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. Flight Overview My first flight in American's First Class was short but impressive while the chaotic ground experience at PHL showed why you should avoid this aging airport for domestic flights. Pros-Comfortable and Spacious Recliner Seats, Quick Boarding and Deplaning, Complimentary Drinks, Friendly Service, In-Seat Power, Two Windows, and Real Glasses Cons-Chaotic Ground Experience, Long Wait on Arrival at DCA San Juan Condado Trip Report San Juan Condado Trip Overview American Airlines Boeing 767-300 Economy PHL-SJU Review AC Hotel San Juan Condado Avianca VIP Lounge American Airlines Boeing 737-800 Economy SJU-PHL Review American Airlines A319 First Class PHL-DCA Review PHL Terminal and Boarding Our flight from San Juan landed about 20 minutes late in terminal A and as we made our way through Philadephia International Airport (PHL) to gate C22 the airport was a chaotic mess. There were a ton of people in the terminal and people seemed really angry. At first Christina and I were really confused and thought we landed in PHL during a really busy time. However, as we entered the B/C terminals we saw signs saying that the water was back on. It turns out that prior to us landing all of Philadelphia International Airport had been without water. The signs of irate flyers were everywhere. To try and avoid the choas we attempted to retreat to our usual airport hideaway on domestic flights the Admirals Club. However, we arrived at the Admirals Club and were told by the manger that it was closed due to unsanitary conditions. He said that it was unsafe to serve food and that the restrooms were in bad shape. When I went to the restrooms in the terminal there was a horrible stench as the toilets had not been flushed in what seemed to be hours. Christina reported that conditions were even worse in the women's restroom as women were forced to used restrooms that resembled porta pottys at a music festival. I have seen many things in our travels but this was certainly one of the worse ground experiences. As I said in my last review of the ground experience in PHL is an airport you should avoid if possible and this experience further reinforced that this aging airport is one to avoid. Because of this chaotic experience I was ready to get on the plane and enjoy my first experience in American's First Class. We proceeded to the gate and boarded exactly on time at 8:45 pm for our 9:15 pm departure. We headed down stairs to board the plane and boarded with Group 1. It was the first time ever that I was the first person on the plane! This is definitely a nice feature of domestic First Class. It allows you to get your things stored in the overhead bin and settle in while other passengers board. We were greeted by a friendly check-in agent who didn't realize that boarding had begun and made a joke about us boarding early. A319 and First Class Seats Originally we were booked in economy but we were upgraded to First Class about 29 hours before the flight. As American Gold Elites we are entitled to upgrades based on availability on all flights less than 500 miles long, starting 24 hours before the flight. However, I have noticed that on two occasions when First Class was clearly not going to be full that we were in fact upgraded for a connecting flight in First Class more than 24 hours in advance. Since you are competing with all elites you would think that our chances of upgrades are low on these flights, however, Christina and I have had success as low level Gold elites on these short flights something I believe is due to the fact that we travel on off peak times, these are flights are so short that passengers are less likely to pay for an upgrade, and that there are multiple flights a day between hubs such as DCA and PHL. In fact we were upgraded so early that the system showed us in First Class but would not let us choose seats. This flight is short and American has a travel time of 1 hour 15 minutes to account for delays on the ground, take off, and landing, but the actual flight time can be less than 30 minutes. American Airlines generally calls domestic business class flights within the United States First Class and these flights typically feature recliner seat. That was the case on this on this flight where the A319 featured eight recliner seats arranged in a 2-2 configuration. Christina and I chose the bulkhead seats on the right hand side of the plane 1D and 1F which have the benefit of being the first off of the plane. Like all of the First Class seats on the A319 these seats had 38 inches of pitch and 21 inches of width. As I walked onto the plane I was honestly impressed by the First Class seats. The seats looked new without many signs of the wear and tear. I was also impressed by how comfortable the leather recliner seats were. I could easily sit in these on a transcontinental flight and feel comfortable. There was a blanket and in the middle armrest of each First Class seat, and there were AC power plugs and storage. During the flight Christina used this space to store and charge our electronics including phones and tablets. The power and storage were major pluses even on this short flight and it left me wondering how I was going to be able to adjust back to fighting for a working plug and overhead bin space in economy. One final feature of the First Class that I appreciated was the presence of not only one but two windows in our row. I didn't spend anytime on this short flight watching the in-flight entertainment and instead talked with Christina and looked at the view outside the windows. Drinks, Snacks, and Service As I mentioned we were the first to board the plane and we were greeted by a friendly flight attendant who joked with us that they weren't ready for boarding. He asked us if he could get anything for us to drink as a pre-departure beverage and I ordered the "champagne" and Christina ordered the red wine. I thought the champagne, which was really sparkling wine, was okay and Christina enjoyed the red wine which is a complement coming from a Californian. The wine was served in plastic cups which looks cheap but is the normal American procedure for pre-departure beverages. It was really nice to be already settled in an enjoying a drink while other passengers were still scrambling to get settled and fighting for overhead bin space. Once we got up in the air the flight attendant gave us refills in real glasses with the American Airlines logo without us asking. On flights shorter than 900 miles American Airlines with limited exceptions typically does not serve a meal. Our flight was only 119 miles, but we were offered choices from the snack basket by the flight attendant. Since this was our first time every picking, Christina asked for suggestions and he recommended that we try the stroopwaffel. So I chose the stroopwaffel and Christina chose the Chocolate Chip Granola Minis. We really enjoyed our snacks. I was honestly very surprised by how good the service was even on this short flight. If this was the standard service on American Airlines in domestic First Class, I understood why people were willing to pay for it. Sadly that impression would quickly be corrected on future American Airlines flights because of American Airlines inconsistent service and in-flight experience. We landed at DCA 38 minutes early but ended up sitting on the runway for about 25 minutes which is a common experience when landing at DCA on American Airlines. Since there is limited gate space there is rarely an open gate upon landing early. Take Away
I have to give credit where credit is due and American Airlines impressed in First Class on this very short flight. We boarded the plane first and were first off of the plane. Moreover, we were served pre-departure drinks, onboard drinks in real glasses, good snacks, had friendly service, two windows, and in-seat power. On a short flight there isn't much more we could have wanted. While the ground experience at PHL was terrible, it ended up not overshadowing the great in flight experience. Unfortunately, this is flight was more of the exception than the rule in American Airline's domestic First Class as you will see in my forthcoming reviews.
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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. Flight Overview An inexperienced crew of flight attendants delivered the worse service I had ever experienced in Economy on American Airlines, handled a passenger emergency poorly, and this flight experience showed that American Airlines needs to improve its communication. Pros-None Cons-Poor Emergency Communication, Inexperienced Flight Attendants, Poor IFE, Inadequate Wi-Fi, Barely Functional Power Plugs, Poor Plane Maintenance, and Poor Delay Communication San Juan Condado Trip Report San Juan Condado Trip Overview American Airlines Boeing 767-300 Economy PHL-SJU Review AC Hotel San Juan Condado Avianca VIP Lounge American Airlines Boeing 737-800 Economy SJU-PHL Review American Airlines A319 First Class PHL-DCA Review Terminal and Boarding After we left the Avianca VIP lounge we headed to C4 which was a short walk from the lounge. This is where the poor experience on this flight began. This flight ended up being emblematic of American Airlines’ poor communications, inconsistent IFE, and bad service. When we reached the gate the flight was delayed by 15 minutes but they waited until the scheduled boarding time to announce the delay. This is one of the frustrating aspects of flying with American Airlines, the airline does a bad job communicating delays. I have had many flights where the plane is not at the gate at the scheduled boarding time yet American Airlines still shows the same boarding time and departure time. In this case, I had no clue what caused the delay because American Airlines never communicated what caused the delay and never updated the boarding time. If we knew the flight was going to be delayed and the new boarding time we could have waited in the lounge instead of standing at the now crowded gate. As we boarded the flight attendants called groups 2 and 3 and no passengers boarded. This has been my experience on a leisure routes such as San Juan because not as many elites fly these routes especially on the weekend and because of less competition, they are much more likely to be upgraded to Business Class and therefore board with Group 1. We were the first to board in Group 4 and the gate agent asked my last name which I had never experienced before and I assumed was due to computer issues. Plane and Seats The Boeing 737-800 is the most common plane type in American Airlines' fleet and the airlines had 304 of the planes at the end of 2018 so it is likely if you fly domestically you will eventually fly this plane type. The plane has 3-3 seating in economy and in the version we flew had 114 seats in economy (31 inches of pitch) and 30 in main cabin extra (34 inches of pitch). We were seated in row 8 of Main Cabin Extra and lucked out by not having another passenger in our set of three seats. The interior of the plane was much newer than the 767 we flew over from Philadephia but after getting seated we realized that it still had issues. Each set of three seats shared two plugs located below the seats. While the plugs actually worked, which isn't always the case on American Airlines, they were so loose that they were nearly useless. Every time I plugged in the phone charger it fell out. The only way I could keep my plug in was to hold it in firmly with the hand which I quickly grew tired of doing and I eventually just gave up. If American Airlines insists on passengers bringing on their own in-flight entertainment then it must make sure that all of the power plugs work. However, the non-functioning power plugs were not the end of issues with the plane. When I went to use the bathroom I noticed that one of the seats in the last row on one side was completely broken and unusable. This demonstrated the extent of American Airlines maintenance issues on this plane and was symbolic of there fleet-wide maintenance issues. In-Flight Entertainment This version of the 737-800 did not have seat back in-flight entertainment (IFE) and instead had overhead screens. However, American Airlines is so opposed to seat-back entertainment on domestic flights that they are taking out screens already installed on Boeing 737-800s. Instead their solution is to offer streaming entertainment. American Airlines typically uses the overhead screens to show the safety video, announcements, and stream entertainment. The IFE system had numerous issues during our flight which began right after departure. The flight attendants attempted to screen the safety video on the IFE and the entire system malfunctioned so they had to do the safety demonstration manually. Eventually the screens started to work and they screen a movie I had no interest in watching. I could have blocked out the bad movie if the streaming entertainment was working or if I could listen to music on my phone. However, as I mentioned earlier that was a major problem on this flight because the power plugs barely functioned. To compound the problem when I logged onto the streaming IFE it was not working because, just like on our flight to Puerto Rico, American Airlines utilized a plane with GoGo internet, which also provides the streaming IFE, and only works in the continental United States. This was very frustrating and unfortunately is the case on many American Airlines narrow body jets sent to Latin America and the Caribbean. Service and In-Flight Emergency
Typically, it is difficult to judge service in the economy cabin because of limited interaction during flight but on this flight I experienced the worse service I have experienced in an American Airlines economy cabin. About one hour into the flight, on this four hour flight, the flight attendants still had not begun drink service. Instead the flight attendants were chatting in the forward galley. Finally, when the drink service began the flight attendant did what I thought to be impossible and messed up drink service in economy. First, American Airlines generally offers a choice between cookies and pretzels. Not complicated at all I know but somehow we were not given any choice and the flight attendant just handed us both pretzels despite the fact that he had a lot of cookies left and offered them later. Second, he served Christina the wrong drink and never asked me what I wanted to drink. Christina asked for a Ginger Ale and he asked in response, Sprite? Christina once again said Ginger Ale and since he had completely ignored me I told him I would like apple juice and he asked, instead of the Sprite? I said no and he handed Christina a Sprite anyways. As he walked away I had a puzzled look on my face since this was the first time I have seem a flight attendant mess up an economy drink service. This particular flight attendant was young and seemed very inexperienced and it showed me just how much American Airlines needs to work on its service training. Overall, all of the crew seemed very young and inexperienced and unfortunately this came into play in a much more important way than the meal service. With about one and a half hours left in flight we began to experience turbulence and a passenger pressed the flight attendant call button. The flight attendant, who was seated because of the turbulence, asked the passenger to press the button again if it was an emergency and the passenger pressed it again. It turned out that a passenger felt light headed and fainted in the middle of the flight. The flight attendants asked if there was anyone with medical training onboard and two passengers responded and went over to help. At one point the flight attendants seemed to be in a state of panic unsure what to do and ran to get blankets and talked to each other in a nervous tone. The panic from the flight attendants made passengers very nervous. At one point the captain even came out to check on the sick passenger. Several passengers asked what was going on and if we would need to divert the flight. However, through this whole incident there was no communication to the passengers from the flight attendants or the captain. None of the passengers knew what was happening and at one point in the middle of this medical emergency, a flight attendant got into a verbal altercation with a passenger. Eventually, the flight attendant went over to apologize to the passenger. The was the American Airlines crew on this flight dealt with the emergency really showed me that American Airlines needs to improve its communication in emergency situations and its training. In the end we landed in Philadelphia 17 minutes late. Take Away American Airlines failed in all phases of this flight and this my first review where I have nothing positive to say. American Airlines failed on multiple fronts including in communications, training, maintenance, service, and in-flight entertainment. This airplane was poorly maintained and it showed with the barely functional power plugs, broken seat and malfunctioning overhead IFE screen. The communicated the delay poorly and failed to keep passengers up-to date during an in-flight medical emergency. Worst of all the airline sent a very inexperienced and inadequately trained crew on this flight. This was my worse flight in economy on American Airlines and the airline really needs to focus on improving its communication and training. This flight began the process of me questioning my loyalty to American Airlines. 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. Flight Summary American Airlines recently announced plans to accelerate the retirement of their 767s and after this flight I can see why. Flying this plane in economy was like being transported back in time. Our flight was a terrible experience and if you are flying in economy you should do your best to avoid these planes until they are retired. Pros- Good seat padding and good layout for travelling companions, amazing legroom in exit row seats. Cons- No individual IFE monitors, only DC power, loud and cold plane, limited overhead storage, poor service, and non-functional Wi-Fi. San Juan Condado Trip Report San Juan Condado Trip Overview American Airlines Boeing 767-300 Economy PHL-SJU Review AC Hotel San Juan Condado Avianca VIP Lounge American Airlines Boeing 737-800 Economy SJU-PHL Review American Airlines A319 First Class PHL-DCA Review Terminal and Boarding After we landed at Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) on our uneventful flight from D.C. we headed towards our flight at gate A 23 in the International Terminal. As we walked through the older American Airlines Terminals B/C at PHL I remembered how much PHL is in need of renovation, something we would be reminded of on our return trip through PHL. We saw parts of the airport with open ceilings and really did not like the 1980's esque signage and poor lighting. Then we reached the International Terminal (Terminal A) and all of a sudden it was like entering another airport with modern signage lighting, and even artwork. Even though we were flying domestically we left out of Terminal A-West which primarily services international flight. I assumed this was due to the flight utilizing a wide body Boeing 767-300 aircraft. Boarding began a full 20 minutes early and there were very few elites in economy so we were the first ones to board the Economy Class cabin. The lack of elites in economy was likely due to everyone clearing the upgrade list on this wide body aircraft. Unlike domestically configured aircraft the 767s have 28 lie-flat premium seats sold as Business Class on flights to Puerto Rico providing a great upgrade opportunity for elites. Plane and Seats As we entered the plane our first impression was positive as we saw the lie-flat seats which looked like they would make for a comfortable ride for the three hour flight to San Juan. However, this impression quickly changed as we entered the old economy cabin. American Airlines has about 24 Boeing 767-300s in their fleet and with an average age of 20 years these are oldest planes in the fleet. AmericanAirlines recently announced plans to accelerate the retirement of these planes and phase them all out of the fleet at the end of 2021. In the meantime these planes fly a variety of routes including to Europe and Latin America. American Airlines retrofitted these planes in 2016 to add lie-flat beds and power in Business Class but largely left economy cabins in tack which meant that we were in for a jarring surprise when we got to our seats. Economy Class is laid out in a 2-3-2 cabin which is ideal for travelling companions since you don't need to worry about disturbing a neighbor. Christina and I also appreciated this because neither one of us had to give up the window or aisle seat to sit next to one another. The cabin also has a small mini-cabin in rows 13 and 14 designated as Main Cabin Extra. Christina suggested we select these for free when they opened check-in but I convinced her to go with the legroom provided by the exit row seats in row 21. I later regretted this decision since the main Economy Class cabin was full our loud screaming children and I would recommend the quiet of the mini-economy cabin. As we sat down in our seats we noticed that the seats window shades were cloth, the overhead lights were turned on and off with dials, and that the overhead bins were small. There was so little overhead bin space that there was a struggle for passengers who boarded late to find space to fit there bags into the overhead bins without turning them sideways which made it harder for all the passengers to find sufficient space for their luggage. Another major problem with this plane was the climate control. There were no individual air vents and the flight attendants kept the cabin freezing during the flight. This made no sense for a flight headed for the Tropics which had most people dressed for a warm climate and made for a very uncomfortable flight. I was also shocked when I tried to plug into the power plug and realized that the plane only had DC power plugs in economy! Furthermore, the plane was very loud and as we took off and landed the plane shook to the point were you wondered if it would make it through the take off and landing. This is definitely a flight were you want to bring your noise cancelling headphones. One positive part about our seat selection was the amazing leg room provided by the exit row. In-Flight Entertainment This flight had no individual in-flight entertainment (IFE) monitors and instead had overhead monitors in the main cabin that feature NBC on American Airlines. The monitors were very low quality and when the flight attendants made announcements one of the speakers made an uncomfortable squeak. During one announcement a flight attendant noted that we were an "older plane" which I thought was a significant understatement. To make matters worse we were unable to get the American Airlines Wi-Fi, which offers an expanded number of entertainment options, to function correctly. So I switched between listening to my own music and watching the poor quality overhead screen which made this flight seem even longer. Meal and Service Since we had a short connection and boarding began early we did not have a chance to grab breakfast in the airport and ended up buying breakfast onboard. Christina bought the breakfast platter for $8.99 and I bought a turkey and cheese croissant for $8.79. While I found both of these prices to fairly high we were hungry and I knew that we would get a 25% discount with Christina's American Airlines credit card. I thought that the sandwich was decent for a cold sandwich and I would probably buy it in again in the future if I was in a pinch. Christina was less impressed with her breakfast platter which came with eggs, cheese, grapes, apples and almond butter. The only item she really enjoyed was the almond butter which she loves. After we ordered our breakfast the flight attendants came for the standard beverage service and offered Biscoff cookies. The only other time the flight attendants came through the cabin was with water about 30 minutes before landing. We did not interact much with the flight attendants on this flight but the limited interaction we did have was not impressive. After taking our beverage order the flight attendant forgot what drink we had ordered and had to correct her. Also, on another occasion a flight attendant passed through the cabin saw garbage on the floor and left it there. As we approached landing I was happy to see beautiful San Juan, Puerto Rico in our sights and that the flight was almost over. Take Away
This was not an impressive flight and again showed the inconsistency of American Airline's fleet. The flight offered a terrible passenger experience including a loud ancient plane with bad in-flight entertainment, no overhead vents, no AC power, and bad overhead storage. I was able to survive flying on this plane because it was a relatively short three hour flight but American Airlines flies these planes on flights to Europe and South America which would be a miserable experience in economy. If you are an American Airlines elite flying on this route it does present a good opportunity to upgrade to lie-flat seats on a leisure route. However, if you flying in economy in particular on a long haul flight I would avoid this plane. 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. Flight Summary My first flight on the American Airlines transcontinental configured A321T and in lie-flat business class seats (sold as Main Cabin Extra) was short but enjoyable. The seats could use a refresh but were the most comfortable seats I have ever flow in. Pros- Comfortable lie-flat seating, amazing legroom, large IFE monitor, easy JFK connection. Cons- Scratched and dented interiors, and unresponsive in-flight entertainment. Trip Overview: European Adventures 2018 Flight Review: American Airlines A330-300 Economy CLT-LHR Hotel Review: London Marriott Regent's Park Food in London Flight Review: British Airways A319 Economy LGW-BCN Hotel Review: AC Hotel Irla Barcelona Train Review: Renfe Clase Turista Barcelona-Valencia Exploring Life in Valencia Exploring Life in Barcelona Flight Review: American Airlines 777-200 Economy BCN-JFK Flight Review: American Airlines A321T Business Class Seats JFK-DCA American Airlines JFK Connection When we landed at New York John F. Kennedy Airport (JFK) on our flight from Barcelona I was not looking forward to the connection at JFK. JFK served the largest number of international passengers in the United States in 2017 and I expected long lines at immigration and did not look forward to having to retrieve and re-check our bags. However, the process was relatively quick and simple as we used the Global Entry kiosks and once we exited customs American Airlines had a dedicated airport staff and kiosks to process customers arriving on international flights with JFK connections. We simply dropped off our bags at the counter went back through security and in total were back in the terminal in about 30 minutes from our plane landing. The longest part of the process was waiting for our bags. All American Airlines flights at JFK arrive and depart out of Terminal 8. American Airlines dominance in the terminal is reflected in a timeline outlining the history of the airline which as you enter the terminal is emblazoned on the terminal wall. Despite this dominance since the merger with U.S. Airways American Airlines has reduced its operations at JFK which once served served as an important hub for the legacy American Airlines. In the past year the airline has cut a large number of routes out of JFK and shifted much of its connecting business in the Northeast to the legacy U.S. Airways hub in Philadelphia (PHL). American Airlines strategy is to focus on high margin business route out of JFK, such as JFK-Los Angeles (LAX) and JFK-London Heathrow (LHR), and shift lower margin traffic to PHL which has cheaper operating costs. As a part of this strategy American Airlines also closed its second Admirals Club serving Concourse B(gates1-16) in JFK on September 1st, leaving only one Admirals Club in Concourse C (gates 31-47), and used this space to expand its Business Class lounge at JFK. Admirals Club JFK After we exited security we headed to the Admirals Club in Terminal C which I found to be large and empty. This was likely due to the American Airlines continued reduction in service, the opening of the Flagship Lounge at JFK which serves international and transcontinental First and Business Class passengers, and that were were flying on a Saturday afternoon. This was definitely the largest Admirals Club I had seen. The lounge had a wide variety of seating including chairs with a small table attached, high tops, and small chairs for dining. The lounge also had a large kids playroom, shower stalls, and great views of the tarmac. The one problem I had with the lounge was the service. Given that the only had a handful of people lounge you would expect the service to be excellent, however, it was not. We were in the lounge for an hour and the staff never cleared away our empty plates or glasses. However, despite the poor service I would recommend using this lounge because I found it to be a peaceful oasis from JFK airport and throughly enjoyed the plane spotting available from the lounge. Plane And Seats Our flight departed from Gate 42 the closest gate to the Admirals Club. We boarded quickly and passed through the A321T first class cabin into Business Class cabin. JFK-Washington National (DCA) is normally served by a mixture of regional aircraft and a Boeing 737-800, however, sometimes there is a substitute and the aircraft is used on some short haul flights out of JFK such as our flight to DCA. We got a notice of a schedule and equipment change a few months before our flight and I was very happy as the aircraft is normally used on American Airlines premium transcontinental flights from JFK to LAX and San Francisco (SFO). The biggest reason I was happy about this swap was that the first and Business Class cabins feature lie flat seating which is rare on domestic routes. If I was able to get one of the Business or First Class seats it would be my first time ever flying in a lie flat seat. On this flight the Business Class seats were sold as Main Cabin Extra and normally as American Airlines Gold elites we can select these seat free 24 hours before the flight and they can also be purchased in advanced by any Main Cabin passenger for an extra fee. However, on this flight these seats were blocked only for elite and at check-in we were able to select the bulkhead seats 6D and 6F! The A32T is premium heavy and only has 102 seats compared to 181-187 on other version of American Airlines's A321's. The first class cabin is arranged in a 1-1 configuration while the Business Class cabin is arranged in a 2-2 configuration and the rest of the main cabin is arranged in a 3-3 configuration. The first time I saw the lie-flat business class seats it brought a smile to my face because I was so excited to be trying out lie-flat seats for the first time. The 2-2 layout of American Airlines' A321T Business Class seat are great for traveling companions. It allowed us to talk with each other easily by putting down the privacy partition between the seats. It was also nice to have the ability to get up and access the aisle without disturbing a stranger. The seats already had amazing leg room in the seated position and because we were in the bulkhead the legroom seemed endless even with the seat in the upright mode. Christina was also very excited and as soon as the plane took off turned her seat into lie-flat mode. The seats were very comfortable in lie flat mode and when fully extended my legs fit comfortably into the footwell. However, the seats showed their age. First, the seat controls were not responsive, did not have many pre-set options, and were slow to go into lie flat mode. Second, the table between the seats had a lot of wear and tear. You could clearly see the scratch and dents all over the table. While this was the most comfortable seat I have sat in because of the great leg room, great width, and the ability to lie flat, the seats were clearly showing signs of there age and could use a refresh. In-Flight Entertainment All of the seats in Business Class had an in-flight entertainment (IFE) monitor which was about 15 inches wide. The screen was touchscreen but was affixed to the bulkhead so it was very difficult to you the touchscreen while seated. Instead, I relied on the remote which allowed me to select content on the IFE and control the volume. However, the handheld remote did not function well and the whole IFE was glitchy. For example, the remote showed episodes that were unavailable on the main screen. This plane certainly could use a new IFE system as I have seen better functioning systems on American's non-transcontinental configured A321 S aircraft. Take Away
I enjoyed getting a taste of the A321T Business Class on my short JFK-DCA flight. My connection at JFK was simple and painless. While I was unable to experience any of the Business Class amenities since the seat was sold as Main Cabin Extra I still enjoyed my first lie flat seat experience. The seat had amazing legroom, was comfortable both in seated and lie flat positions, and had a large IFE monitor. Despite these positives the A321T Business Class seats had significant wear and tear, the IFE remote was not very responsive, and the IFE system was glitchy. Overall, I would love to connect again at JFK on AA and to have the full A321T Business Class experience including the access to the Flagship Lounge. I believe that the seat would make for a comfortable ride on a transcontinental flight and I hope American Airlines brings a similar transcontinental experience to its DCA-LAX flights. 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. Flight Summary My first flight on a 777-200 was the best American Airlines I have ever taken. My experience reinforces how stark the differences are in equipment and service American Airlines offers at its various hubs and aircraft. Pros- Great in-flight entertainment, good food, friendly flight attendants, mood lighting, widely available power plugs, efficient boarding. Cons- Low quality wine selection Trip Overview: European Adventures 2018 Flight Review: American Airlines A330-300 Economy CLT-LHR Hotel Review: London Marriott Regent's Park Food in London Flight Review: British Airways A319 Economy LGW-BCN Hotel Review: AC Hotel Irla Barcelona Train Review: Renfe Clase Turista Barcelona-Valencia Exploring Life in Valencia Exploring Life in Barcelona Flight Review: American Airlines 777-200 Economy BCN-JFK Flight Review: American Airlines A321T Business Class Seats JFK-DCA Check In After our terrible stay at the AC Hotel Irla Barcelona we eagerly checked out of the hotel and headed to the Barcelona El Prat airport (BCN). The airport is located on the western edge of Barcelona and we took a taxi to the airport which cost about 41 dollars (35 euros). Barcelona El Prat has two terminals and Terminal Two primarily serves low cost carriers. Our flight departed out of Terminal One which was built in 2009 and I was impressed by the bright, beautiful, and modern terminal. We checked in at the American Airlines desk which was manned by contract workers. As was our experience at London Gatwick, the priority line was longer than the standard check in line but this time we waited in the priority line. After checking in we headed to security. One note of caution, once you clear security at this airport you once again need to pass through passport control to get to your flight at gate C or Gate D. Joan Miró VIP Lounge Barcelona El Prat has four VIP lounges, three of which are in Terminal One. These lounges serve many of the travelers flying in business or first class leaving on flights in their respective terminals. However, these lounges are all also accessible to passengers with Priority Pass membership. I am going to talk about the benefits of Priority Pass in future post but for frequent international traveling companions it is a potent membership. We had access to the Joan Miró VIP since we departed on an international flight. We took an elevator down one floor from the departure level to second floor to access the lounge. The check-in agent scanned our boarding passes and we quickly entered the lounge. This was the nicest lounge I have ever been to though I don't have much to compare it to since most of my lounge experience has been Admirals Clubs in the U.S. The lounge had a rest area which was dark and quiet. This was a great place for a weary traveller to take a nap. The lounge also had a small kid's play area with pink and blue chairs though no kids were in the lounge during our visit. Other amenities in the lounge included a shoe shine machine, the first time I have ever seen one, and shower stalls. The main part of the lounge featured worn but comfortable large black leather chairs. This part of the lounge also had views of the terminal and lots of natural light. The lounge had a separate dining area which had several food stations. These stations featured cold items such as Iberian ham, various cheeses, bananas, oranges, chocolate cookies, and chocolate croissants. The lounge's drink selection was particularly impressive and included a variety of alcohol and alcoholic drinks such as beer, wine, juices, soda, and chocolate milk. My biggest disappointment was the lounge did not have any hot food items. However, I was able to piece together a decent breakfast from the variety of cold food items. Overall, the lounge was comfortable and a good place to spend time waiting for our flight. The meal and drink selection was extensive enough that we did not buy breakfast or any drinks in the terminal. I would recommend that anyone with a Priority Pass membership departing on an international flight from BCN visit the Joan Miró VIP Lounge. Boarding Our flight departed out of D21 the closest gate to the lounge which was very convenient and allowed us to maximize our time in the lounge. Boarding for our flight began two minutes late and was very efficient even though one boarding machine was broken. No one boarded when group one and two were called and after a small group three we boarded very quickly in group four as this flight was very elite lite in economy. Plane and Seats We boarded the plane through the second door on the left side of the plane walked straight and turned right and passed through the rear business class cabin. I was immediately impressed by how modern this plane felt compared to the A330-300 we flew to London. The business class seats were lie flat and very impressive and I hope to try them on a future flight. We passed through the business class cabin and took our main cabin extra seats 14 J and K on the right side of the plane. The economy cabin had five lavatories. Three of these were at the center of the economy cabin and two were at the rear of the cabin while the business class cabin had two bathrooms at the center of the cabin and one at the front. This design was much more intuitive than the A330-300 and meant that the closest lavatory to someone at the front of the cabin was in the economy cabin and not in business class. Christina and I once again were able to score complimentary main cabin extra seats at check in thanks to our American Airlines Gold status. The main cabin extra seats had about 5-6 inches of additional pitch on the 777-200. The additional legroom made a huge difference on this eight and a half hour flight. However, unlike our flight from Charlotte (CLT) to London Heathrow (LHR) we chose seats in row 14 and not the bulkhead which I think was definitely the right decision on this aircraft. While bulkhead seats offer additional legroom they do not have moveable armrests which prevented us from putting up the armrest on our flight from CLT. This is an annoying feature if you are traveling with a traveling companion. Also, the bulkhead seats had in-flight entertainment (IFE) screens stowed in the arm rest which means that the seat width is reduced and you are unable to watch the in-fight entertainment gate-to-gate. I think we made the right decision choosing row 14 main cabin extra seats. However, a word of caution if you fly on a future American Airlines 777-200. American Airlines is streamlining its fleet of 777-200 aircraft and plans to install premium economy on all 777-200 aircraft. This means that row 14 will no longer be Main Cabin Extra and instead will have premium economy seats. While it is positive that American Airlines is giving customers a choice between economy and business class on international flights this mean a reduction of the number of main cabin extra seats for elites and other willing to pay for additional legroom. If you fly the 777-200 the plan is to start the economy cabin start at row 17 and feature this seat map. In Flight Entertainment Our seats featured seat back in-flight entertainment (IFE) monitors with one USB and one standard charger below the screen at each seat. This allowed for the charging of multiple devices at each seat and did not require sharing outlets which is common on American Airlines domestic flights. These monitors were touchscreen and similar to the monitors you will find on some American Airlines A321s and 737-300s with a few enhancements. First, they had a remote which could be used to scroll through and select media on the touchscreen. I found the touchscreen easy to use and very responsive so I primarily used the touchscreen to control the IFE but I appreciated having the option to use the remote. Second, the selection of movies and TV shows was significantly expanded over what is an already impressive selection on American Airlines' domestic IFE. Third, the screens allowed for a second person to plug into your IFE monitor and watch the same movie, TV show, or listen to the same music. The ability to share entertainment on the same screen with a traveling companion was a very cool feature. Meals Lunch meal service began with a bag of mini pretzels. Before the entree was served the flight attendants announced the entree choices in English, Spanish, and Catalan. The choices were turkey chorizo meatballs in tomato sauce or pasta penne with yogurt sauce. I appreciated that the flight attendants actually announced the ingredients in the dishes unlike the flight from Charlotte where they simply said chicken or pasta. Given my experience with the pasta dish on the flight from Charlotte I chose the turkey chorizo meatballs and it was a very good decision. The meatballs came with a serving of rice and vegetables including carrots, corn, and green beans. This was a very good entree particularly for an economy meal on a U.S. airline. The meal service also included a side salad which was boring and a piece of bread which was okay. The meal also came with cherry crumble cake for dessert which was good. As I mentioned previously, on flights to Europe and select international destinations American Airlines offers free wine and beer in the main cabin. On the flight from Charlotte I selected red wine and I did not enjoy it so this time around I chose white wine and it was just as bad. The wine was way too sharp and after two fails I have learned my lesson in economy on American Airlines flights don't order wine. About four hours into the flight the flight attendants served a snack of vanilla bean ice cream which of course was very good!
Service The biggest surprise of this flight was the great service by the flight attendants. I am so used to dismissive if not mean service from American Airlines flight attendants in economy that this service surprised me. The flight attendants were very efficient and completed meal service for the 215 seat economy cabin in less than one hour. They also worked really hard and passed through the cabin for three drinks services and two snack services. Also, the flight attendants were actually friendly. The flight attendant working our aisle noticed that Christina was cold and asked is she wanted another blanket. I believe that a significant factor in the improved service was that we were served by a New York John F. Kennedy Airport (JFK) based crew. JFK is a legacy American Airlines hub while Charlotte is a legacy U.S. Airways Hub and nearly four and a half years into the merger the flight scheduling for the flight attendants has not been merged. This means that legacy U.S. Airways flight attendants can only work legacy U.S. Airways aircraft and vice versa. I believe this really shows up in the service provided by the legacy U.S. Airways versus legacy American Airlines crew. American Airlines plans to merge it flight attendant scheduling system in October 2018. However, until then I would strongly encourage you to connect through legacy American Airlines hubs to improve your chances of getting better equipment and service. However, flying through JFK in American Airlines is going to be more difficult as American Airlines continues to reduce their presence at JFK. Take Away This flight showed American Airlines at its best and I would definitely take this flight again. I really enjoyed my first flight on the 777-200 and the plane was modern, had ample power, and great in-flight entertainment. The crew surprised me with their friendly and efficient service. This further reinforced the inconsistency of American Airlines fleet and service. I would recommend that you take the flight out of JFK if you are flying to or from Barcelona. 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. Flight Summary My first trans-Atlantic flight to London-Heathrow was one of the worst flights I have taken and showed that American Airlines needs to retire the A330-300s. Pros- Lots of leg room and a quick boarding. Cons-Horrible food, old plane, old and unresponsive in-flight entertainment, and cold service. Trip Overview: European Adventures 2018 Flight Review: American Airlines A330-300 Economy CLT-LHR Hotel Review: London Marriott Regent's Park Food in London Flight Review: British Airways A319 Economy LGW-BCN Hotel Review: AC Hotel Irla Barcelona Train Review: Renfe Clase Turista Barcelona-Valencia Exploring Life in Valencia Exploring Life in Barcelona Flight Review: American Airlines 777-200 Economy BCN-JFK Flight Review: American Airlines A321T Business Class Seats JFK-DCA Boarding We had a tight connection for our flight to London so we had no time to check out the Admirals Club in Charlotte. Our flight from Washington D.C. was scheduled to arrive at 5:15 pm but ended up arriving about 13 minutes early. However, we still had a tight connection for our flight to London which began boarding at gate D11 while our flight from DCA landed at gate B5 across the airport. Charlotte does not have an airport train so this meant that we had to sprint through the airport to our gate. Thankfully because of our Gold elite status with American Airlines we were seated in row 8 on our connecting flight and were able to quickly deplane and sprint across the airport to our gate. We arrived at our gate completely out of breath and having dodged numerous passengers in the terminal to find out that boarding hadn't commenced. Four minutes later boarding began and we boarded with Group 4 and were on the plane. Plane and Seats We boarded the plane through the second door on the left side of the plane. We were on the plane and in our seats in about two minutes the fastest boarding process I have ever experienced. This was due to the fact that we had the bulkhead seats 8A and 8B on the left side of the plane and immediately to the right of the boarding door. This flight continued our 100% streak of free main cabin extra seats as American Airlines Gold elites. Typically these seats are half off at booking and free at check-in for Gold elites. I thought that our steak would end on this flight because there are only 16 main cabin extra seats on American Airlines A330-300s and there were no main cabin extra seats available at check-in. However, about a few hours before boarding two main cabin extra seats opened and we upgraded our seats to Main Cabin Extra. The A330-300 cabin is set up in a 2-4-2 configuration in economy and we were able to score one of the two seats together on the left side of the plane which was great for us as couple. Even better these seats had about 36 inches of pitch compared to the standard 31 inches in economy on the A330-300. This was great for our nearly eight hour flight to London. In fact the legroom was so good that I was able to cross my legs and even get up and stretch during this flight. Our seats featured USB power plugs in the armrest and on the setback screen which has to be stowed during takeoff and landing in the bulkhead seats. Despite the extra legroom there were two big downsides to our seats. First, the armrests were immovable and this ended up being very uncomfortable for sleeping. Second, the proximity to the galley meant more light and noise. The cabin also featured a flight map in middle bulkhead of row 8. This map displayed information on the flight including the plane's location, remaining flight time, along with departure and arrival city time. As you can see in the photo below the A330-300 definitely is showing its age. The seats and the bulkhead had marks all over. I had significant issues sleeping on this flight and only managed about 30 minutes of sleep on the nearly eight hour flight. I typically cannot sleep on planes but this plane made the flight experience even worse. As a disclaimer Christina managed to sleep nearly six hours on this flight. The plane made a loud hum throughout the flight and the warm temperate of the cabin made it more difficult to go to sleep. I tried to use my noise cancelling headphones to block out the plane noise and my eye mask to filter the light coming from the galley but for the vast majority of the flight was unsuccessful. The departure time for the flight, about 6 pm, also did not help my sleep and in the future I will try to schedule a later departure time in an attempt to improve my sleep. Unfortunately, the issues with the plane were not just cosmetic and extended to the in-flight entertainment system. The in-flight entertainment had a selection of movies, tv shows, live television, music, and video games. American utilizes the same system on many of it's trans-continental flights and I thought that this selection was even more comprehensive than those flights. However, at times the system was completely unresponsive and during the flight I couldn't load any of the video games. The system functioned so poorly that a one point the flight attendants shut down and restarted the entire system. The touchscreen was old and very difficult to use. I found it cumbersome to scroll through the selection and the content loading very slowly. Despite the comprehensive selection this was one of the worse in-flight entertainment systems I have seen on a plane and it made my lack of sleep even more difficult to bear. Meals Dinner service began about 30 minutes after takeoff and the flight attendants started at the front of the cabin which meant we were served first. Separate food and drink carts went down both aisles. For dinner we were offered a choice between chicken and pasta. To drink we were offered a choice of soft drinks and a selection of complementary beer and a choice between red and white wine. On flights to Europe and select international destinations American offers free wine and beer in the main cabin. I chose the pasta dish and a glass of red wine. The pasta was served with a salad, olive oil and vinegar dressing, bread, a cheese wedge, crackers, and a caramel brownie. I must say that this was one of the worse meals I have ever had and by far the worst on an airplane. The salad was extremely bland with lettuce, shredded carrots, and no cheese. The wine was the worst red wine I have ever had. Christina described it as sharp and terrible. The pasta was a bland and flavorless excuse for pasta. The brownie was thick and dry. The only thing which was decent was the gruyere cheese with bread. I appreciate that American Airlines still offers complementary meals on transatlantic flight, however, I wish I has skipped this one. Service I appreciated that dinner service started quickly after takeoff since this allows passengers to maximize sleep on this relatively short night time transatlantic flight. However, this is about the only positive thing I can say about the service on the flight. The flight attendants were cold. One example of this was my interaction with the lead flight attendant when I attempted to go to use the business class bathroom during the meal service. Because of the poor design of the A330 the nearest economy bathroom on the plane was about 16 rows away from behind row 24. I have seen passengers on domestic American Airlines flights utilize the First Class restroom on numerous occasions without any issue if the aisle was blocked with the service cart. However, on this flight as I stepped into the business class lavatory I was strongly reprimanded and told to use the lavatory in the back of the cabin by the lead flight attendant. When she realized the dinner service was underway and the aisle blocked she offered to have the flight attendants stop service and bring the cart back to the front of the aisle to let me use the economy restroom. I said no thank you and proceeded back to my seat. I was absolutely in the wrong here for not using the economy lavatory and it is her job to enforce the rules, however, the sharp rebuke that I received from her that really disappointed me and was unnecessary. There is no need to be rude to someone just trying to use the lavatory. Also, I did wonder would she really prefer to stop the entire meal service and further delay passenger's sleep to stop my from using the business class lavatory which had no special amenities? On approach to London we circled the airport several times likely due to the significant amount of traffic generated by the early arrivals to London Heathrow. We landed in London at 6:45 am 30 minutes ahead of our scheduled arrival. Take Away
This flight showed American Airlines equipment at its worse. As a part of the merger with U.S. Airways American Airlines inherited many subpar planes, including the A330-300s, which primarily fly out of former U.S. Airways hubs. The A330-300s have an average age of about 18 years and definitely are showing their age. The poor equipment coupled with the cold service on this flight led to one of the worse flights I have ever had. Thankfully American Airlines plans to retire these planes by the end of 2020. Until this time I would recommend that you avoid flying an American Airlines A330-300 on a long haul route. 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. Winter in New Orleans Trip Report Winter in New Orleans Trip Overview Flight Review: AA E175 Main Cabin Extra DCA-MSY Hotel Review: AC Hotel New Orleans Bourbon/French Quarter Active in New Orleans Terminal and Admirals Club We showed up to the airport about two hours before our flight and because of TSA Pre-Check got through security in about 10 minutes. Washington National Airport (DCA) in my experience is one of the quickest airports for clearing security particularly when the TSA Pre-Check line is open. This is because the airport has four separate security check points for the gates, however, this is going to change with the construction project underway at DCA when all of the gates and many of the current pre-security stores will be accessible post-security. All American Airlines flight depart out of gates 23-34 in Terminal B and 35-45 in Terminal C. Our flight departed out of terminal B and as usual when departing DCA on American Airlines, with Christina, we stopped by the Admirals Club. There are Admirals Clubs located in Terminal B and C. Christina has access to the Admirals Club as an authorized user on the AAdvantage® Executive World Elite™ Mastercard®. This allows her to bring family members and up to two guests into the lounge. If you have ever been to an Admirals Club it is not impressive and at best is a quiet place to hydrate, recharge your electronics, and grab a snack before your flight. However, we have found the agents working at the Admirals Club to be very helpful in the case of a flight cancellation, delay, or seat changes. Boarding About 10 minutes before boarding we left the Admirals Club. This was my first flight as an AA Gold elite status (Christina had one flight in 2017 as a Gold) and I would argue that other than the additional miles the best feature of Gold status is access to complimentary main cabin extra at check-in. On this flight we initially chose economy seats reserved for elites, which are closer to the front of the cabin on the Embraer 175 (E-175). However, when we checked in were able to move to main cabin extra seats, normally $31 on this route, because of our AA Gold status. Plane and Seats These seats were comfortable and had 34” inches of pitch versus the standard 30” in economy on the E-175. One features of the E-175 which I do not appreciate is the presence of only one bathroom in the main cabin. For a plane holding 89 passengers having one bathroom is difficult. The bathroom was occupied almost throughout most of the flight. This is the one downside of being at the front of this plane and one passenger in main cabin extra simply decided to use the bathroom in the first class cabin. Meal and Service
In the flight we were served Biscoff cookies and a non-alcoholic refreshments which is standard for main cabin extra on domestic flights. However, American announced they will soon be rolling out complimentary beer, wine, and spirits in main cabin extra. I did appreciate that the first class flight attendant allowed me to store my suit in the closest typically reserved for the First Class Cabin passengers. Upon deplaning in New Orleans the flight attendant even had the suit waiting for me. Arrival Flying into New Orleans one of the things which struck me was how much water surrounds the city. The approach was fairly low and offered good view of the barges headed down the Mississippi River and into the Gulf of Mexico. The flight landed early at MSY deplaning was quick and we were off to our hotel. |
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