American Airlines just completed its longest-ever route, flying from Dallas, Texas, to Brisbane, Australia. Flight AAL7 embarked Saturday evening from Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) at 9:57 CDT and touched down early Monday at Brisbane Airport (BNE) at 4:57 a.m. The flight was aboard a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner and covered 8,300 miles over 16 hours.
More on American Airlines’ new route to Australia
American Airlines announced the DFW to BNE route last February. In addition to offering a direct flight from Dallas, the trip offers a one-stop trip from over 100 U.S. destinations that previously required two. Starting Monday, the airline will offer five flights per week in each direction before increasing to daily flights from December through March. The trip is aboard American’s newly designed 787-9 Dreamliner, with 32 Premium Economy seats and 51 Flagship Suite seats.
The long-haul flight caps a busy year for the airline, with new routes to Europe, a direct flight to Mexico, and ski season deals.
When the route was announced in February, Brian Znotins, American’s Senior Vice President of Network and Schedule Planning, commented: “American is thrilled to grow our international network to give customers more ways to escape the cold next winter.”
Brisbane Airport CEO Gert-Jan de Graaff said: “Today’s arrival of American Airlines from Dallas-Fort Worth is a landmark moment for Brisbane and Queensland. They say there are few things bigger than Texas. Well, Queensland is three times bigger than Texas, but we share industries like agriculture, energy, biotechnology and advanced manufacturing.”
“From the Lone Star State to the Sunshine State, this new connection between two hubs unlocks incredible potential on both sides of the Pacific.