American Airlines is gearing up to bring more competition to Australian skies with the launch of non-stop Brisbane to Dallas flights from October. However, due to Boeing delivery delays, it won’t be debuting with the new Flagship Suites.
The “seasonal service” for the US winter takes off from DFW on October 26, 2024 and runs through to late March 2025. It’ll be the longest non-stop flight in the airline’s network by distance and average around 15 hours from gate-to-gate.
It’s fitting then that Brisbane was originally to be among the first cities to welcome the Oneworld member’s new Boeing 787-9 Flagship Suites business class – 51 seats cocooned behind sliding doors, not to mention an exclusive ‘business plus’ experience in the front row.
Instead, the service will take wing on a Boeing 787-9 fitted with 30 Flagship Business seats, with the carrier blaming “fewer than anticipated Boeing 787-9 deliveries this year” for the reshuffle.
While still a spacious way to fly, with lie flat beds in a reverse herringbone 1-2-1 layout, it’s likely not quite the splash American Airlines was hoping for on the route.
The American Airlines flight will depart Dallas Forth Worth at 10:35pm to reach Brisbane at 6:30am two days later; the return leg will be wheels-up from Brisbane at 10am, arriving back at DFW at 8.20am.
Brisbane has long been on American’s wishlist, and while Dallas Fort Worth isn’t a major drawcard in itself, the airport’s role as American Airlines’ hub provides plenty of onwards flights across the US, especially the east coast – both up to New York and down to the cruise capital of Miami.
As a Qantas partner, expect to see seats available in business class, premium economy and economy using Qantas Points – and, down the track, the ability to use Qantas Points for upgrades on American Airlines.
Ahead of the journey to Dallas Fort Worth, eligible AA passengers will have access to Qantas’ Brisbane International Lounge.
Rival US carrier United Airlines, which is of course a partner with Virgin Australia, has also been making inroads to Queensland with flights to San Francisco, while Qantas maintains flights to Los Angeles.
American Airlines already connects Sydney to Los Angeles, while Qantas offers flights to DFW from both Sydney and Melbourne.
By Chris Ashton
Additional reporting by David Flynn
Source ExecutiveTraveller
