New York JFK to Los Angeles (JFK-LAX) on American Airlines A321T in business
The next day I fly the same route in reverse and get to try American Airlines' premiere domestic configuration, unfortunately in business class and not in first class for these flights are 3-class and so the usual around the world business class books into first class does not apply. Still, even in business it should be better than 2-class domestic first class.
I was eligible to use the premium-lite check in area, for first and business class and Oneworld emerald and sapphire status passengers. This is not to be confused with the full premium check in area for international first class and concierge key status passengers. By luck I had arrived at a quiet time and had no wait to get 4 new boarding passes. No wait to enter the security queue at the priority lane. However the actual security queue was long and slow moving with just one lane open. It took nearly 30 minutes to reach the machines, during which time I could see the pre-check line with at least half a dozen TSA staff standing around talking and processing exactly 1 passenger. While in the queue I also saw several airline and shop staff bypass security completely (I don't count a nod of recognition by the TSA person manning the door as being any kind of security) through the door to the left of the main security line
Unlike at LAX I had a much less pleasant opt-out experience including being asked if I wanted to fly when I pointed out they were asking me to not be in sight of my belongings. Eventually I was through and made my way to the admirals club and through the inner door to the flagship lounge for a pre-flight snack and some beverages. The flagship lounge was fairly full by the time I left to the C-gate satellite terminal. I misjudged how long it takes to walk over there and so visited the admirals club in the satellite to wait for boarding. I left the premium drink chits for someone else to use per the AA treasure hunt thread.
I boarded early to secure overhead bin space. In business the seats are 2-2 configuration with angled slightly towards the windows. The seat is fairly narrow but comfortable enough. Good recline for domestic, and leg rest raises quite high. If you are tall there is a decent sized footwell. The plugs for power and headset are inconveniently located well behind you - this is one seat where my usual practice of plugging in the headset before sitting down comes in useful. Monitor and handset are both touch screen - the monitor is a bit far to reach without leaning forward out of the seat, while the handset was a bit too sensitive and had some tiny icons for fat fingers. I had difficulty adjusting volume without also jumping to a different part of the movie/tv show. A decent range of IFE options, better than some airlines have for international flights.
Pre-departure beverages of water, orange juice or sparkling wine. A moist towel. Menus handed out. A little amenity kit was already in the seat along with noise cancelling headset. Meal and drink orders were taken.
We pushed back slightly early for the first time in this trip. After take off drinks and warm nuts before the meal service. The IFE was very glitch-ey for me - somehow I managed to see 4 full length movies and a couple of tv shows in this trans-con flight. That should not be possible. I was too tired to work out exactly where the jumps were occurring. In addition to this the picture was periodically like looking at a scratched tape with poor sound quality to match. I gave up in the end and dozed.
At some stage when I was dozing, a basket of fruit was placed at the front of the cabin on one side and another basket of I'm guessing chips was at the front of the cabin on the other side. Near to descent hot cookies were passed out, and mints.
Service was great - far better than I'd had on Qantas the previous day. For example I was very frequently offered drink refills. The food and beverages were not necessarily better than on Qantas - more voluminous for sure, but also more "American" (good if you like that not so good otherwise). The seat was good for domestic, but nowhere near as good as the best international business class. I would pick this flight again, given the choice.
We landed quite early and for a moment I considered heading to the Qantas first class lounge before my next flight which departed a few hours later. Then I remembered I'd need to clear security twice whereas if I used the flagship lounge I do not need to clear security at all.