Oh, American Airlines…you have such potential, but you have to get the little things right. My latest “Flagship” business class light on the A321T from New York to Los Angeles is another case study of AA not even trying…
Another Pathetic Flight In American Airlines A321T “Flagship” Business Class: These Planes Are Literally Falling Apart Inside
After several weeks of work in Pennsylvania, I flew home from Pittsburgh to Los Angeles via New York on American Airlines, which meant a lie-flat seat in business class on the Airbus A321T from JFK to LAX. I am always thankful for a lie-flat seat on a transcontinental flight and as I embrace free agency in 2025 (rather than pure loyalty to United Airlines), I’m going to be flying on more carriers this year.
I booked rather close to departure and assigned myself seat 6D, a bulkhead aisle seat in business class, because there were no window seats left. An added advantage of the bulkhead is a bit more space for your feet. I rose at 5:00 am to get to PIT and spent three hours working in the Admirals Club there then another four hours in the Greenwich Lounge in JFK.
My objective was to relax on the flight: to watch a movie, which I had not done in many months.
Onboard, I found my seat cushion broken…
And my power port did not work…
Some of you may be thinking, haven’t I read this before? Yes, you have…because last August I flew on the same aircraft type in the opposite direction and had the same two issues. On my last A321T flight from LA to Boston my power port also did not work.
But this flight was even worse…the screens also did not work.
I asked a flight attendant if she could reset my system and she said, “Oh, didn’t they tell you?”
Tell me what?
“These screens have been written up: they don’t work any longer. You can use your phone…”
You can try to reset the system yourself by holding down the power button, but it did not work…
AA Should Be Ashamed Of Itself For Failing To Maintain A321T
Not one, not two, but three flights in a row with a broken power port? Three flights in a row with a loose cushion? And a screen that does not work on a six-hour “Flagship” flight.
There is no excuse. I know AA is retiring these aircraft soon and therefore has little incentive to pour a lot of time and money into maintenance. But this is still ridiculous…a business class passenger should (at the very least!) expect the seat, screen, and power outlet to function.
If AA ever wants to earn a revenue premium (and goodness knows it certainly needs to with its high-cost structure), it must get the little things right.
I did not request compensation for the previous two flights, but I really should, right? At least for this one? I’ve never asked AA for compensation in my life…what does it generally offer for stuff like this? Really, the FA should have proactively offered me and my seatmate something…
And AA does have potential…the meal on the flight was actually very good (nice appetizer, salad, and halibut and a beautiful ice cream sundae). The service was generally good. We arrived at LAX 45 minutes and this time (unlike this time) we did not have to wait an hour for a gate…
So it’s not like AA does everything wrong…
CONCLUSION
American Airlines will never be great if it cannot do small things like maintain its aircraft. This is my third transcontinental flight in a row without power…there is no excuse.
Between JFK-LAX, AA is now often the cheapest in J (and also when you compare with UA out of EWR). There are some times, AA J is only a bit more than Premium Select on DL. It’s likeAA has just given up.
Is that a serious question. How do you expect an airline to change if you don’t complain and point out that you don’t have to fly AA? They already got your money. Not saying anything to the airline means that everything is going great for them. I *always* take the time to fill out surveys and complain when a product isn’t what they sold me.
The A321XLR cannot come soon enough. I fly AA as my primary airline and sad to see stories like this emerge. Seems like they stopped investing in maintaining the seats/features on this aircraft due to their coming reconfiguration, which I think is a bad idea given how important the transcon routes are. You should definitely ask for compensation. Usually you’ll get 5-15k points based on the issue type and my own past experience. You should get what you paid for in other words. Glad to see the meal was a hit at least.
That definitely sucks. It should be better. But honestly, isn’t that just life in the USA today? Nothing works.
I stayed at a Hyatt House last week. Ice machine broken. Peloton broken. Washer/dryer broken. Elevator out of service. Is there a single moving sidewalk at MIA that works? Wi-Fi didn’t work on my flight last night. In fact Wi-Fi seems to be down everywhere. The soda machine at Taco Bell at lunch today didn’t work.
Everything’s broken (or awaiting maintenance). People seem to accept it here because it isn’t like this in Europe, or Canada, or Asia. To me it’s almost more of a surprise if everything works as it’s supposed to.
The last time I complained to AA about a service issue, I asked for and received $250 in funny money. Given that it’s happened 3 times now, I’d try for that, or maybe 20-25k miles if you prefer those.
We arrived at LAX 45 minutes and this time (unlike this time) we did not have to wait an hour for a gate…
Did you arrive LAX 45 minutes early or late? You dont mention.
To clarify – AA is not retiring A321T, only the seats where they will be refurbished to domestic Oasis config.
I’m on this route somewhat often — do you know the registration number of this aircraft (so that it can be avoided)?
I think AA might be a little busy focusing on other things at the moment. Perhaps hold some critiques or criticism for a later date, you know … in the interest of Humanity and empathy. I mean really?
Until American Airlines divorces itself from the hangers on from America West Management it will remain sub standard in many aspects IMHO