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Airline: American Airlines (AA)
Flight Number: AA198
Route: JFK-MXP
Class: Business Class
Aircraft: Boeing 777-200ER
Registration: N792AN
Delivered: July 2000
Flight Duration: 7 Hours 25 Minutes
Distance: 3,995 Miles
Overall Impression:
We got lucky that the aircraft operating our flight had the B/E Aerospace seats instead of the “shaking” Zodiac Concept D seats on this outbound flight from JFK. Then to our suprise, it appears that the pre-pandemic AA service was back. Pre-departure beverages were offered to business class passengers. During the flight, hot towels were also offered in addition to the service in addition to the 3 course meal service. Oh and the ice cream sundae is back! Per usual, the in-flight catering was was edible, but could be better in terms of presentation.
What I liked:
The seats – I like these B/E Aerospace seats, though I’m not sure if I like them better than the business class seats on the 777-300ER. The seat offers plenty of personal space and storage. It was comfortable for lounging, dining upright. For sleeping, I found that I tended to hit hit the pullout table while rolling over to my side. Not a problem for shorter people like me, but could be a huge nuisance for taller folks. I also liked that there were personal air nozzles available to keep me cool during the flight.
The onboard service – The crew on this flight was pretty good. The flight attendants working our aisle delivered quick and efficient service during the flight. Pre-departure beverage service is back along with hot towels.
The IFE – AA’s Panasonic IFE is among my favorite in the sky. The interface is intuitive and responsive. There was also plenty of media content and my favorite Voyager moving map app to keep me occupied during this transatlantic flight.
The Flagship Lounge at JFK – I’m glad that the Flagship Lounge is now offering pre-pandemic food and beverages again. The buffet spread and beverage offerings were plenty. The lounge staff constantly checked on us and cleared our tables.
What I didn’t like:
Expensive WiFi Service – In-flight WiFi used to be $20 for the entire flight, but it appears the price has gone up almost double to $35.
It was OK…I guess:
The catering – As I mentioned above the catering out of JFK was OK and edible, but they could really make the presentation better. The salad and cold chicken starter tasted light and fresh, and the vegetarian rigatoni that I pre-ordered was surprisingly very good. Although the sea bass dish that my companion ordered was disappointing. Of course the traditional ice cream sundae for the dessert was the highlight of the meal for me. The pre-arrival meal was probably the most disappointing. The Cheddar Omelet was soggy and the fruits did not taste fresh. As a consolation, the crew did a good job to setup the walk-up snackbar mid-flight for a quick snack.
The Amenities – AA offers a Shinola business class amenity kit, which I am not a fan of compared to their previous kits. Bang and Olufsen noise canceling headphones (collected 45 minutes before landing), bottled water, and a full-size pillow and duvet set were also provided. No slippers or pajamas on this route though…
americanairlines #businessclass #mxp #jfk #boeing #777 #777200ER
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