American Airlines marked a major milestone this past Saturday. The airline completed its longest nonstop flight ever, in an 8,300-mile journey from Texas to Brisbane, Australia. The plane, a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, took off from Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport at 10pm CDT on Saturday and touched down at Brisbane Airport on Monday at 4:57am AEST, 30 minutes ahead of schedule.
The 16-hour trans-Pacific trek saw thousands tuning in on Flightradar24 and Brisbane Airport’s YouTube live feed to track its progress and landing. Over 12,000 viewers watched as the Dreamliner made history with American Airlines' longest-ever direct flight, now also the longest in Brisbane Airport’s network.
Celebrations were in full swing on both sides of the journey. Passengers at DFW were treated to a send-off event with special gift bags containing a koala plushie, commemorative postcards and vouchers for Brisbane's Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary. Upon arrival, the crew made a spirited display by hoisting American and Australian flags outside the cockpit while still on the runway.
With five weekly flights scheduled through December—and daily flights from December through March—this route marks a new connection between Texas and Queensland. And according to Flightradar24, it was among the most-watched flights globally.