American Airlines B777-300ER First Class New York to London (with videoclip)
Apr 4, 2016, 6:40 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: Heart of Europe
Programs: SPG Platinum, AAdvantage Platinum Executive, LH Frequent Flyer
Posts: 240
American Airlines B777-300ER First Class New York to London (with videoclip)
This is a long overdue trip report. On November 4th 2015, I flew in a Boeing 777-300ER (B77W) of American Airlines (AA) overnight from New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport (JFK) to London’s Heathrow Airport (LHR) in the First Class cabin. For this particular flight, I had booked a Business Class ticket and used one of my AAdvantage systemwide upgrades to get a seat into AA’s First Class cabin. I was not impressed by AA's First Class product. It’s still a comfortable ride of course, but the difference with AA’s excellent Business Class is only very marginal: the suite has more space, the seat can be turned into an office desk, there is turndown service (with a duvet and an extra pillow), and you get an extra course (soup) with your meal. I could not find any other differences, so IMHO, AA’s First Class is not worth the thousands of extra dollars that it costs (unless you can use an upgrade of course).
I made a Youtube clip with my impressions during the flight. I will upload some photos below as well.
- Trip: JFK-LHR
- Airline: American Airlines
- Aircraft: Boeing 777-300ER (77W)
- Flight Number: 100
- On time departure: no (7.30 pm instead of the planned 6.30 pm because of airport congestion)
- On time arrival: yes (6.30 am)
- Miles: 3450
- Flight time: 6 hours (a short flight because of favorable tailwinds)
- Seat: 1A
- Class: First
1. AA FLAGSHIP LOUNGE AT JFK AIRPORT
The AA Flagship Lounge at JFK is located one floor above the main concourse, and is accessed via a reception desk. The decor is not very inspiring and the place does not feel very spacious. It was very crowed when I was there in late afternoon (which coincides with the start of evening flights to Europe). One side of the rectangular shaped space has several seating areas (including a small business center), while the other side features a buffet and restaurant corner. The lounge has large floor-to-ceiling windows which offer nice views of the airport apron and the Manhattan skyline at the horizon. The food & beverage options were quite good, with soup, sandwiches, salads, snacks, cheese, and several hot dishes.
2. FIRST CLASS CABIN & SEAT
I can mostly repeat here, what I have reported before in this trip report (dayflight from London to NYC): http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...c-landing.html
The First Class cabin is located in the front of the B77W, behind the cockpit. With just 8 seats, the First Class cabin feels airy and spacious. Seats are placed in two rows according to a 1-2-1 layout, all of them having direct aisle access. The 4 First Class seats on the sides are ideal for solo travelers (with a generous 3 windows per seat), while the 4 seats in the middle are perfect for those traveling with a companion. But if you are a solo traveler and you end up in one the middle seats, there’s no problem as you can rise a divider for added privacy.
The centerpiece of AA’s next generation Flagship First Class suite is of course the seat, and it’s a very comfortable and spacious one. But remarkably, the First Class suites itself are less private as the ones in Business Class since they lack a shelling compartment. The seat has several storage locations for your personal items: (1) a bottle holder; (2) a shoe storage in a cabinet next to the ottoman; and (3) a small cabinet that contains a mirror, a bottle of water, noise-canceling Bose headphones, and the power port. The seat also has a very large tray table in addition to the work surface so you can keep working while eating. There’s also a tray next to the working table with another USB port.
Every part of the seat is adjustable using the seat control touch screen device that is present on the working table. The seat itself can also be swiveled to various position: (1) the take-off position; (2) a position which aligns with the ottoman (and in which the seat can be transformed into a fully lie-flat bed); and (3) a position in which the seat faces the windows, transforming the suite in a very comfortable working office.
As mentioned above, the seat can be reclined 180°, forming – together with the large ottoman – a comfortable bed. The ottoman also has a separate seat belt (not sure what this is necessary for: to keep your feet and legs in place when flying through a zone of turbulence?).
3. AMENITIES
As a First Class passenger, I received a black pajama, red slippers, a voucher for access to AA’s arrival lounge at London’s Heathrow Airport, and an elegant, grey coloured amenity bag, which contained essentials like an eye mask, earplugs, wash cloth, toothbrush, toothpaste, a pen, socks, and Red Flower body lotion, face cream and lip balm. The bedding – which was placed on the ottoman during boarding – was superb: a nice blanket, an excellent duvet and two thick pillows guaranteed a very comfortable sleep at 40,000 feet.
4. MEALS
Dinner service started soon after takeoff. First, I was served an apéritif with an assortment of mixed nuts. For the starter, I ordered the beet and goat cheese ravioli, with mixed greens, balsamic glaze, and crushed pistachios. I then had the creamy carrot soup, with hilo ginger and fresh parsley, which I found to be the highlight of the dinner. Next, I was served a salad of mixed greens with artichokes, roasted tomatoes, feta cheese, and creamy Italian dressing. As main course, I had the seared halibut with gremolata, sautéed tomato fennel, lemon risotto, and broccolini. Dessert was a warm pecan tart, topped with vanilla ice cream. All by all a decent but far from exceptional dinner. In fact, I was surprised and disappointed that the menu – except for the soup – was 100% identical to the one during my AA Business Class trip last year. AA should really enhance the gastronomic experience it offers in its First Class cabin (the good news is that they are in the process of doing that).
60 minutes prior to landing, breakfast was served. One could order broccoli and red pepper strata, with smoked chicken sausage and roasted potatoes, but I just had a fresh fruit bowl, with granola and yoghurt.
5. COMPARISON WITH THE AA B77W BUSINESS CLASS
AA’s Flagship First Class suite is very comfortable, but it did not feel extremely luxurious (as compared to other airlines such as Emirates or Etihad Airways). In addition, AA’s Business Class is so good that the difference with First Class is only very marginal. This is what First will get you over Business:
- More space (3 windows instead of 2 if you are in a window seat)
- Possibility to turn the suite into an office desk
- Turndown service
- Duvet and an extra pillow
- Complimentary pajamas and slippers
- Increased menu selections
- An extra course (soup) with your meal
- A slightly larger entertainment screen
AA really needs to make its First Class experience more classy, since right now, its First Class cabin feels more like Business Class. I would advise them to team up with celebrity chefs to offer fine cuisine in the air, to offer complimentary WiFi, to enhance the ground experience, and to transform its First Class seats into real, enclosed suites.
I made a Youtube clip with my impressions during the flight. I will upload some photos below as well.
- Trip: JFK-LHR
- Airline: American Airlines
- Aircraft: Boeing 777-300ER (77W)
- Flight Number: 100
- On time departure: no (7.30 pm instead of the planned 6.30 pm because of airport congestion)
- On time arrival: yes (6.30 am)
- Miles: 3450
- Flight time: 6 hours (a short flight because of favorable tailwinds)
- Seat: 1A
- Class: First
1. AA FLAGSHIP LOUNGE AT JFK AIRPORT
The AA Flagship Lounge at JFK is located one floor above the main concourse, and is accessed via a reception desk. The decor is not very inspiring and the place does not feel very spacious. It was very crowed when I was there in late afternoon (which coincides with the start of evening flights to Europe). One side of the rectangular shaped space has several seating areas (including a small business center), while the other side features a buffet and restaurant corner. The lounge has large floor-to-ceiling windows which offer nice views of the airport apron and the Manhattan skyline at the horizon. The food & beverage options were quite good, with soup, sandwiches, salads, snacks, cheese, and several hot dishes.
2. FIRST CLASS CABIN & SEAT
I can mostly repeat here, what I have reported before in this trip report (dayflight from London to NYC): http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...c-landing.html
The First Class cabin is located in the front of the B77W, behind the cockpit. With just 8 seats, the First Class cabin feels airy and spacious. Seats are placed in two rows according to a 1-2-1 layout, all of them having direct aisle access. The 4 First Class seats on the sides are ideal for solo travelers (with a generous 3 windows per seat), while the 4 seats in the middle are perfect for those traveling with a companion. But if you are a solo traveler and you end up in one the middle seats, there’s no problem as you can rise a divider for added privacy.
The centerpiece of AA’s next generation Flagship First Class suite is of course the seat, and it’s a very comfortable and spacious one. But remarkably, the First Class suites itself are less private as the ones in Business Class since they lack a shelling compartment. The seat has several storage locations for your personal items: (1) a bottle holder; (2) a shoe storage in a cabinet next to the ottoman; and (3) a small cabinet that contains a mirror, a bottle of water, noise-canceling Bose headphones, and the power port. The seat also has a very large tray table in addition to the work surface so you can keep working while eating. There’s also a tray next to the working table with another USB port.
Every part of the seat is adjustable using the seat control touch screen device that is present on the working table. The seat itself can also be swiveled to various position: (1) the take-off position; (2) a position which aligns with the ottoman (and in which the seat can be transformed into a fully lie-flat bed); and (3) a position in which the seat faces the windows, transforming the suite in a very comfortable working office.
As mentioned above, the seat can be reclined 180°, forming – together with the large ottoman – a comfortable bed. The ottoman also has a separate seat belt (not sure what this is necessary for: to keep your feet and legs in place when flying through a zone of turbulence?).
3. AMENITIES
As a First Class passenger, I received a black pajama, red slippers, a voucher for access to AA’s arrival lounge at London’s Heathrow Airport, and an elegant, grey coloured amenity bag, which contained essentials like an eye mask, earplugs, wash cloth, toothbrush, toothpaste, a pen, socks, and Red Flower body lotion, face cream and lip balm. The bedding – which was placed on the ottoman during boarding – was superb: a nice blanket, an excellent duvet and two thick pillows guaranteed a very comfortable sleep at 40,000 feet.
4. MEALS
Dinner service started soon after takeoff. First, I was served an apéritif with an assortment of mixed nuts. For the starter, I ordered the beet and goat cheese ravioli, with mixed greens, balsamic glaze, and crushed pistachios. I then had the creamy carrot soup, with hilo ginger and fresh parsley, which I found to be the highlight of the dinner. Next, I was served a salad of mixed greens with artichokes, roasted tomatoes, feta cheese, and creamy Italian dressing. As main course, I had the seared halibut with gremolata, sautéed tomato fennel, lemon risotto, and broccolini. Dessert was a warm pecan tart, topped with vanilla ice cream. All by all a decent but far from exceptional dinner. In fact, I was surprised and disappointed that the menu – except for the soup – was 100% identical to the one during my AA Business Class trip last year. AA should really enhance the gastronomic experience it offers in its First Class cabin (the good news is that they are in the process of doing that).
60 minutes prior to landing, breakfast was served. One could order broccoli and red pepper strata, with smoked chicken sausage and roasted potatoes, but I just had a fresh fruit bowl, with granola and yoghurt.
5. COMPARISON WITH THE AA B77W BUSINESS CLASS
AA’s Flagship First Class suite is very comfortable, but it did not feel extremely luxurious (as compared to other airlines such as Emirates or Etihad Airways). In addition, AA’s Business Class is so good that the difference with First Class is only very marginal. This is what First will get you over Business:
- More space (3 windows instead of 2 if you are in a window seat)
- Possibility to turn the suite into an office desk
- Turndown service
- Duvet and an extra pillow
- Complimentary pajamas and slippers
- Increased menu selections
- An extra course (soup) with your meal
- A slightly larger entertainment screen
AA really needs to make its First Class experience more classy, since right now, its First Class cabin feels more like Business Class. I would advise them to team up with celebrity chefs to offer fine cuisine in the air, to offer complimentary WiFi, to enhance the ground experience, and to transform its First Class seats into real, enclosed suites.
Apr 4, 2016, 12:52 pm
#3
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: 6km East of EPAYE
Programs: UA Silver, AA Platinum, AS & DL GM Marriott TE, Hilton Gold
Posts: 9,582
