Calchas

^ Great report

I've not been to SFO for a few months now

nwmgc

Outstanding as ever, thank you so much. Off to JFK tomorrow in F so will be comparing notes!

worldtraveller73

Beautiful report and images.

The Sofitel at London Heathrow looked like a little gem. I'll have to keep that place in mind.

The Sunday Brunch at the Fairmont San Francisco used to be excellent. I hope you had the opportunity to enjoy.

Flyingboy200

A Fantastic and outstanding trip report. Thanks for sharing your experience of one of my fave city's .
Loved it!

BA5E

Thoroughly enjoying your trip, and what fantastic photos. Love SFO and the trip to Alcatraz is always amazing, there is so much to see in the city, could spend many days there, have not done the botanical gardens, that definitely must be on the list next time we go. The photos were so beautifully clear, and the blue skies made them even more spectacular. Looking forward to the next part of the trip

SFO777

Wonderful report and pics as usual. Enjoyed the pics of the Marina where we lived for 10 years. Wow, the weather was spectacular when you were there. We were in San Francisco last weekend and it was the more typical frigid cloudy 14C/57F. Thanks for posting Genius1.

Genius1

Thank you all for your great comments

Sadly not as we were at the IC on the Sunday, but one for next time!

The California Garden was the best part - worth going in the spring/summer for that alone. The rest of the area is a nice (if not remarkable) walking/relaxing spot.

Indeed, I did think we were lucky, but perhaps didn't know quite how lucky!

Genius1

American Airlines Admirals Club, SFO

Before we get to SFO airport, it’s worth a brief interlude to explain how our return flights changed from SFO-JFK-LCY-DUB to SFO-LAX-LHR-DUB. At about 04:00 on the morning of the flight to JFK, I awoke about 90 minutes before my alarm to a text message about something insignificant back home. Glancing at my phone (and sleepily perturbed at this point), I was about to dismiss the text message and fall straight back to sleep when I noticed an alert from the BA app saying that the departure time of SFO-JFK had moved to 14:00 (from its original scheduled time of 08:00 or so). I knew instantly that this would mean we would miss our connecting flight to LCY, and subsequent connection to DUB. I spent a few moments double checking that the flight was indeed delayed on my laptop, before Skyping BA You First in the UK (thanks to having a First flight in the booking) to see what could be done. There were seats available in Club World on the direct SFO-LHR evening A380 departure, but these were less than desirable middle seats on the main deck. I enquired as to whether there was availability from LAX with more desirable seats (given we had been scheduled on the ‘exclusive’ CWLCY service), and eventually was told we could take the last remaining window and aisle pair in CW on the main deck of the later evening A380 departure from LAX. Initially the very helpful agent I was speaking to couldn’t book us into F on the SFO-LAX flight, as technically the new cabin class (Domestic First Class) would have been higher than our original booked cabin class (Transcontinental Business Class). After some gentle insistence and explanation that really this was an incomparable situation in terms of product, the agent was able to secure us seats in F. Excellent service from the agent from You First overall, and when I wrote to BA at the end of the trip I made sure to pass on my positive comments.

Our new SFO-LAX flight was timed to allow us to enjoy a civilized mid-morning breakfast at the IC before heading to the airport. SFO’s domestic terminal is quite swish, and although AA don’t have a huge operation at the airport, there are good facilities in place for those few flights that AA do operate. There was quite some wait in the First Class/Emerald/Sapphire line as the single agent dealt with another passenger’s problem, but eventually a second agent at a Business Class/Ruby desk called us over to check-in, with our bags being tagged all the way through to DUB.



Surprisingly our boarding passes had ‘TSA Pre’ printed on them, so we used this astonishingly quick line to get through security. It’s the first time I’ve gone through security since the liquids bomb plot without taking a liquids bag or laptop out of my carry-on, and without needing to take belt, watch or shoes off (all of which are common in non-Pre US checkpoints). All of the agents were friendly, and we were through in 3 minutes, including me being swabbed for explosives. I’ve since learnt that the SFO security agents aren’t TSA agents, which perhaps goes some way to explaining why my experience with them was the most positive of this trip by far.

The Admirals Club at SFO is fairly new, and is a delightful airy space, well designed with ample seating and an attractive central ‘tree’ feature. The lounge features a great view of the apron action, and (as is usual with AA lounges) fast and free wifi.











As common with all Admirals Clubs in the US, the majority of food and drink is chargeable. The bartender in this lounge was doing a good job of selling, wandering around the lounge asking people whether they cared for lunch. As we were connecting to an international flight, the welcoming agent at the reception desk gave us a complimentary drinks voucher each (which we used daringly on two bottles of water). I’m not a fan of the model of US airlines charging for food and drink in lounges – I would rather they operated another tier of lounges for those travelling in premium cabins or with status that included some basic food and drink provision. Clearly this doesn’t make business sense for them, but it is a distinct downgrade on the offering of most major airlines in their own operated lounges outside of the States. The complimentary items were limited to tea, coffee, a limited selection of soft drinks (which didn’t include water), cookies, nuts and pretzels. Overall this is a very impressive lounge for a US airline, more peaceful and elegant than the Flagship lounge at JFK.



SFO-LAX American Airlines First Class, B737

Boarding was from Gate 58A in the usual efficient AA manner, with F invited first. The Domestic First Class cabin on our 737-800 (6 year old N820NN) was of the usual 2-2 configuration of 4 rows of recliner seats. With these seats having a 38” pitch and comfortable width, there is no denying that these seats are in a different league to BA’s comparable product (Club Europe). The cabin was in good, if not spotless, condition, with blankets and in-ear headphones (one set per 2 seats, I’m guessing due to low uptake) pre-set on the seats. I’m not wholly sure why these headphones were on the seats as no IFE was offered on the flight. Sadly no PDBs were offered on this flight by the indifferent crew (which no doubt was also the cause of the Y/F curtain not being closed). This lack of PDBs was especially annoying given there was ample time for boarding, during which time multiple annoying automated announcements about stowing hand baggage etc. were made on the overhead screens. I noticed before pushback our bags being loaded into the hold below us – fingers were firmly crossed for safe connections at LAX and LHR, and a safe arrival into DUB 16 hours or so later.







There was a very lengthy taxi and hold for departure, but when takeoff came (90 minutes behind schedule, much to 3E’s consternation) it was fairly impressive, with an aircraft taking off in parallel to us on the adjacent runway, followed by a stunning aerial view of the beautiful city.



Service began promptly after takeoff, with a drinks run by hand from the galley (with glasses variably bearing the AA and US logos), and then two passes of the snack basket. This is where AA fails in comparison to BA – on a comparable Band 1 flight in Club Europe, one could expect a main course salad, warm bread and small dessert on a flight of this length at lunchtime, rather than AA’s rather miserly choice of biscuits, crisps or nuts. Further drinks were offered as we approached LAX.









As we were running significantly behind time, the cabin crew made several announcements regarding connecting flight gates for domestic flights. We ended up making some time back in flight, but still landed into LAX around an hour late (which was fine by me as the connection was far too long in any case). Somewhat bizarrely the exit from LAX airside for those not needing to collect bags is through what feels like a staff channel at the end of the security area. The Tom Bradley International Terminal was a short, unattractive walk outside, made just a little more bearable at the thought of the new oneworld lounge to enjoy for the next 4+ hours.







Next, I’ll review the new(ish) oneworld Los Angeles Business Lounge, and take an in-depth look at BA’s Club World product aboard their flagship A380.

Report Continues Below!

Cheese

Nice trip report, some really good reading here . Was waiting to find out why you were rerouted to LAX, lol!

CMK10

Ah it's amusing how you think the food offerings on SFO-LAX are inadequate, but compared to what AA used to serve on this route before their merger with US Airways, this is a vast improvement to us old time AA flyers

brewdog11

You taught this American something. I never realized that airports could "opt out" of TSA screening, but I found info on it (as well as airports that have opted out) on the TSA blog. I was initially very confused because I've seen TSA agents at the security stations plenty of times, but they're just there for supervisory purposes. Interesting stuff.


This is a huge gripe that I hear from many OW fliers (and one that I have myself). The other airlines' business lounges let the liquor flow freely while the AC charges. For future reference, the lounge entry attendant will typically give you another drink "coupon" if you ask for it (and are eligible to receive it). Annoying, I know, but at least there's a way to circumvent it.

What I find really annoying is that I pay for a membership to the club and don't get drink coupons. At the end of the day I'm very happy with my Admirals Club membership and the benefits it provides, and I understand that paid beverages are part of their business model, but it's always been a minor gripe I've had (at least well drinks are free!).

PDB is rather rare on AA, especially on pre-merger AA routes. Pre-merger US routes with US crews typically have PDB, and new-hire AA FAs will generally offer PDB, but it's never consistent. It can range from full-bar service to orange juice/water, or nothing could be offered at all. There's been talk for years of PDB service "getting better" and whatnot, but I've learned not to expect it. There's an interesting thread on it here in the AA forum.

Thanks for the excellent report. I'm really enjoying it! ^^

Calchas

Conversely to the U.S. lounge situation, in Europe we pay for a premium short haul product that is rubbish whereas in the U.S. there is a reasonable shorthaul premium product that is often free for frequent fliers.

Seems the lesson is, if it's good people expect it for free but if you make it rubbish people will pay

gustavmahler

Enjoying the report, Genius1. Looks like you guys had a great time. I know what you mean about the airside exit looking like a staff channel. II'm sure it's fine as a regular, but I found the whole airport a bit confusing.

avneeshj

Great TR! Thanks for sharing.

Genius1

Thanks for the recent comments!

What was it like before the merger?!

Thanks for the pointers, and especially that piece of info! Will bear it in mind for next time for sure.