By RamonRamon is the creator of Travelling Companion. He focuses on flight reviews, hotel reviews, and helping stretch your travel dollars, miles, and points further while traveling in comfort. Flight Overview This flight showed American Airlines' ability to deliver a competitive domestic economy product too bad American Airlines is focused on making their economy product worse. Pros-Relatively Smooth Boarding Process, Good IFE and Power, Well Padded Seats, Complimentary Alcohol in Main Cabin Extra , Early Arrival, Non-stop DCA-LAS service Cons- Indifferent Service, Uncomfortable Bulkhead seat Las Vegas Strip Trip Report Las Vegas Strip Trip Overview Aria Resort and Casino Deluxe Queen Room Review Aria Resort and Casino Dining and Activities Review Exploring the Las Vegas Strip American Airlines Boeing 737-800 LAS-DCA Review  Train to D Gates The Club at LAS After passing through security at Las Vegas McCarran International (LAS) I took the train to the D Gates in Terminal 1 where all American Airlines flights depart. Terminal 1 has two lounges the American Express Centurion Lounge and The Club at LAS a Priority Pass lounge. Since I did not have access to the American Express Centurion Lounge at the time I headed to the Club at LAS. This was my second visit to this lounge and I left last time very unimpressed but I thought I would give the lounge one more chance and ended up regretting my decision.  The Club at LAS Upon entering the lounge, I found a wait at the check-in desk driven by the fact that only one staff person was both checking in guests and working the bar. Once I entered the small space in this lounge I found it to be overcrowded and very hot. On this 101-degree day the lounge was sweltering. The lounge was hot, overcrowded, loud, and the snacks it offered were pathetic. Furthermore, the lounge did not have separate Wi-Fi, or bathrooms, and honestly made American Airlines' Admirals clubs look good. This lounge was by far the worse I have ever visited. It was so bad in fact that I left after about 10 minutes and decided that it was better to wait for my flight in the terminal.  Club at LAS Snacks Despite my terrible experience there is good news for Priority Pass holders flying through LAS. Since I visited the Club at LAS in 2018 it's Terminal 1 facility underwent a major renovation which tripled the size of the space. Looking at the pictures and description the space now features separate restrooms with showers, complimentary cocktails, and selection of hot and cold food. Boarding As boarding approached I headed to gate D7 for my flight to Ronald Regan Washington National Airport (DCA). American Airlines operates the only non-stop flight between LAS and home airport DCA. When I arrived at the gate it was very crowded and it was clear that this was going to be a full flight.  American Airlines Boeing 737-800 I liked the gate agents working this flight. The gate agents had numerous requests including changing seat assignments so that passengers could sit together and they tried hard to accommodate these requests. Moreover, despite a crowded gate area and a five minute late start to boarding the gate agents actually enforced the boarding groups and, on several occasions, stopped passengers from boarding in the wrong groups. As an elite member I appreciated this and it really made the boarding process a lot smoother. I boarded the plane in Group 4 and was one of the first passengers on board in economy. Plane and Seats Thanks to my American Airlines Gold elite status I was able to choose a Main Cabin Extra seat at check-in and I chose seat 8D. However, shortly after boarding I switched to 7D a bulkhead seat with more legroom than the standard 34 inches in Main Cabin Extra to allow a passenger to sit with his wife. While I appreciated having more legroom I did not like the bulkhead seat on this plane because the tray table is inside the armrest reducing the seat width by about 1 inch. In addition, the bulk head seats on this plane had airbag seats belts which felt uncomfortable and restricted my movement. I would recommend anyone flying in Main Cabin Extra on this plane choose a seat in row 8.  737-800 Main Cabin This plane had large overhead bins, shared AC power between seats, and USB power at each seat below the in-flight entertainment (IFE) screen. I also was flying on a relatively new 737-800 that had not yet been retrofitted by American's Project Oasis. This meant that had several advantages over other American 737-800s including: 1) an additional inch of seat pitch in Main Cabin (31 vs. 30) and Main Cabin extra (~34 vs. ~33), 2) seat-back IFE, 3) comfortable and more padded seats, and 4) larger bathrooms in economy. I really appreciated American's non-oasis 737-800 cabin and think it is quite competitive for domestic flights. It is sad that as the Project Oasis retrofits continue, American Airline's 737-800s will become less comfortable and less competitive. In-Flight Entertainment The IFE system on this plane was very responsive and featured an array of options including movies, tv shows, and music. On this flight I watched both The Darkest Hour and Game Night which were both entertaining. I really like American Airlines IFE and usually find it more than sufficient for a domestic flight. However, this was my tenth American Airlines flight in the span of less than two months so I was running out of movie options.  American Airlines In-Flight Entertainment Screen Main Cabin Extra Beverage and Snack Service As a competitive response to Delta's Comfort Plus American Airline's announced a few new benefits for Main Cabin Extra passengers in June 2018. These benefits included Group 5 boarding, dedicated main cabin extra overhead bins, and complimentary beer, wine, and spirits. I experienced the complementary alcohol benefit since I flew shortly after the implementation of these new benefits. When the beverage and snack service started, about 1 hour into my flight, I was served a Biscoff cookie and I ordered a Sam Adams Boston Lager, which would have been $7 dollars and now is $8 in the Main Cabin. The flight attendant never asked for a credit card and instead just looked at the label above my seat to confirm I was sitting in main cabin extra. The beer was served very cold which I appreciated. I really enjoyed this benefit and think it is positive for American Airlines elites. As a Gold elite the vast majority of the time I am able to select a Main Cabin Extra seat at check-in allowing me to take advantage of these additional benefits.  Main Cabin Extra Beverage and Snack Service The flight attendants passed through the cabin again later in the flight for a second beverage and snack service. They served pretzels and offered water to passengers. During this four-and-a-half hour domestic flight I had a few opportunities to interact with the flight attendants and thought they provided indifferent service. The flight landed 2 minutes early into DCA and I really appreciated the ability to have a non-stop flight to DCA from LAS.
Summary I liked my flight on American Airline's non-oasis 737-800. On this relatively long domestic route I was able to have a non-stop flight to my home airport, a smooth boarding process, AC and USB power, large overhead bins, well-padded extra legroom seats, complimentary alcohol in Main Cabin Extra, and an early arrival. Despite the indifferent service and uncomfortable bulkhead seat American Airlines offered a solid and competitive domestic economy product on this flight. However, it is sad that as American Airlines progresses with Project Oasis the airline will make economy on the 737-800 worse and lose some of the competitive advantages it had with its domestic economy product.
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By RamonRamon is the creator of Travelling Companion. He focuses on flight review, hotel reviews, and helping stretch your travel dollars, miles, and points further. Exploring the Las Vegas Strip Overview My third trip to Las Vegas left me with the feeling that I had enough of Las Vegas for a while. Pros- Easily Accessible via Walking, Numerous Entertainment Options Cons- Expensive Drinks, Oppressive Summer Temperatures, Unimpressive Show, and Phony Attractions Las Vegas Strip Trip Report Las Vegas Strip Trip Overview Aria Resort and Casino Deluxe Queen Room Review Aria Resort and Casino Dining and Activities Review Exploring the Las Vegas Strip American Airlines Boeing 737-800 LAS-DCA Review Walking the Strip One of the great things about staying on the Las Vegas Strip is how easy it is to access all of the hotels, restaurants, and entertainment on the strip as as a pedestrian. During the day we spent a lot of time exploring the strip by walking. Because of the many unique hotel concepts which seek to bring ideas an architecture from around the world to Las Vegas it can be interesting to walk around the Strip and check out the hotels.  The Shops at Crystals We found one of the easiest ways to access the Strip from our hotel during the blazing heat was walking through The Shops at Crystals which is a luxury shopping mall attached to the Aria. This mall featured luxury brands including Gucci, Tiffany & Co., and Lalique. I found that this mall represented the glitz and glam of Las Vegas which seems to push everyone who visits to open up their wallets and throw caution to the wind. I resisted this push and did not but anything in the pricey mall during our stay.  Eifel Tower Restaurant at Paris Hotel During our stay we also walked by Paris and the Bellagio Fountains. I like the Bellagio Fountains and I would recommend stopping by to watch the fountain show if you visit Las Vegas.  Venetian Las Vegas Gondola Rides One of surreal things we saw on our walk were the gondoliers taking people for gondola rides and singing in the pond outside The Venetian . To me it just seemed ridiculous to have gondola rides in a man-made pond in the middle of the desert. I understand that most people will never be able to see gondoliers in Venice during their life, I haven't had the opportunity to do so either, but the way it is done in Las Vegas still seems phony and strange.  Summer Weather in Las Vegas The biggest downside to the Las Vegas Strip in the summer is the oppressive heat. While we were in Las Vegas it was over 110 degrees. While the humidity was low you can only walk so long in this heat and we found ourselves dipping into the hotels to cool off or into a store to grab a bottle of water whenever we could. Having been to Las Vegas in the the spring, winter, and summer my advice is to avoid going to Las Vegas in the summer. The sun makes it very difficult to enjoy being outside during the day and even going from one hotel to the next can wear you out. Las Vegas Strip Entertainment In the past when I visited Las Vegas I had the opportunity to see some great entertainment. Las Vegas offers numerous entertainment options but expect to spend a lot if you want to purchase beverages while watching any of this entertainment. The biggest draw in Las Vegas for me are the unique entertainers you can see any of the week. Because of numerous artists in residence in Las Vegas you have the ability on any given night to probably see more entertainers than anywhere else in the United States. The draw for me are the top DJs that have partnerships with the Las Vegas nightclubs. On a previous trip to Las Vegas I saw The Chainsmokers perform at XS nightclub in the Encore Hotel. When I found out I was going to Las Vegas again I jumped at the opportunity to see another DJ.  Sign for Calvin Harris Show This time around we decided to see Calvin Harris who was performing at the Omnia nightclub located inside Caesars Palace. We bought our tickets in advance for $64 which I thought was reasonable for a concert. However, be warned that many of the nightclubs in Las Vegas have separate pricing for males and female even to attend concerts. In this case it was about $20 cheaper for females.  View from Omnia Nightclub This was my first time ever going to the Omnia nightclub and I was very impressed. Before the show started we went outside to the roof deck and I was floored by the view of the Las Vegas Strip from Omnia. The nightclub is located at the center of the strip and the views offered were amazing.  Omnia Nightclub When we entered the nightclub itself I was also impressed since it was multi-level and at the center had a massive display which changed shapes throughout the Calvin Harris' performance. The nightclub also had an impressive sounds systems and dancers hanging down from the ceiling. The biggest down side to Omnia were the very expensive drinks among the most expensive I have ever seen and the club's water policy which made no sense. During the oppressive summer heat this nightclub refused to provide us any tap water or even ice for drinking and only sells bottle water. At the nightclub a mini-bottle of non-brand water cost about $10 a bottle. To me this policy along with the prices was a strong reason not spend any money on drinks at the nightclub and another reason to avoid Las Vegas in the summer. I really enjoyed the show at Omnia and I would recommend going to the Omnia if you are in Las Vegas and get the opportunity but once again I would recommend not going during the summer.  Luxor Hotel & Casino Entrance This trip to Las Vegas was also the first time I have gone to a traditional Las Vegas show. Our group decided to go see MindFreak Live! by Criss Angel at the Luxor. I was really impressed by the design of the Luxor with its imposing entrance and hotel rooms housed inside a pyramid. Since we saw Criss Angel his show has moved from the Luxor to Planet Hollywood with the cheapest tickets going for about $70.  Sign for Mind Freak Live! I was excited to see my first Las Vegas show but I left the experience disappointed. I personally found his magic tricks to be unimpressive and the videos included in the whole experience dated. Hopefully, he has updated his show since he moved to Planet Hollywood. However, I would suggest anyone going to Las Vegas skip this show unless you are a big Criss Angel or magic fan.
Summary My third visit to Las Vegas was fun but left me feeling like I won't be back for a while and definitely not in the summer. While I really enjoyed my stay at the Aria and seeing Calvin Harris performance at the Omina I did not like the oppressive summer temperatures, the expensive drinks at the nightclubs, what I found to be unimpressive first Las Vegas show, and phony attractions at the various hotels along the Las Vegas strip. If you do end up visiting Las Vegas my recommendation is do not go during the summer, see a DJ show, and stay on the Las Vegas Strip so you have easy access to all of the attractions. |
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