[Click above for the video review.]
Flight Number: AA2305
Route: JFK-SFO; New York (John F Kennedy International Airport Terminal 8) to San Francisco (San Francisco International Airport Terminal 2)
Class: First Class
Aircraft: Airbus A321-200 (321-231)
Registration: 321-231
Delivered: January 2014
Flight Duration: 6 hours 10 minutes
Distance: 2583 Miles
Overall Impression:
What is it like to fly American Airlines Domestic transcontinental First Class between New York and San Francisco? Come join me and let’s fly on American’s Airbus A321T across the US!
American Airlines is the only carrier which offers 3 classes of service on the New York/Boston to San Francisco/Los Angeles markets operated by their Airbus A321-T aircraft. There are 10 first class seats laid out in a 1-1 reverse herringbone configuration. All the seats are full flat and have direct aisle access. The seats were very comfortable for the 6 hour flight across the US. The onboard service was done in typical AA fashion —efficient, but a bit lukewarm. The inflight catering was decent, though not astounding. Transcontinental First Class passengers are also allowed entry into the Flagship Dining section of the AA Flagship Lounge in JFK as well as a dedicated check-in area and security line. In my opinion, the best feature of the product is the flagship dining, which offers made to order restaurant quality food, as well as top shelf wine and liquor including the well coveted KRUG champagne. Overall I liked AA’s transcon first class product. It’s one of the best seats in the domestic market, but the inflight service and food could use some improvement. Let’s fly and join me on this journey across the US on American.
What I liked:
AA’s Flagship Dining at JFK Airport – As you can see from the video, there’s plenty of food and beverage options including made to order restaurant quality food. There’s also plenty of seating since the section is exclusively for First Class passengers traveling on international and transcontinental flights. Krug anyone?
The Seat – The reverse herringbone seats offers plenty of privacy and space. The seat reclines into a full flat bed and AA offers Casper branded pillows and duvet for a more comfortable sleep. Not to mention all first class seats have both direct aisle access and window views.
The cabin temperature & air nozzles – One thing I love about AA is they keep their cabins cool during the flight which is conducive to sleep. The air nozzles also help you cool down during boarding when it gets hot.
What I didn’t like:
The IFE – This plane uses a slightly different IFE system than the ones AA have on their 777s. Sadly, it seems you can only navigate the IFE content using the touchscreen remote, which I’m not real fond of. There were a large selection of movies, TV and Audio content, and games.
The lavatory – The First Class lavatory was as spartan as it gets. There were no amenities other than paper towels, facial tissues and hand soap. Granted, amenity kits are given to all first class passengers but it would have been nice to have a bottle of lotion or face mist in the first class lav.
It was OK…I guess:
The food – Onboard catering was just OK. The meal service starts right after takeoff and there are plenty of food items to choose from in the menu. The presentation and taste could use some work, but it wasn’t bad.
The onboard service – The flight attendants delivered decent service during the flight. They weren’t overly attentive and engaging, but they were efficient in delivering our beverages and meals. Pre-departure beverage service were offered upon boarding.
TravelingFoody.com 