We’ve focused so much attention on labor relations at American Airlines, but I want to give credit to AA for a great flight onboard the 787-9 in business class. The onboard product and service are quite nice.
American Airlines 787-9 Business Class: Another Great Flight
My wife and I recently flew from Chicago to Los Angeles. As I warned after the latest round of MileagePlus devaluations, I am much more willing to deviate from United Airlines and be a free agent when purchasing airfare.
United and American were similarly priced, but American was running a widebody jet with lie-flat seats versus a 737 MAX 9 on United. It wasn’t a hard choice and access to the Flagship Lounge (via my British Airways status match) before the flight made the choice even easier.
Yes, our flight was delayed by almost an hour–operations at American Airlines have improved, but delays persist. And yes, this was a rolling delay with no communication from the gate. United is not immune from delays, but at least is generally good at providing a specific reason for the delays and minimizing rolling delays.
But onboard, the cabin was lovely. Heidi and I enjoyed the lie-flat bed, which made our late-evening journey to Los Angeles so much more pleasant.
While the comfortable seat came as no surprise, the pleasant surprise was the excellent service and meal onboard.
First, the mixed nuts contain pistachios and pecans…two of my favorites and so much better than the broken cashews and almonds served on United.
I pre-ordered short ribs with macaroni & cheese and the dish was excellent. So were the side salads: both a green salad and a refreshing mix of corn, beans, and bell peppers served over arugula and topped with feta cheese.
Then dessert was a choice of fruit and cheese, ice cream, or cake (or all three…), a much nicer dessert than the little cake square or sliver of cake United offers.
Just to compare, here’s a recent dinner I had on United on the same route leaving at the same time a week prior:
AA for the win.
Both United and American offer an excellent IFE library, but Wi-Fi was $29.99 on American Airlines versus $8 on United and this flight had no T-Mobile option. AA Wi-Fi is reliable, but too pricey. That’s a strong factor in favor of United, though if I flew AA more often I would buy a monthly pass.
Service was also excellent. Even though the flight attendants were wearing massive “ready to strike” badges issued by their union, they provided attentive and caring service…better than I’ve had recently on United domestic flights in terms of frequently offering beverage refills.
All things considered, it was a great flight. The grass is not always greener on the other side, but this was a pleasant journey.
“As I warned after the latest round of MileagePlus devaluations, I am much more willing to deviate from United Airlines and be a free agent when purchasing airfare.”
Same here. I’m on Southwest this week and next. I wouldn’t have done that in the past.
since when does AA offer flagship lounge access on ORD-LAX?
Since I have a British Airways Executive Club Gold card! 😉
that’ll work, though I’d argue cheating 🙂
No wonder they’re losing money w/ widebodies on domestic routes w/ such outstanding catering LOL
Maybe, Matt took the trip in May, because seatguru.com shows all flt.s on that route in June will
use a 737 for American. I did ck. seat width on 787, it’s 21″, compared to United’s only 20″ width.
Yes. Was late May.
Offering short ribs on a domestic flight seems a bit generous, but wow this is a clear example of why United needs to step up on catering. You should forward this story to some United executives, because they always talk about improving food but haven’t done it. This is a great example of what it should look like.
I’m sure they have read it. 😉
This is why I don’t fly UAL unless I have to. It’s not worth the money. And I used to insist on flying them.
I took their Flagship First BOS-LAX just over a year ago and the flight attendant serving the cabin could have been straight from Southwest. Very unrefined but well intentioned. Alas, with my new Executive Club Gold, I’ve been on AA and AS a lot more recently thanks to the LAX Lounges.
Interesting. I am glad to see you moving from UA for a variety of reasons. Not that I dislike UA but the catering is horrible and has been for years. Also as a (former) Corporate travel Manager in San Francisco..with SABRE automation.. I have not particular love for UA (Just say “NO”). That being said, I have a great dislike for AA (won’t even begin…” BUT really happy that you had such a nice experience and my AA people tell me that the F/a’s are really trying
AA often gets a bad rap from frequent travelers, and while there are things I find subpar such as their abysmal App, I have had pretty good experiences in terms of on board services. I’m Exp and my wife Plat Pro . Last week on a fully booked flight from BNA to CLT we were upgraded with ease several hours before the flight. Had done nothing but request the upgrade and it came through automatically.
And a recent J class flight from FCO to JFK was perfectly fine with a very attentive crew. In fact the FA recognized my Exp and offered me a pre departure beverage before that service had begun
I know YMMV and things aren’t always consistent but I’m generally pleased
Miles or paid may I ask? And how many or much. Thanks.
AA has free T-Mobile wifi on all BUT the international wide body planes, which use the satellite wifi. It is way too expensive, indeed, but only matters on those flights. Further, at least there is a credit. I made exceptional use of my Executive Card between that, AC access, and Grubhub monthly credits (pick up counts).
I’ve been taking quite a few west coast flights from MCO on Alaska (nonstops), they also have tmobile on all thier 737 flights fwiw.
Just flew the 787-8 yesterday from Naples to PHL and I too was impressed.
Seat comfort, food, service and entertainment choices really made my 9 hour flight easy to take. And the aircraft I was on had the business cabin with all seats pointing forward so no shaking your neighbor!
Good for American Airlines. I just wish that every flight on AA was as pleasant as yours was. AA is inconsistent in its service. Hopefully the Flight Attendants will feel better about their careers after an agreement is met (after striking).
I’ve taken AA 787-9s Chicago-Phoenix and back multiple times when AA offers them. Absolutely a step up whether business seats or no-cost (for Plat Pro) premium economy.
UAL offers vastly more widebodies than AA and is almost always cheaper, but the experience is consistently slightly better on AA.
I scored the premium economy seat for free when I was EXP from MIA-LAX and it is a very nice upgrade indeed.
I have had mostly good experience with inflight service on AA over the years. If they can manage the rolling delays better I’ll have no complaints. But to be fair the last week of May had the worst weather I have seen in over 20+ years in Dallas.