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topicnews · October 29, 2024

American Airlines’ flight to Brisbane is the longest of any airline

American Airlines’ flight to Brisbane is the longest of any airline

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The longest direct flight in American Airlines history is approaching.

Flight AAL7 took off from Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport on Saturday evening and landed at Brisbane Airport (BNE) after nearly 16 hours and 8,300 miles traveled, according to the airline and FlightAware, a website that tracks flight routes.

The Boeing 787-9 took off at 9:57 p.m. CDT on Saturday and landed about 33 minutes earlier on Monday at 4:57 a.m. AEST, the tracker shows.

The first nonstop service between the two cities was staffed by a crew of three pilots, an assistant captain and 11 flight attendants, an American Airlines spokesman told USA TODAY on Monday. The landing was livestreamed on Brisbane Airport’s YouTube channel.

The plane was carrying 285 passengers, but American would not say how many people were on board.

More than 12,000 people watched the video, giving viewers “a front-row window seat through the runway camera,” according to BNE.

At the gate event celebration at DFW Airport, customers received a gift bag containing a koala plush toy, a commemorative postcard and a voucher for a free Koala Moment at the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary in Brisbane, American Airlines told USA TODAY.

As the plane landed, footage shows crew members placing American and Australian flags outside the cockpit while it was on the runway.

“This connects not just two cities, but two countries,” Peter Doherty, a spokesman for Brisbane Airport, said during the livestream. “Look at that! It’s fantastic!”

“One of the most followed flights in the world”

Flight tracking service @Flightradar24DotCom predicted it would be one of the most tracked flights in the world, according to the Queensland airport.

According to the airport, the flight is the longest flight on American Airlines’ global network and the longest flight on Brisbane Airport’s network.

Starting Monday, American Airlines will increase to daily flights with five weekly flights in each direction from December through the end of March, the airport said.

One-way flights cost $600 for economy seats, according to a Google Flights search on Monday.

“American Airlines’ arrival today from Dallas-Fort Worth is a milestone for Brisbane and Queensland,” said Brisbane Airport CEO Gert-Jan de Graaff. “They say there are few things bigger than Texas. Well, Queensland is three times the size of Texas, but we share industries such as agriculture, energy, biotechnology and advanced manufacturing.

“From the Lone Star State to the Sunshine State, this new connection between two hubs opens up incredible potential on both sides of the Pacific,” de Graaff added.

Cruise altitude I slept through the longest flight in the world. Here is my secret.

The next route departs Dallas on Monday evening

The new flight is expected to “bring thousands of additional tourists to Queensland and boost tourism jobs across the state,” airport officials wrote in the release.

“The entry of American Airlines is a milestone and secures us Brisbane Airport’s 30th direct international route, our 25th international airline and Brisbane’s longest route,” de Graaff said when the route was announced in early February. “It’s Dallas Fort Worth.” Hub will offer travelers a world of options in North, Central and South America.”

According to FlightAware, the next route is scheduled to depart Dallas at 10pm on Monday evening and arrive in Brisbane shortly after 5:30am on Wednesday

This story has been updated because an earlier version contained an inaccuracy. It has also been updated to include new information.

Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on X @nataliealund.

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