AA 1487/283 ORD-LAX-HNL in F (Part 1 - long)
Aug 23, 2003, 1:29 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: Chicago, IL
Programs: AA EXP (LT Plat 2MM), Marriott Plat, IHG Plat, HHonors Diamond, Hyatt Plat, SPG Plat75, UA1K
Posts: 1,248
AA 1487/283 ORD-LAX-HNL in F (Part 1 - long)
I am attending a convention in HNL and had a chance to try the new 763 configuration on AA.
August 22, 2003
AA #1487 ORD-LAX Seat 6B (moved to 3F)
Scheduled 9:44am-11:55am
Actual 9:44am-11:30am (at gate at 11:50am)
Arrived at the airport early thanks to a quick cab and no traffic on the Kennedy Expressway. There were no lines at the ticket counter and I toyed with the idea of getting onto the nonstop (#73) ORD-HNL. I then figured that I had an upgrade confirmed to LAX and was still on the upgrade waitlist with an exit row from LAX-HNL confirmed and that was better than a middle seat for 8 hours. The agent checked me in quickly and added me to the airport waitlist for the LAX-HNL sector. Went to the AC and checked e-mail and voicemail and set off to the gate. While in the AC, I checked with the agent about the real possibilities of an upgrade out of LAX. Galileo was showing F0A0X0 and wanted to see how realistic my shot was. She said that there were actually 9 seats open in F by Y was oversold so they had blocked off the F cabin for sale as they would be rolling the cabins. She said that I would need to check at the gate or the LAX AC but I was (at the moment) #1 on the list and it shouldn’t be an issue.
Boarding of the B-738 was quick and I saw that 3EF were still open. I know, I risked menu selection by moving up there but I had a ton of work to get done so I risked the breakfast choice. Coffee, OJ and water were offered prior to departure. We had a very chatty captain who shared all the fun facts for the pax (GTW waould be 149,000lbs, we would fly at 81% of the speed of sound, takeoff spead would be 176MPH).
Once in the air, the FA’s in the First Class cabin began service with beverages. Breakfast options this morning were the following:
Sliced Seasonal Fresh Fruit (cantalope, honeydew, grapes and a lone strawberry) with either
Breakfast Quesadilla (eggs, cheese in a tortilla) served with chorizo and grilled pineapple and a side of salsa or
Cereal and yogurt or
Fresh Fruit Plate and Breakfast Pastry
All were served with choice of Biscuit or Bagel.
The Breakfast Quesadilla was certainly interesting! The eggs were still somewhat fluffy and the moist. The chorizo/pineapple combo was actually pretty disgusting. The pineapple would have been good on its own, but the enzymes in the pineapple made the meat almost mushy. The thing the biscuits were warm, fluffy and oh so good! Following the meal service, the FA’s were through the cabin several times topping off coffee, juice or offering water.
Inflight entertainment was “What a Girl Wants” a typical summer teenage girl flick – so I didn’t feel guilty catching up on work. We arrived early into LAX but were held up due to traffic in the alley leading to our gate. We had to wait for an AA MD80 and 767 to clear and a KE 744 to mosey on out of the way.
AA #283 LAX-HNL Seat 21H (Upgraded to 6G)
Scheduled 12:45pm-3:18pm
Actual 1:15pm-3:38pm
Got into LAX and checked at the AC about my upgrade – BINGO! Scored my first shot at the new International Business Cabin on a 763 and got the last row (FEBO in action!). I have to say that I can not wait for the new LAX AC to open, the current club is an absolute P-I-T! The bathrooms are gross, it is dingy and dated –overall YUCH. There appeared to be several folks going through orientation in preparation of the new club opening.
Boarding began on time and the main door was closed on time at 12:45pm. During the boarding process, water, sparkling wine and mimosas were offered. The overall feel of the cabin is truly the same as the former Business Class cabin. The cabin runs from the forward lav/galley area to what used to be Row 8 of the old configuration (the row with the missing window). Overall it is a VAST improvement over the old Hawaii configuration -–lots of room to spread out. The downsides to the cabin, in my estimation, are that the both F/J class lavs are located on the left side of the aircraft (meaning that those on the G/H/J side of the aircraft have to cross over). Also, on non-International Flagship Service routes (meaning you get DVD players), rows 5 and 6 are pretty far back from the screen and there are no ceiling mounted video units. For those with poor eyesight this coulb be an issue.
We were delayed on the ground close to 40 minutes between the late loading of baggage and waiting to taxi and take-off. We took off from the north side of LAX and had the chance to do the “Grand Tour” of LAX. While on the ground, had a chance to do a little plane spotting (3 QF 744’s waiting for the late night runs to Oz, ANA’s 777, LH, Asiana, JL x2, TG and Sq 744’s all at the Bradley International Terminal). One aircraft that I still feel captures the beauty of it’s destination was Air Tahiti Nui’s A340 heading off to PPT.
Once airborne, service began almost as soon as the fasten seatbelt sign was turned off. Beverages and warm nuts were offered followed by hot towels. No menus were offered as others have noted. FEBO was in full swing with a selection of three entrees. The menu was as follows:
Salad of mixed greens with a side of cold rice noodles and two slices of very rare roast beef with either a Ginger Sesame dressing or Vinaigrette
Twin Medallions of Filet Mignon served with sautéed carrots and zucchini and sesame rice
Or
Red Snapper with a tomato salsa along with bok choy and rice
Or
Grilled Chicken with BBQ Sauce and cheddar mashed potatoes
Sourdough or Cheddar Rolls and Butter
Ice Cream Sundaes with Hot Fudge, Butterscotch or Strawberry Sauce
Or
Fresh Fruit Plate
After Dinner Cordials, Coffee or Tea
Wines were a Cabernet Sauvignon or a Montes Chardonnay
Overall, meal was quality was very good and portion size was appropriate (okay, I have been on Weight Watchers the past 5 months so I guess YMMV!). The complete meal service took about 1 ¾ hours – a nice leisurely pace. After the service, water bottles were passed out and I took a wee bit of a nap (okay, stretched out for an hour!). The flights attendants – for the time I was awake, seemed to be pasing through the cabin continuously. The FA’s wer all LA based and not the “senior mommas” that work the flights out of ORD or STL. They were all very personable and seemed to be having a good time.
August 22, 2003
AA #1487 ORD-LAX Seat 6B (moved to 3F)
Scheduled 9:44am-11:55am
Actual 9:44am-11:30am (at gate at 11:50am)
Arrived at the airport early thanks to a quick cab and no traffic on the Kennedy Expressway. There were no lines at the ticket counter and I toyed with the idea of getting onto the nonstop (#73) ORD-HNL. I then figured that I had an upgrade confirmed to LAX and was still on the upgrade waitlist with an exit row from LAX-HNL confirmed and that was better than a middle seat for 8 hours. The agent checked me in quickly and added me to the airport waitlist for the LAX-HNL sector. Went to the AC and checked e-mail and voicemail and set off to the gate. While in the AC, I checked with the agent about the real possibilities of an upgrade out of LAX. Galileo was showing F0A0X0 and wanted to see how realistic my shot was. She said that there were actually 9 seats open in F by Y was oversold so they had blocked off the F cabin for sale as they would be rolling the cabins. She said that I would need to check at the gate or the LAX AC but I was (at the moment) #1 on the list and it shouldn’t be an issue.
Boarding of the B-738 was quick and I saw that 3EF were still open. I know, I risked menu selection by moving up there but I had a ton of work to get done so I risked the breakfast choice. Coffee, OJ and water were offered prior to departure. We had a very chatty captain who shared all the fun facts for the pax (GTW waould be 149,000lbs, we would fly at 81% of the speed of sound, takeoff spead would be 176MPH).
Once in the air, the FA’s in the First Class cabin began service with beverages. Breakfast options this morning were the following:
Sliced Seasonal Fresh Fruit (cantalope, honeydew, grapes and a lone strawberry) with either
Breakfast Quesadilla (eggs, cheese in a tortilla) served with chorizo and grilled pineapple and a side of salsa or
Cereal and yogurt or
Fresh Fruit Plate and Breakfast Pastry
All were served with choice of Biscuit or Bagel.
The Breakfast Quesadilla was certainly interesting! The eggs were still somewhat fluffy and the moist. The chorizo/pineapple combo was actually pretty disgusting. The pineapple would have been good on its own, but the enzymes in the pineapple made the meat almost mushy. The thing the biscuits were warm, fluffy and oh so good! Following the meal service, the FA’s were through the cabin several times topping off coffee, juice or offering water.
Inflight entertainment was “What a Girl Wants” a typical summer teenage girl flick – so I didn’t feel guilty catching up on work. We arrived early into LAX but were held up due to traffic in the alley leading to our gate. We had to wait for an AA MD80 and 767 to clear and a KE 744 to mosey on out of the way.
AA #283 LAX-HNL Seat 21H (Upgraded to 6G)
Scheduled 12:45pm-3:18pm
Actual 1:15pm-3:38pm
Got into LAX and checked at the AC about my upgrade – BINGO! Scored my first shot at the new International Business Cabin on a 763 and got the last row (FEBO in action!). I have to say that I can not wait for the new LAX AC to open, the current club is an absolute P-I-T! The bathrooms are gross, it is dingy and dated –overall YUCH. There appeared to be several folks going through orientation in preparation of the new club opening.
Boarding began on time and the main door was closed on time at 12:45pm. During the boarding process, water, sparkling wine and mimosas were offered. The overall feel of the cabin is truly the same as the former Business Class cabin. The cabin runs from the forward lav/galley area to what used to be Row 8 of the old configuration (the row with the missing window). Overall it is a VAST improvement over the old Hawaii configuration -–lots of room to spread out. The downsides to the cabin, in my estimation, are that the both F/J class lavs are located on the left side of the aircraft (meaning that those on the G/H/J side of the aircraft have to cross over). Also, on non-International Flagship Service routes (meaning you get DVD players), rows 5 and 6 are pretty far back from the screen and there are no ceiling mounted video units. For those with poor eyesight this coulb be an issue.
We were delayed on the ground close to 40 minutes between the late loading of baggage and waiting to taxi and take-off. We took off from the north side of LAX and had the chance to do the “Grand Tour” of LAX. While on the ground, had a chance to do a little plane spotting (3 QF 744’s waiting for the late night runs to Oz, ANA’s 777, LH, Asiana, JL x2, TG and Sq 744’s all at the Bradley International Terminal). One aircraft that I still feel captures the beauty of it’s destination was Air Tahiti Nui’s A340 heading off to PPT.
Once airborne, service began almost as soon as the fasten seatbelt sign was turned off. Beverages and warm nuts were offered followed by hot towels. No menus were offered as others have noted. FEBO was in full swing with a selection of three entrees. The menu was as follows:
Salad of mixed greens with a side of cold rice noodles and two slices of very rare roast beef with either a Ginger Sesame dressing or Vinaigrette
Twin Medallions of Filet Mignon served with sautéed carrots and zucchini and sesame rice
Or
Red Snapper with a tomato salsa along with bok choy and rice
Or
Grilled Chicken with BBQ Sauce and cheddar mashed potatoes
Sourdough or Cheddar Rolls and Butter
Ice Cream Sundaes with Hot Fudge, Butterscotch or Strawberry Sauce
Or
Fresh Fruit Plate
After Dinner Cordials, Coffee or Tea
Wines were a Cabernet Sauvignon or a Montes Chardonnay
Overall, meal was quality was very good and portion size was appropriate (okay, I have been on Weight Watchers the past 5 months so I guess YMMV!). The complete meal service took about 1 ¾ hours – a nice leisurely pace. After the service, water bottles were passed out and I took a wee bit of a nap (okay, stretched out for an hour!). The flights attendants – for the time I was awake, seemed to be pasing through the cabin continuously. The FA’s wer all LA based and not the “senior mommas” that work the flights out of ORD or STL. They were all very personable and seemed to be having a good time.
Aug 23, 2003, 3:18 pm
#2
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Seattle
Programs: Alaska Airlines
Posts: 1,570
I liked this alot ORDPLATAA...
Must have been great to have more comfy space to lounge about in.
So glad you enjoyed the AA new configuration to HNL...my hometown.
Blessings...
------------------
Patrick A. Inouye, LMT
volunteer trip reports moderator
Must have been great to have more comfy space to lounge about in.
So glad you enjoyed the AA new configuration to HNL...my hometown.
Blessings...
------------------
Patrick A. Inouye, LMT
volunteer trip reports moderator