RTW TP Run in Jan 2026: Day 6 – Dallas (DFW) to San Francisco (SFO)

By Nige on January 23, 2026 at 6:40 pm
Type: Post
Story: Round the World Tier Point Run in Jan 2026 Category: Travel
Tags: AA | American Airlines | Dallas | DFW | San Francisco | SFO

The walk down to Hidden Ridge station took only a couple of minutes, although by then the rain had started to fall a little more steadily.

I timed it well, with an Orange Line train arriving within five minutes. Just three stops later, I was stepping off at the airport terminus — perfect.

Dallas–Fort Worth is very much American Airlines’ home turf, so AA occupies a substantial portion of the terminal space. That said, signage from the train station left quite a bit to be desired, and it took longer than it should have to find my way around.

I eventually located the Premium Check-in desk in Terminal A. The agent who assisted me mentioned she was struggling with her contact lenses and was having to strain to read my name on the passport. I briefly considered suggesting reading glasses, but thought better of it.

It took a little while to work through Fiji’s entry requirements before she confirmed that I didn’t need a visa.

Once that was settled, she issued the two boarding passes I needed for the day, including my Fiji Airways pass for the overnight flight ahead.

TSA PreCheck lived up to its name, and I was through security in no time at all. From there, I headed for the Skylink inter-terminal train to reach Terminal D and the American Airlines Flagship Lounge near Gate D23.

Given this was AA’s home airport, the Flagship Lounge was enormous and offered excellent views across the apron. I found a window seat, then promptly headed back out again to the conveniently located Starbucks near Gate D27.

While in the lounge, I received my first comment of the trip about my Max Verstappen hoodie. One guy asked where I’d ordered it — I suspected he might have been a fan as well.

My flight to San Francisco was departing from Gate A8, which meant another train journey back across the airport.

There was no need to rush, as the flight crew — along with some of the cabin crew — had been delayed by a late-arriving flight that arrived into another terminal.

To be honest, when they eventually did appear, they didn’t seem to be in much of a hurry. That felt slightly out of character for American Airlines, based on my previous experience.

Eventually, I settled into seat 01F and started looking forward to some food.

The passenger next to me was playing chess on his phone and had his feet pressed firmly against the bulkhead for reasons that weren’t entirely clear.

Whether it was a medical issue or simply questionable behaviour remained open to debate. We pushed back around fifteen minutes late, by which time the rain was coming down quite heavily.

Drinks and nuts were served shortly after take-off, and I ordered the risotto for my main course at the same time. When dinner arrived, the risotto was packed with asparagus and other vegetables — something Vick would have loved.

The accompanying salad was acceptable, though the amuse-bouche didn’t look particularly appealing. Ice cream followed, although the selection felt a bit like a lottery and I ended up with vanilla and chocolate chip. It didn’t stop me eating it.

We arrived at Gate B27 in Terminal 1, where the captain announced that medical staff would be boarding and asked everyone to remain seated.

In practice, the only people I saw leaving were two passengers who walked off completely unaided. They’d been laughing and joking near the front of the cabin just ten minutes before landing, which made the situation feel slightly odd.

Once clear of the aircraft, I headed towards the International Terminal in search of a comfortable lounge to spend the next few hours.

The British Airways lounge was closed, despite oneworld.com claiming it should be open until 10pm. I then tried the Cathay Pacific lounge, which was also closed. That left the rather bog-standard Admirals Club, though at least it was open until 11:30pm.

The lounge agent kindly helped me print the two Indonesian immigration documents I’d need later in the trip. I’d attempted to use the Ricoh Cloud Print service myself, but that had failed completely.

With that task done, I finally sat down and watched the final episode of The Traitors, which was stupendous!

Next up: My connecting flight from San Francisco (SFO) to Nadi, Fiji (NAN) on Day 6 of my Round The World trip of a lifetime.

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Round the World Tier Point Run in Jan 2026