American Airlines Trip report in First Class GRU-MIA-MCO...Lots of Pics
Oct 21, 2009, 9:42 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Dallas, TX
Programs: AA Exec Plat, BAEC Bronze, UA Silver, DL Silver, Marriott Titanium, IHG Diamond
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American Airlines Trip report in First Class GRU-MIA-MCO...Lots of Pics
I had just landed from my flight from Johannesburg with SAA and made my way to the check in counters for American Airlines. I landed at 4:30pm and because the flight to Dallas was only at 9:45 check in hadn’t opened yet, but it was only five minutes until all the staff arrived and took their stations.
Check in area
Check in way a bit chaotic as there was no First or Business class counter or line, so we all had to stand in a line and get our passports checked while they looked through piles of paper with your name and flight details on which they later staple to my boarding pass. Once the paper was found and my passport was checked I asked if there was a First Class counter and the gentleman sent me to the front of the line. It was a 3 minute wait until I was at the counter. I was flying through Dallas to get to Orlando, but I knew that there was a flight to Miami which departed 30 minutes prior to the Dallas flight and asked if it was possible to instead fly through Miami and then onto Orlando. After a few clicks and a phone call my boarding passes were printed all the way through to Orlando via Miami, I did this because I would get home 4 hours earlier than if I went through Dallas.
My bags were tagged with priority tags and I went off to security. Once again there is no priority line and you have to wait. Security and passport control really weren’t that busy and I was through within 5 minutes. I walked around the airport and was very disappointed at the lack of stores or restaurants compared to Johannesburg. So I went up to the Admirals Lounge which was quite empty at the time and requested a shower. I went and got some snacks and a drink and sat down to relax. There were about 10 people in the lounge at that time and throughout the evening it filled up until eventually it got quite full.
I had a shower, which was one of the best showers I have had in a lounge and it was nice to feel fresh again.
The Lounge
The shower
I read the newspapers and went onto my laptop to go through emails while using the lounges free and fast Wi-Fi. I left for the gate around 20 minutes before boarding was scheduled to start as I wanted to take a slow stroll and not rush. Tonight’s flight was to be on a 777, which I saw while waiting for 5 minutes before First and Business Class boarding began. There were only 7 people in the queue which speeded up the process. Within 3 minutes I was welcomed onboard and sitting in my seat. The Purser came and introduced himself and offered me a menu and a drink. Orange juice, water or Champagne were the options. All were served in plastic cups which I thought was very disappointing as my previous flight a few hours before on SAA in Premium Class was served in glasses. And now I’m in First class on American Airlines and getting plastic!
It took about 25 minutes for the plane to board and in the end the loads were quite light: There were 7 of us in First Class, 10 in Business and coach was about three quarters full. An elderly flight attendant looked at me from the galley just after the purser had offered the pre departure drinks and came to me and said ‘How old are you?’ I replied that I was 20 and she lit up with a smile and said that I looked very young, but she was glad to have me onboard. I thought that it was quite strange, but enjoyed the fact that I made her smile.
The empty cabin
Seat controls
seat swiveled to face the window
decent amount of legroom
My seat (2J)
Small TV
We took off on time and once the seat belt sign was turned off the crew were in motion with more drinks (this time in real glass) and warm nuts. They came and took everyone’s orders and I decided that I would have the smoked Salmon and herb marinated shrimp as my appetizer, Leek & Crabmeat soup with bread as my second course and Parmesan Crusted Chicken on a salad for my main. I had fruit salad as my dessert.
Warm Nuts
Soup and Shrimp
Chicken
Dessert
The food, apart from the soup was again disappointing as I honestly felt that the quality of the food on SAA was better. The service was very good and the crew always made sure that you had a topped up glass and that you were comfortable.
After dinner I went to the restroom to freshen up and change into my PJ’s (my own as we were not supplied with any) and then proceeded to put my seat into bed mode. One thing that I took note of was that the crew cleared all the pillows and duvets off all the seats that were not occupied while I was in the restroom. I wasn’t that happy about that as I planned to fold a duvet and put it on top of the seat and then use my duvet to sleep, This is what I did on SAA and it proved to be extremely comfortable. But I had a travel blanket in my roll on and placed that on the seat to help soften it a bit.
I managed to sleep for 5 hours; the flight attendant had to wake me for breakfast as I had chosen the hot option, which was served 1 and a half hours prior to landing. After breakfast I went and got changed and freshened up. When I returned to my seat I noticed that all the empty seats now had their duvets and pillows back, but the duvets were opened, so obviously the crew used them?
Breakfast was okay, but I had 3 hours in Miami which I planned to spend in the Flagship Lounge, so I knew that there should be something decent there.
Breakfast was a vegetarian omelette with fruit and fresh pasteries
We landed on time and I was the first one off the plane and through passport control. The bags with priority tags took about 5 minutes to arrive after waiting at the carousel, which I thought was pretty good. I took my bag to the transfer desk and proceeded to go through security. I made my way to the Flagship Lounge which was also quite empty. I requested a shower and within 20 minutes I was called to the shower room.
Flagship Lounge in Miami
The shower room was amazing and it was awesome to be clean! I had about 2 hours to pass and used the free Wi-Fi to browse the internet for a while. I decided to check how full my flight was up to Orlando and came across a disturbing fact. I had seat 5A, but on the seat map First Class only went up to row 4. So I went to the front desk and asked the lady and she said that there had been an equipment change and was now in 3A. I did not realize it, but the 757 with only 4 rows of seats is one with the newly configured international Business class seats, which I only realized when I boarded.
I made my way to the gate and boarding had already started, I went to the priority access line and the gate agent stopped the boarding of coach passengers to process me, which I thought was very kind. Once onboard I realized that I was the last First class passenger onboard. I was really excited to try out these new seats as I had heard many mixed reviews of these seats. Flight time was announced as 35 minutes. Once airborne the cabin crew offered tea coffee and sodas. I decided to put the seat into bed mode and found it to be quite comfortable. I found it just as comfortable as the First class seat, and wouldn’t mind flying that instead.
We landed on time and I was finally home after 38 hours of traveling!
Overall I would say that American Airlines can definitely improve their First Class seats and cabin, but as for the service and lounges, they are World Class.
Check in area
Check in way a bit chaotic as there was no First or Business class counter or line, so we all had to stand in a line and get our passports checked while they looked through piles of paper with your name and flight details on which they later staple to my boarding pass. Once the paper was found and my passport was checked I asked if there was a First Class counter and the gentleman sent me to the front of the line. It was a 3 minute wait until I was at the counter. I was flying through Dallas to get to Orlando, but I knew that there was a flight to Miami which departed 30 minutes prior to the Dallas flight and asked if it was possible to instead fly through Miami and then onto Orlando. After a few clicks and a phone call my boarding passes were printed all the way through to Orlando via Miami, I did this because I would get home 4 hours earlier than if I went through Dallas.
My bags were tagged with priority tags and I went off to security. Once again there is no priority line and you have to wait. Security and passport control really weren’t that busy and I was through within 5 minutes. I walked around the airport and was very disappointed at the lack of stores or restaurants compared to Johannesburg. So I went up to the Admirals Lounge which was quite empty at the time and requested a shower. I went and got some snacks and a drink and sat down to relax. There were about 10 people in the lounge at that time and throughout the evening it filled up until eventually it got quite full.
I had a shower, which was one of the best showers I have had in a lounge and it was nice to feel fresh again.
The Lounge
The shower
I read the newspapers and went onto my laptop to go through emails while using the lounges free and fast Wi-Fi. I left for the gate around 20 minutes before boarding was scheduled to start as I wanted to take a slow stroll and not rush. Tonight’s flight was to be on a 777, which I saw while waiting for 5 minutes before First and Business Class boarding began. There were only 7 people in the queue which speeded up the process. Within 3 minutes I was welcomed onboard and sitting in my seat. The Purser came and introduced himself and offered me a menu and a drink. Orange juice, water or Champagne were the options. All were served in plastic cups which I thought was very disappointing as my previous flight a few hours before on SAA in Premium Class was served in glasses. And now I’m in First class on American Airlines and getting plastic!
It took about 25 minutes for the plane to board and in the end the loads were quite light: There were 7 of us in First Class, 10 in Business and coach was about three quarters full. An elderly flight attendant looked at me from the galley just after the purser had offered the pre departure drinks and came to me and said ‘How old are you?’ I replied that I was 20 and she lit up with a smile and said that I looked very young, but she was glad to have me onboard. I thought that it was quite strange, but enjoyed the fact that I made her smile.
The empty cabin
Seat controls
seat swiveled to face the window
decent amount of legroom
My seat (2J)
Small TV
We took off on time and once the seat belt sign was turned off the crew were in motion with more drinks (this time in real glass) and warm nuts. They came and took everyone’s orders and I decided that I would have the smoked Salmon and herb marinated shrimp as my appetizer, Leek & Crabmeat soup with bread as my second course and Parmesan Crusted Chicken on a salad for my main. I had fruit salad as my dessert.
Warm Nuts
Soup and Shrimp
Chicken
Dessert
The food, apart from the soup was again disappointing as I honestly felt that the quality of the food on SAA was better. The service was very good and the crew always made sure that you had a topped up glass and that you were comfortable.
After dinner I went to the restroom to freshen up and change into my PJ’s (my own as we were not supplied with any) and then proceeded to put my seat into bed mode. One thing that I took note of was that the crew cleared all the pillows and duvets off all the seats that were not occupied while I was in the restroom. I wasn’t that happy about that as I planned to fold a duvet and put it on top of the seat and then use my duvet to sleep, This is what I did on SAA and it proved to be extremely comfortable. But I had a travel blanket in my roll on and placed that on the seat to help soften it a bit.
I managed to sleep for 5 hours; the flight attendant had to wake me for breakfast as I had chosen the hot option, which was served 1 and a half hours prior to landing. After breakfast I went and got changed and freshened up. When I returned to my seat I noticed that all the empty seats now had their duvets and pillows back, but the duvets were opened, so obviously the crew used them?
Breakfast was okay, but I had 3 hours in Miami which I planned to spend in the Flagship Lounge, so I knew that there should be something decent there.
Breakfast was a vegetarian omelette with fruit and fresh pasteries
We landed on time and I was the first one off the plane and through passport control. The bags with priority tags took about 5 minutes to arrive after waiting at the carousel, which I thought was pretty good. I took my bag to the transfer desk and proceeded to go through security. I made my way to the Flagship Lounge which was also quite empty. I requested a shower and within 20 minutes I was called to the shower room.
Flagship Lounge in Miami
The shower room was amazing and it was awesome to be clean! I had about 2 hours to pass and used the free Wi-Fi to browse the internet for a while. I decided to check how full my flight was up to Orlando and came across a disturbing fact. I had seat 5A, but on the seat map First Class only went up to row 4. So I went to the front desk and asked the lady and she said that there had been an equipment change and was now in 3A. I did not realize it, but the 757 with only 4 rows of seats is one with the newly configured international Business class seats, which I only realized when I boarded.
I made my way to the gate and boarding had already started, I went to the priority access line and the gate agent stopped the boarding of coach passengers to process me, which I thought was very kind. Once onboard I realized that I was the last First class passenger onboard. I was really excited to try out these new seats as I had heard many mixed reviews of these seats. Flight time was announced as 35 minutes. Once airborne the cabin crew offered tea coffee and sodas. I decided to put the seat into bed mode and found it to be quite comfortable. I found it just as comfortable as the First class seat, and wouldn’t mind flying that instead.
We landed on time and I was finally home after 38 hours of traveling!
Overall I would say that American Airlines can definitely improve their First Class seats and cabin, but as for the service and lounges, they are World Class.
Oct 21, 2009, 2:22 pm
#4
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Dallas, TX
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Yip, The food really wasn't that great!
The chicken was so dry that i could only swallow three pieces of it before giving up! But in all honesty American Airlines compared to other airlines First Class products, really does not compare!
Oct 21, 2009, 2:41 pm
#5
FlyerTalk Evangelist
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Posts: 22,297
Indeed, so very business class.
I much appreciate the report! I haven't though about AA F in awhile, very valuable reminder. ^
I much appreciate the report! I haven't though about AA F in awhile, very valuable reminder. ^
Oct 25, 2009, 7:36 am
#13
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: GRU
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Posts: 3,367
Interesting reading report, thanks.
Regarding AA GRU Check-in... they do have separate business and separate first class check-in lines, clearly signed. Eventually, as you mention, they were only initiating their positions thus they had not yet separated the lines.
Also, after realizing you came from JNB (International, hand luggage only) you could have gone directly to an AA international position within the international area, no need to have gone through immigration and customs; This way you would only be security screened at GRU and directly off to the international gates. Assume SAA arrives at T1, there is a international airside connector between terminals and you might have gone directly to the AA Club, where they would have you processed directly there.
Cheers.
Regarding AA GRU Check-in... they do have separate business and separate first class check-in lines, clearly signed. Eventually, as you mention, they were only initiating their positions thus they had not yet separated the lines.
Also, after realizing you came from JNB (International, hand luggage only) you could have gone directly to an AA international position within the international area, no need to have gone through immigration and customs; This way you would only be security screened at GRU and directly off to the international gates. Assume SAA arrives at T1, there is a international airside connector between terminals and you might have gone directly to the AA Club, where they would have you processed directly there.
Cheers.
Last edited by pb9997; Oct 25, 2009 at 7:46 am
Oct 25, 2009, 10:32 am
#14
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Oct 25, 2009, 12:01 pm
#15
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Dallas, TX
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Posts: 253
The main courses
Chateaubriand - tenderloin of beef complemented by a red wine onion sauce
Grilled seasoned fish - Grilled halibut with tomato and black olive tapenade
Parmesan crusted chicken - (my meal) Chicken breast breaded with a light parmesan cheese crust
Seeing as i had the beef fillet on my previous flight, i really didn't feel like more red meat. I thought the description of the chicken sounded pretty good, and hence...i chose that!
Obviously not the right choice
