Finally caught one of these on a domestic leg yesterday and will say the seating itself was underwhelming. The lack of IFE in a premium cabin smacked of cheap, particularly with such a large gaping hole where it should have been and the after-thought clamp to hold a tablet which had four large visible screws holdings it to the seat... the whole thing just looked wrong. Then add on top of that the fact that there's no wifi and it makes for one rather boring flight... nearly everyone in first just reclined and passed out after the meal service, after all, maybe we've gotten spoiled but I don't believe most plan in advance and save off-line content on their devices ahead of time. At a minimum, my opinion is that these birds should have a streaming media server onboard if AA doesn't want to offer IFE screens nor internet access.

IFE issue aside, it's a layout I'd try to avoid especially for a longer TATL flight... again, a sign of the times and our being spoiled in premium cabins with reverse herringbone and even staggered options on wide bodies, which offer a much greater level of privacy. On these seats, I constantly felt like my neighbor in the aisle seat was looking over my shoulder. While I know the seat pairs are technically in line with each other (perpendicular from the fuselage), because of the angle toward the window, you definitely get the sensation that the person in the aisle seat is seated further back watching everything you do...