we slowly taxied to runway 27R



G-VIIC taking off to Riyad, Saudi Arabia



EC-LUX taxiing by us, they were delayed 3 hours to Madrid



VT-ANQ was going to Ahmedabad, India



B-9577 starting its takeoff roll, to Shanghai



SX-WEB holding short, before a flight to Athens



G-STBC a 777-300 taking off, they were our counterpart flying LHR-PHL that afternoon



Taking off





Climbing out of London





On top of the clouds



We first climbed up to 36,000ft. Where we stayed for about 30 minutes, until it started to get bumpy. Over Western Ireland, we continued the climb to 38,000ft where we stayed for the rest of the flight



Leaving Ireland, and heading out over the Atlantic



25 minutes after takeoff, the service started. First, they came through with drinks. Then they were offering chicken or pasta. After this they came through with drinks and then water





Cruising



There was pretty consistent turbulence from the time we were flying over Ireland, until about 3/4 of the way across the Atlantic, it finally smoothed out. But, it picked back up again over Canada. 2 hours into the flight the captain announced he was expecting turbulence off and on throughout the entire flight. He said to remain seated as much as possible, and when we get up to be careful. It was definitely the bumpiest flight I have been on across the Atlantic.



Half way through the flight





They randomly came through with ice cream



The flight passed quickly, and we were already over Canada



They gave us this, a little over an hour before landing





Starting the descent into Philadelphia











Final 27R





Almost 7 hours later, we were back on the ground



Lots of 787s



Pulling into the gate, next to N817AN about to depart to Athens



N820AL flew back to London, later that night





Here is G-STBC again, I saw it taking off from Heathrow



The line at immigration was long, and TSA was telling people the line for security was 1 hour and 45 minutes, and the pre check line was close to an hour. A lot of people were yelling at them, and arguing about their connecting flights. Luckily I was able to go through the crew line, and was through quickly

American 938
Philadelphia, PA (PHL) – West Palm Beach, FL (PBI)
Airbus A321
N192UW
Seat 15A
Scheduled Departure Time – 7:00pm
Actual Departure Time- 7:08pm
Scheduled Arrival Time – 9:48pm
Actual Arrival Time- 9:05pm
1 hour 57 minutes





N192UW arriving from Las Vegas





Boarding



15A



The door was closed at 6:45pm, and we pushed a few minutes early. We then taxied around to runway 27L, and got in line



N406YX getting ready to pushback to Syracuse





There were several planes in line, and tower called out the sequence. We were # 3 in line for takeoff

N530EA taking off 27L to Akron. I flew N530EA just a few months ago from SYR-PHL in October



“American 938 fly heading 230, runway 27L cleared for takeoff”



We started the left turn to the 230 heading, right after takeoff



We checked in with Philadelphia Departure, and were cleared direct to HAYDO and to maintain 12,000ft. We were then handed off to Washington Center





We climbed up to 34,000ft. Over South Carolina, we went up to 36,000ft. This flight just like the first one was very bumpy



On this flight they came through with drinks and snacks





N648JB passed above us, on a flight from Orlando – Richmond



Cruising



I spent the flight watching the sunset











It was dark by the time they were descending







Final 10L







It was a smooth touchdown, with heavy braking



Pulling into the gate, next to N810AW that had arrived before us also from Philadelphia



N192UW flew right back up to Philadelphia early the next morning



It was a fun trip. I liked London a lot. It was my first time on an American 777, and at Heathrow. It was also great to be able to travel internationally again. This was my first time flying American internationally. The 777-200 was decent, but I definitely preferred the 787

Hi,

Just firstly to say many thanks for the report. Really nice creation of atmosphere and plenty of the right kind of details for me so it was appreciated thanks!

And maybe if possible and curious just a few small thoughts as a reader:

1. I liked the whole end-of-school element since it reminded me of summers like 1994 when I would have done things like after summer exams here in London get on an American Airlines flight from London to Chicago and soon find myself looking at thrift stores and passing on a Greyhound bus through places like Kalamazoo. Can't beat that post-exam relief feeling even if you haven't got your results yet!

2. The 16 hour Qantas flight from DFW to Australia definitely stood out since I have not been following aviation that much for the last few years. I guess that would go West over the Pacific?

3. Glad you enjoyed London. I have spent much of my life here and for me it's the parks, jazz, food, wandering around and Science Museum but hopefully something suited(!)

4. I didn't envy your turbulent flights though I've never been on a 787 so that would have been cool. Back in the 90's though the ice cream (with the cinema screen!) was a big AA seller for me. I think maybe even popcorn once too but how is/was the IFE these days. Do they even need it or do most passengers have their own mobile devices at the ready(!)

5. And finally of course not great with the whole Covid thing. Back in my day there was fortunately none of that. But on the downside there was also no flight radar apps and stuff either so there would be planes everywhere and we would have no idea where they were going!

Anyway with many thanks again it was appreciated,

Ps762

The meal from the USA to London looks as usual mediocre except for the cheese. They serve these cheap deserts and a few pieces of lettuce. The breakfast looks awful. They used to serve a nice croissant with butter and jam which was really good and filling. The meal from London looks good. What was the desert? A cake in a bag?

While I can't answer your trip-specific questions on behalf of the author, I'd be happy to answer some of your other questions.

Ps762 wrote:

2. The 16 hour Qantas flight from DFW to Australia definitely stood out since I have not been following aviation that much for the last few years. I guess that would go West over the Pacific?

4. I didn't envy your turbulent flights though I've never been on a 787 so that would have been cool. Back in the 90's though the ice cream (with the cinema screen!) was a big AA seller for me. I think maybe even popcorn once too but how is/was the IFE these days. Do they even need it or do most passengers have their own mobile devices at the ready(!)

Yes, the DFW-SYD route will head southwest over the Pacific. That's not the only ultra-long haul route that may standout to someone who has not been in aviation much the last few years. A few others of note:
Qantas 787-9 DRW-LHR 16:53
Singapore A350-900 SIN-EWR 18:25

To answer your IFE question, yes you are correct that every passenger has their own device capable of streaming. However, many still prefer the seatback IFE so they don't have to drain the battery life on their device. It can also be hard to find a place to set your device down so you can both eat and watch a movie. Most long-haul products have seatback IFE as well as an increasing number of short-haul full-service carriers in the US.

Ps762 wrote:

Hi,

Just firstly to say many thanks for the report. Really nice creation of atmosphere and plenty of the right kind of details for me so it was appreciated thanks!

And maybe if possible and curious just a few small thoughts as a reader:

1. I liked the whole end-of-school element since it reminded me of summers like 1994 when I would have done things like after summer exams here in London get on an American Airlines flight from London to Chicago and soon find myself looking at thrift stores and passing on a Greyhound bus through places like Kalamazoo. Can't beat that post-exam relief feeling even if you haven't got your results yet!

2. The 16 hour Qantas flight from DFW to Australia definitely stood out since I have not been following aviation that much for the last few years. I guess that would go West over the Pacific?

3. Glad you enjoyed London. I have spent much of my life here and for me it's the parks, jazz, food, wandering around and Science Museum but hopefully something suited(!)

4. I didn't envy your turbulent flights though I've never been on a 787 so that would have been cool. Back in the 90's though the ice cream (with the cinema screen!) was a big AA seller for me. I think maybe even popcorn once too but how is/was the IFE these days. Do they even need it or do most passengers have their own mobile devices at the ready(!)

5. And finally of course not great with the whole Covid thing. Back in my day there was fortunately none of that. But on the downside there was also no flight radar apps and stuff either so there would be planes everywhere and we would have no idea where they were going!

Anyway with many thanks again it was appreciated,

Ps762

Thanks for reading it! That Qantas flight has to be a long one. By the time I landed in London, it still had over 7 hours left in the air! The 787 was a nice plane. This was my first time flying it on a long flight. The only other two times were domestic flights about 2 hours. A lot of people were watching movies and using their IFE on both flights

lychemsa wrote:

The meal from the USA to London looks as usual mediocre except for the cheese. They serve these cheap deserts and a few pieces of lettuce. The breakfast looks awful. They used to serve a nice croissant with butter and jam which was really good and filling. The meal from London looks good. What was the desert? A cake in a bag?

The food was definitely better on the way back. Yep, they had a little cake for desert. The "breakfast" was also pretty underwhelming.

BWIAirport wrote:

Yes, the DFW-SYD route will head southwest over the Pacific. That's not the only ultra-long haul route that may standout to someone who has not been in aviation much the last few years. A few others of note:
Qantas 787-9 DRW-LHR 16:53
Singapore A350-900 SIN-EWR 18:25

The other night I was flying out of JFK. We took off directly behind the Singapore A350 JFK-SIN. It was really low visibility and I watched the A350 disappear into the fog, as it rolled down the runway for its 18 hour flight

jetblue01 wrote:

The food was definitely better on the way back. Yep, they had a little cake for desert. The "breakfast" was also pretty underwhelming.

I'm not totally surprised about that. I think a lot of trip reporters (myself included) have noticed that catering on TATL flights is usually better when its done in Europe vs the USA.

Hi (again thanks!),

So just wanted to say many thanks for all the info and feedback to my questions and stuff. Only sorry for not doing the whole quoted message thing here so it might show in notifications? But sorry that is going a bit off-topic...

Anyway definitely interesting to hear about those ultra longhaul routes and to be honest they do sound like a good option for me maybe 20 years ago at least(!) Probably quite manageable if I was in fairly good/slim physical shape at least(!)

Also many thanks for the IFE info as well. Definitely kinda interesting and makes sense I guess. I wonder how many airlines have USB ports for charging devices in the seats now but then maybe it might be a power thing or something more for business/first?

And finally regarding the TATL food options funnily it reminded me of flying BA from Gatwick to Tampa and back a few times around 2010? Again maybe it was a timing thing but nicely presented meals going West and maybe not quite as nice leaving in the evening going East. But I guess it all just comes down to catering companies maybe. I think at LHR in those days Gate Gourmet was doing a lot and was good maybe. Well when not having labour disputes and stuff...

And finally appreciated the tale of watching or waiting for the Singapore A350 taking off into the fog. Again have to say nicely written for me anyway. Paints a nice picture(!)

Anyway with many thanks again to everyone again,

Ps762

Really enjoyable trip report! I just spent a few days in London (currently waiting at STN to fly back) and yes, it's a great city. I also agree that, all things being equal, the 787 is better to fly on than the 777.

Ps762 wrote:

Hi (again thanks!),
(...)

Also many thanks for the IFE info as well. Definitely kinda interesting and makes sense I guess. I wonder how many airlines have USB ports for charging devices in the seats now but then maybe it might be a power thing or something more for business/first?

Many full-service carriers have USB ports, usually in all classes.

Ps762 wrote:

And finally regarding the TATL food options funnily it reminded me of flying BA from Gatwick to Tampa and back a few times around 2010? Again maybe it was a timing thing but nicely presented meals going West and maybe not quite as nice leaving in the evening going East. But I guess it all just comes down to catering companies maybe. I think at LHR in those days Gate Gourmet was doing a lot and was good maybe. Well when not having labour disputes and stuff...

I've never noticed a difference in catering flying to vs. from Europe/USA, but I will say that IB and BA had noticeably better food in Y than AA. That's about the only good thing I can say about Iberia....

Ps762 wrote:

And finally appreciated the tale of watching or waiting for the Singapore A350 taking off into the fog. Again have to say nicely written for me anyway. Paints a nice picture(!)

Anyway with many thanks again to everyone again,

Ps762

Yes, that description does paint a nice picture. Fun fact about SQ's A350's: They don't have Economy Class! They only have Business & Premium Economy, although that's only for US flights. They have some A350's in a 2-class intra-Asia configuration (featuring a different Business Class seat, very similar to what is on the 787-10), and a 3-class A350 config for European flights (J, Y+, Y).

BoeingERJ1000 wrote:

Really enjoyable trip report! I just spent a few days in London (currently waiting at STN to fly back) and yes, it's a great city. I also agree that, all things being equal, the 787 is better to fly on than the 777.

Thanks for reading it. Glad you had a good trip.