sambb

I am stuck in coach from ord-fco and back. I havent flown AA coach in years. Stupid questions - does one get dinner and breakfast? Does everyone get a pillow and blanket?
I am going to bring a children's pillow and blanket if needed.

LucWise

You'll get food... and I never use any pillow or blanket on a plane.. just seems unsanitary to me for some reason. Take your own.

DevilsX

Yep, received 2 meals from ATL-BRU in coach. Got pillow but no blanket.

blakepilot

I would BYO everything possible in coach. Grab a couple nice sandwiches, salads, etc., bring a suitable blanket, and invest in a good quality neck pillow. I use Brookstone's neck pillow religiously. You can find one in may major airports. In fact, many airport shops stock many great coach survival products and are easy (maybe not cheap) to grab on the way out. Coach service is pretty lousy otherwise. A couple partially discernible meals, regular drink offerings, and a sometimes choice smelling, puny pillow and blanket. I would definitely also bring ear plugs and an eye mask.

Wrong forum?? Sounds like you're talking about a DL flight, although I'm sure coach is nearly the same, perhaps worse on DL.

uppereastff

You are right to be concerned. AA flies ancient 769s on this route. There are no seat back TVs or audio programs to help kids pass the time. I bought a lot of water in the airport and I'm glad I did. I also brought a iPad loaded with movies and TV shows. The crew seems to disappear right after dinner service in coach and no one is to be seen again until breakfast. To be fair, they told me they have to make he return flight the next day, so I don't blame them for wanting to get some shuteye. Oh the good old days of the three day layover!

All American Flyer

By 'the next day', they mean the next day after they arrive. So, I think that flight gets in around 9 in the morning or so. Thus, the FAs can get in, sleep for 7/8 hours if they'd like. After that, they can wake up around 4/5pm, enjoy a leisurely stroll around the city and a wonderful Italian meal and perhaps some shopping if they so desire. They can go to bed again around midnight or so and get some sleep before their flight the next day. Does that really sound that bad? Especially considering they'll have at least a few days to relax once they're back in Chicago.

ccengct

I fly AA transatlantic in coach at least once a month (three RTs this month!). It ain't that bad. You will get fed twice, and you will get a pillow and blanket. Personally I use the pillow only as a lumbar support. The 767 aircraft are not literally ancient -- AA's oldest 767-300 currently in use was delivered in 1988 -- but without a doubt the in-flight entertainment system is obsolete. Flight attendants do a decent job most of the time, but bring a water bottle just in case.

ckendall

A TATL return in coach this week confirms much of the above (red "blanket" plus pillow plus ok food). As to beverages I found again at the back of the plane a beverage station set up after lunch that was happy to provide me with the(presumably nonalcoholic) beverage of my choice. So if you are thirsty (or if you just want to walk around a bit) go to the very back of the plane and see what's up.

skylady

Bring everything with you that you think you might need. Please don't hold anybody else responsible for your basic needs. Even an airline.

CallBell

If only it were that easy to sleep on command especially when dealing with time zone changes. Oh and those few days to relax are usually pretty full doing the errands we all do on days off work except probably more as the pilots and Fa's can't just pop out during breaks or after flights.

Mountain Trader

I agree with the "bring your own everything" comments. While there will be dinner and breakfast, at best they may be edible, but don't count on that.

You can figure all that stuff out as your flight approaches. One thing you have to do today is start working the seating chart to get a decent seat. To me, an aisle in a decent row, if you can find one, takes this from real bad to ok.I rushed to get Lifetime Gold last year almost entirely to get access to better seats. The OP may not have that but he/she should get what can be had.

Pucnit

I always bring a bottle of water and my own pillow. The pillow and blanket that we get from AA I use for butt support to improve the comfort of the seat if it is bad. I am happy with the amount of food AA gives you on TATL flights.

BostonFlyer1624

I've thought the same, and this brings me to my next question:

I know that blankets often come wrapped in plastic bags, but how/do the pillows get cleaned? It appears they have a basic cotton/paper like cover, but do these get changed every flight?

DillMan

Granted it isn't the same as sitting on a beach chair in Maldives but, come on, it isn't that bad. We all have to run errands, believe it or not, and those of us that travel for business for a living can't "pop out" between work days to run errands either.....since, you know, home is a few thousand miles away.

Most people on here are expected to land at 9am after a TATL and do a full day worth of work, myself included. I did 5 EU trips in May, 3 of which involved landing, working all day, having a dinner until 9 or 10pm, sleeping for 5 or 6 hours, getting up and having breakfast/morning meetings, then running to the airport and flying back with the same crew. My current "trip" is 41 straight days and counting and within that I've had 3 non-contiguous days off - all spent in whatever city I was visiting for work because the duration was too short to justify the time required to travel home.

I'm generally pretty pilot/FA sympathetic mostly because of the conduct of my fellow passengers and the incredible unpleasantness they are subjected to whilst trying to keep on smile on their face but I have little tolerance for the tendency to complain about how terrible the work rules are for AA's FAs. Trust me, it could be a lot lot worse. I would kill for 24 hours between 10 hour shifts and a few days off between each 2 day trip. Running errands isn't that great but it beats the pants off working and is a part of life for each and every one of us.

LucWise

I don't know, but I have seen too many hairs and other things on those pillows to even think about using them. The only thing I use them for is to sit on, so think about that next time you use one of those pillows!