Reader giveaway: The 787 Dreamliner makes a vist to American Airlines
Last Friday the Boeing 787 Dreamliner paid a visit to American Airlines and DFW. A few hundred people from American, DFW airport, Boeing, and the media were on hand at an American Airlines hanger to see the plane as it made its Dallas stop on the Boeing Dream Tour.
The Dreamliner had spent the week in D.C. and was about 45 minutes late arriving at DFW due to storms in the North Texas region.
American had an ice cream truck on hand giving out Blue Bell Dreamsicles and bottled water, and the flight delay gave people more time to visit and ended up adding to the festive atmosphere.
American’s CEO Tom Horton was on hand, visiting with guest and chatting with AA employees.
The Dreamliner landed and received a water salute, then was towed into the hanger.
Airport officials and Boeing executives offered a few short remarks to the audience, then American CEO Tom Horton spoke for a few minutes.
He got a big round of applause with his comment:
“Wow. Is that a great-looking bird?… It’s going to look better in silver!”
A couple of other highlights from the speech:
“Our greatest strength has been, and will always be, our people, who’ve risen to the challenge over the last five months and stepped up for our customers in a big way.”
“Today, we’re getting another glimpse of our future–the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. Boeing is a world-class partner, and this plane is a spectacular achievement.”
I’ve seen video and photos of the 787 in flight and one of it’s most distinguishing characteristics is the upward sweep of the wings. I thought that it was mostly due to airflow. I was surprised to learn that it’s the shape of the wing.
On the ground, the sweep of the wingtips is just as prominent. The Dreamliner looks like it’s in flight even when it’s parked in a hanger.
Here are some more photos:
AA Gate Agent Robin giving me a demo of the overhead luggage compartment. She had stopped by to see the plane on her way home from work. She was so excited to see the Dreamliner that she gave me a quick tour of some of the features.
Onboard espresso machine!!
You can see the complete photo set on Flickr. I’ve also created a short, 1 minute slideshow of the photos.
It’s a gorgeous plane. I talked to someone that had been a passenger on the 787 that oneworld member JAL just put into service between Boston and Tokyo. He said that the because of the greater cabin air pressure and higher humidity he felts less jet lagged, and tired from the long 13 hour flights.
American has more than 40 on order and the first on is set to be delivered in 2014. I can’t wait to earn some AAdvantage miles riding one!
Which brings me to the reader giveaway.
Win 1,000 AAdvantage Miles and a package of Marcus Samuelsson Spiced Nuts
I’m revealing my age, but my first plane ride was on a Boeing 727. Do you remember yours? Share the aircraft type of your first flight in the comments section.
I’ll have a random drawing Monday morning. The deadline to enter is Sunday night, 11:59 Pacific. One entry per person.
Here’s a highlight video that American posted on YouTube.
For more photos, go visit The Happy Flyer. He was there too and has a great post about the event.
Good luck and have a great weekend!!
i remember my first flight it was on pan am as a kid on a 747
First plane ride, I was 8 on a Ilyushin Il-86 from Moscow to Vienna on our way to live in America!
My first flight was to London Gatwick from DFW on a DC-10 British Airways.
Please pass over me in your drawing, but I just had to mention that although my first airplane ride was on a 727, too, I’ll age myself even more and say I’ve flown several DC-8s. 😉
I believe my first airplane was a 727 also. We flew to Disney World when I was young. Thanks!
Also a boeing 727, a long long time ago
A DC-10 from LAX to DC
I have no idea, but it was a turboprop puddle jumper on a 120ish mile segment.
I was so busy watching for care bears in the clouds, that I didn’t check the aircraft type.
Piper J-3 Cub! Followed by DC-3! Followed by 707
I’m pretty sure mine was a 727 as well. TYS-CLT connecting to a flight to LAX on Eastern. My Dad took relatively newborn me to see the grandparents.
My first ever flight that I remember was on a 727 when I was a 8 year old!
I believe it was a 727. I was about 4 so that is just a guess. SAN to SEA I think to visit Great-Grandma.
My first flight was on an older version of 737
My first flight was on a Pan Am 727 from JFK to London, England to check out Carnaby Street with my parents. Cheerio!
It was Pan Am, and I believe it would’ve been a 707, but I was a toddler and may not have that quite right. 🙂
An incredible first flight to Houston on a Boeing 717 (yeah, it’s been awhile).
The first plane I remember flying on was a Boeing 737. I may have flown on others before that but don’t recall the make of them since I was just a child.
An old 737 from Atlanta to Minneapolis.
Lufthansa 747 ORD to FRA
My first flight was from Sao Paulo to Rio on Electra II. I was 4 years old and I remember how amazed I was by flying.
BEA (British European Airways) Trident from LHR to MUC and back. Did an autoland at LHR!
A319 I think, from RDU to DTW on Northwest. It’s hard to think that I’m only 19 and yet my first flight was on an airline that doesn’t exist any more!
DC 3 From New York (LaGuardia) to Providence, Rhode Island
My first flight was on a Delta 727 from BPT to ATL, with a brief stopover at SHV and a subsequent connection to LEX. I was 14 and completely awestruck the whole way.
I think it was a MD-80 from PIT to MIA
I did a LOT of flying between the ages of 1 and 3 on BA between London and New York in the late 60s but forgot to ask what kind of plane I was on. 😉 Looking at the BA website, I’m guessing I was probably on a BOAC Boeing 707.
737
747
MD-80
BAC-111 MNL-CEB.
It was a Pan Am 747. I was off to spend a month in Russia and Ukraine.
I honestly don’t know but talking to my mother I have it narrowed down to it was a flight from ABQ to either DAL or DFW around mid to late 1984 on one of 2 airlines (American or Southwest). But I am not knowledgeable enough about historic airline aircraft choice to know what plane those 2 airlines were using at the time and what type would be used on that particular route. Maybe someone more knowledgeable about these things could chime in.
Not sure the aircraft, but it was SwissAir from Washington to Zurich and I was 6 months old!
Probably a 747, but I was only 4 months old so I don’t remember!
My first plane ride was on a Cessna 182. I’d been terrified of planes but my boyfriend convinced me to fly with him!
First One I remember was a Singapore Airlines Boeing 747 when I was *very* young.
And yes, even then – I was stuck down the back of the plane 😉
Mine was a Boeing 767 charter to Hawaii. Originally scheduled SFO-OGG-HNL, diverted to LAX because another charter got cancelled. Tried to then fly to HNL first, SFO passengers in an uproar, captain had to get involved and agree to fly to OGG as originally scheduled.
I was about 3 or 4 and spent the entire time running up and down the twin aisles.
Mine was a 737 with Southwest. I think the route was MDW-BWI, but I’m not sure on that part I was pretty young.
on a china airlines 747!
My first flight was on a Pan Am flight but I don’t remember the plane.
My first plane ride was on a Lockheed Tristar is was fantastic I spend half the flight in the cockpit and. The hosties escorted me around the plane
DC-3 from Bradford, PA to PHL on Allegheny Airlines.
727 PHL to MCO…it was a blast -I was 18 and thought I was a world traveler
I think it was a 747……. many years ago. I was a bit scared then. Now I travel all over the world!
First flight was on Rocky Mtn. Scareways Twin Otter from Montrose to Denver in 1979. there was a curtain between the 6 passengers and two crew. I have got a thrill ever time since.
My first plane that I can remember was on a flight me and my family took to Hawaii in 1985 aboard a DC-10 (DFW-HNL).
I guess I was an airplane nerd back then, because I remember it was a DC-10, and the part that was most amazing was, as we started our approach into Hawaii the movie screen on the plane was showing a view from above the head of the captain.
So, as a kid (not to reveal my age) I was able to see the view from the cockpit runway and the airport as we approached. I really think it would be cool if planes still did this. For sure one of my top memories of flying to Hawaii.
Olympic Airways, 727, Chania (CHQ) – Athens (ATH)
C-140 courtesy of “A Rich Uncle” 🙂
I think it was a 747 — TPE to LAX back in 1983
Going to Disneyland for the 1st time on 737
Fokker F28 Fellowship from Sylhet (ZYL) to Dhaka (DAC). Ages ago.
No idea what type of plane it was since I was only 12, but it was with Peoples Express back in 1988.
Must have been some kind of turboprop from SAN-LAX to visit grandma when I was a baby.
Fokker 50, grade school. I remember sitting down the whole flight and intently watching the propellers and the landing gear during takeoff and landing. This started the road to my being a plane geek 🙂
You’re only a baby. My first ride was on a DC-3:-)
Boeing 737
Wonderful! This looks amazing!
You guys remember first plane type? I am not sure, likely MD-80
I was 11 when I came to US on a DC8 plane from HKG-NRT-ANC-YYZ-LGA, still frsh in my memory.
I hope this doesn’t disqualify me, but I have no idea what my first plane was. My parents were in the military, so traveling(moving) wasn’t a fun experience, and thus my first flight made no impression on me.
Honestly I have no idea but my relationship with AA and my love for planes start when I was 4. I took a plane to the Dominican Republic to visit the land my parents migrated from.
My first flight was a 747-200 transpac.
A Boeing 737 to Atlanta- ah, memories.
Eastern DC-7 from LaGuardia.
It was a 737 when I was about 5 years old. I got pin-on wings, a deck of playing cards, and free snacks. The pilot asked me if I wanted to see the cockpit. I said no and my father, puzzled, asked me if I was sure. I said no again. After we de-planed my father explained that the cockpit is where the pilots sit to fly the plane. I started to cry — I thought it was the cargo hold.
My first flight was in first class from NYC to LAX. (This was a one time deal as a kid) I have no clue what airline or type of plane it was on…
I was too young to remember my first flight!:)
Not sure if I remember my very first flight, I know that one of the most memorable flights as a child was on CX in J (CGK-SIN-HKG, if i remember correctly).
My first flight was on a 727 from LAX to CHA in May 1977. I was so scared my brother got me drunk before take-off!
DC3 LLEK-LLRD almost 50 years ago. I wasn’t a baby, but not much older either.
First one I remember was a L1011, I think on Braniff ORD to San Jose Costa Rica.
a 727-100 from Rio to Salvador.
727, I think
My first aircraft that I flew on was an Ozark Airlines DC-9.
SEA -> CDG, A320 (If I remember correctly!)
SLC to JFK on a 737(?)!
I was 5 and it was a PSA Lockheed Electra BUR-SFO. Remember it clearly…I HAD to have my face right up against the giant window to watch the props. Made me fall in love with commercial aviation instantly!
My first was a 747!
My first plane ride, I’m pretty sure was a B-727 on JAT (Yugoslav Aerotrasport) in 1982 or so.
My first was a 747 on OZ going to ICN via ANC.
I can’ remember which aircraft, but it’s a flight from BKK to NRT on JL.
Braniff Airlines! I remember I was probably 10-12 y/o – my mom stole all the silverware and we used them in the household for a long time!
Embraer ERJ-145
Eastern L-1011
I don’t remember it, but I was about 2 months old.
I was a baby like many others here, however I do know it was a jumbo jet (wide body). Because it was an international flight and I think it was probably a Boeing 747.
My three-year-old memory would tell you it was the kind of plane that had wings in the middle…I remember being shocked by this 🙂
Took my first ride on my way to America from Ukraine in ’98. Can’t remember the aircraft number.
San Jose to Seattle 1993. I would have been 15 and that is about all I can remember. One of the reasons to take the trip was because I and my younger siblings have never been on a plane before.
At Christmas time 1968 (age 5), my family embarked on a classic multi-leg, four-airline odyssey of a type that ceased to exist with deregulation. We went from Fort Smith, Arkansas on an Ozark Fairchild-Hiller FH-227, switched to a United 727 at STL with stops at ORD, CLE, BUF, before finally landing in Albany. Returned from BOS on an Allegheny DC-9 to Memphis where we changed to a Frontier Convair 600 with a stop in Little Rock before arriving back in Fort Smith. We all flew in our Sunday best.
Don’t remember the type , but it was a prop plane to Florida from NY. The propellers started spinning loudly and the plane began vibrating.
CCU to GAU in 1965 on Dakota which was a Douglas DC-3
My first flight was on a puddle jumped from BUR to SAN. It was the most turbulent flight in the world. My father was worried sick for the entire flight. I was three and thought it was the most fun ride ever!
727!!! I remember being so very excited!
The first time I actually remember the aircraft was Airbus A319, Warsaw to Milan.
My first flight I was 17 years old. From GRU to JFK on a Boeing 747. The most amazing 9 hours flying of my life.
777!!! I remember like it was lst year… ops.. it really was last year lol DFW to GRU
wow, this brings back sweet childhood memories! it was eastern airlines- I don’t know the aircraft type, but it was JFK to miami, I took pictures of the clouds with my little kodak inastamatic, and I was hooked for life.
747-400 – I was so little and it was soooo big:)!
MD-80 as a small child.
MD-80, on my way to Basic Training!
I think it was a 737 and was from Newark to Orlando.
Mine was, I believe, a 737 when I was 10 years old, NWA from DTW to RSW.
A northwest dc-9
My first flight was on a 727, from Houston to Denver, on Continental airlines. I was 8 years old, and was assigned a middle seat. The old man in the window seat had to deal with me practically standing in his lap for the whole trip. I still remember how exciting it was to see the Earth from the air for the first time, and how strange it all looked. I remember asking the old man “Is that a junkyard?”, and he laughed and replied “No, that is a city.”
I was a baby. I think it must have been an MD-80.
the silver wings of a BAA ..london to paris!..1970
My first flight was in 1970 from New York to London when I was 2. I have no idea what airplane that would have been on.
DC-9 NW “Orient” – Chicago to Minneapolis
Can’t remember my first actual as I was an infant going from ORD to LGA. First I can was a TWA 727 from SAN to MCO.
I believe it was a 737 and we connected at ORD to a 727.
Boing 707 from Cologne via Washington DC to El Paso in 1981
Mine was, I think, a Boeing 737.
My first was on a Sobelair B727 from BRU to Athens.
Md80
I’ve been an AAdvantage member since I was 6 mos old. Crazy!
MD-80 Tucson-DFW. I was 3!
DC-3. Boy, bringin’ back memories here…
love the 707!
Pan Am 707 DTW to JKF
My first flight, an Eastern DC-9-50 from RDU to DCA.
Pan Am Airbus Air 300
Cessna 172, first commercial is one of the “old” 777.
727 a while back
747 in 1972 OHare to London….think it was British Airways
DC9
Pan Am DC-6 1962 flight from Cuba to USA.
My first flight was on a American 762 from JFK to LAX
It was a 707, taking me to Army Boot Camp 30 years ago this year. I don’t remember the airline, but it was Spokane-Missoula-Butte-Billings-MSP-ORD without changing planes…
I believe it was a CRJ on Northwest Airlines, BNA to DTW.
I think it was a 727, I got a tour of the cockpit & the pilot gave me a set of wings that I still have. Can you imagine that kind of service on a coach flight today?
747 (I think) to Hawaii at Age 2.
Embraer ERJ-145
It was a 707.
I don’t really remember the make of the plane for my first flight — it was in1975. I do remember, however, a woman in the seat next to me who said, when I said it was my first flight “just pull up on the seat arms as we take of. It will help the plane get into the air.”
Pretty sure it was a QF 747 flying SYD-SFO in 1987.
My first flight was in 1989 from MNL to SFO via Philippine Airlines and it was a 747. I was 11 years old!!
was a 763 ! great memories !
It was an Eastern Plane to Florida but I have no idea what type!
727 for me. UAL from BUF – CLE – TPA
I think it was a 727–was 5 years old and it was the start of a lifetime addiction!
Back in the 80s we took a family trip to California on. 747 can u believe it? It was either delta or American
747 i guess
I’ll never forget my first flight on TWA…it was also the first time I was allowed to chew gum: rainbow Chiclets!
A 727 on my way to basic training in San Antonio for the Air Force. Funny i was never stationed on a base with a plane, all missiles!!!
first flight was on a helicopter at the sikorsky factory in stratford, ct.,
1966, when i was 8
737 – Lax to phx
Cessna something.
Yes … the design is clearly needed to be changed 🙂
What would be brighter , nebudu (
DEL-JFK on a 747 double decker !!
I don’t remember exactly but I do know that my love for travel began early. I would guess it was a 727. We were a military family and we’ve always flown as we moved all over the world!
I was too small to remember, but it would have been some sort of RJ on NWA out of Fargo’s little airport.
Flew out of Duluth on Republic Airlines because my uncle had more free flights than he could use and thought I might never get another chance to fly! Almost certain it was a 727, nice and quiet with engines mounted to the rear.
@ Kent – I remember Republic – wow that was some time ago! That was really cool of your uncle, what a treat!