Originally Posted by danwer930

Hi everyone,

After having flown it twice so far as the result of last-minute aircraft swaps on 772's, I am very disappointed with the AA PE hard product. The only thing I really like about it is the bigger IFE screen. My main problem is that I always travel with a relatively small backpack, and even if I take pains to remove things from it before sitting down, there is a major blocking issue - it's either a hard plastic flap or equipment box under every seat; can't tell which - that makes the underseat clearance SO LOW that i can never fit the bag fully under the seat. This seems like a huge oversight on the part of AA. They are basically removing the option for PE passengers of keeping a small bag under their seat, unless they are able to awkwardly angle it just so, or have no one in the next seat over and lay it lengthwise. How did this make it past the design stage and into production??

Also, as others have mentioned, the power outlet and earphone jacks are in a pitch-dark, difficult-to-reach area that is very difficult to see, let alone plug in, adjust or remove devices. I would much rather they just left the power outlet and headphone jack in the seatback like it is in the most recent iteration of MCE. Lastly, the removable PE IFE remote controls seem much more cheaply made and plastic-y than their MCE counterparts, even on the same plane! On my most recent flight, my seatmate wasn't able to use hers at all, and it probably had only been installed for a couple of months!

I have been going out of my way to find JFK-LHR flights that use the few remaining refurbished 772's with the previous MCE configurations (3-3-3 with no PE) as I find them more comfortable, especially when there is an open middle seat. But my last two trips have both seen last-minute (T-24) swaps out for PE planes, and I just got word that tomorrow's flight on AA 142 has been swapped as well. So I get a PE seat for "free", but this really just means all the inconveniences of the new PE seat and none of the enjoyable soft product features (upgraded food, drinks and bedding, etc).

Does anyone agree with me about the above? Is there any hope of AA at least addressing the ridiculous underseat stowage issue in PE? And how many more of these last-minute swaps into PE-equipped 772's am I likely to be subjected to?

Thanks,

Daniel