clanum

I flew in J for the first time on a 3 class domestic on a 762. AA 114 (LAX-EWR), and will be on AA 119 going home on Friday. Passing through the F cabin, I was somewhat underwhelmed. The seats were larger, but are they really that much more comfortable? It seemed that the F cabin got the same food as we did in J, though I could be mistaken. Given that F seats sell for a significant premium over J, I'm curious what the selling points are?

ESpen36

Meal service is quite different. The entrees are the same (plus one additional choice in F), but the presentation is quite distinct.

- marinated cheese antipasto in addition to warm mixed nuts
- separate appetizer course made to order (not on the entree tray)
- separate salad course made to order (not on the entree tray)
- entrees plated on board (not preplated in warming dishes)
- no service carts in the aisle (only the three-level trolley)
- "real" ice cream sundaes in the proper sundae dish (not a drinking glass)
- baked-on-board cookies prior to arrival
- more personalized attention, of course!

(the above is for a typical Lunch or Dinner flight)

ijgordon

Actually, the premium for F is not that big over the full unrestricted J fare. The premium over the discounted business class fares are larger, because there is no discounted first class fare.

That said, it's not worth paying for F. Yes, it's a better experience for the reasons described above, especially the real sundae dish but it's not hundreds or thousands of dollars better for us common folk.

brp

Exactly. Sundaes out in the real world are what, like 6 or 7 bucks?

Cheers.

Crazy4Birds

Agreed---the fact that they serve the same entrees as in J is pretty sad, and I've still seen them run out of certain entrees in F, (both domestically on 762's and in international F on the 777). American just doesn't get 3-class F.

That being said, I've always found J on the 762's to be a very good value with quite good service...and international J on 763's can be excellent, too. They just don't get F...

MAH4546

IMO, yes. They are "near" lie-flat. Actually, the seats have the ability to lie flat, but because of space restrictions, they can only go to about 170-175 degrees.

Though the best domestic AA service on any route is on the MIA-LAX 777 3-class service - the "flagship" of AA's domestic service.

Crazy4Birds

As usual, I agree with you---my best domestic F experiences have been on the LAX-MIA 777.

ContinentalFan

You often get to sit beside interesting people.

bniu

or if ur really really lucky, you can snag the F suites on DFW-ORD vv. Same hard product, though soft product is short haul two class first service, since the flight is sold as a two class flight (business is sold as coach here...)

dayone

Privacy, except when proletariat J passengers are allowed to pass through.

C17PSGR

Earlier this year while flying J on a JFK-LAX morning flight, my tray was broken. J was full, so they moved me to F.

It was fun being in F but wasn't that much different. The breakfast was plated better and seemed a little higher quality. The service was very good as well and noticeably better than in J (although I find the J service to be pretty good).

I think they are selling exclusivity. Just like the other night, F was empty when I boarded in J. After the plane was fully boarded and everyone else was seated, the special services folks escorted in a group. That group didn't mingle, wait in line or even put their luggage in the overheads. Looked like entertainment people but couldn't really see.

Andriyko

We must have been on different F 3 class services:
I have never seen a separate appetizer for lunch, and the "entree" is pathetic - never hot food for lunch (breakfast is not that better).

T/BE20/G

I don't know about ever, but the current state of lunch is certainly below par.

A few weeks ago I flew JFK-LAX F and had the most poorly planned lunch menu ever...

Started nicely enough, with the nuts and marinated cheese.

Followed by a lovely salad from the cart, with a very good rosemary chicken breast topper.

Then the entrees... First choice: chilled miso chicken breast on a bed of mixed greens (aka salad). Second choice: Surf and turf - Chilled filet medallions and lobster on a salad. Third choice: skip to dessert, if you're don't want any more salad.

Who on earth planned a meal with a salad starter followed by a choice of salad mains? They could have at least started with a soup if they wanted to have both mains be salads. And yes, this was printed on the menu, so it wasn't a catering error...

BarkinJ

YMMV, but in my experience F does get better service in the three-class transcon. Better food? Maybe only slightly. Nicer seats? A bit wider and better for reclining. For me, those aren't big differences. But the difference in the way you're treated by FAs is substantial and noticeable.

I fly LAX-JFK quite a bit, and my seats in F or J are always via upgrade.

When I take a connection in DFW, ORD, or STL (my favorite, though it ends me up at LGA, not JFK) and fly on an MD-80 or a 757 (or, once in a while, a two-class 763), I've always received excellent service in F. FAs keep my glass full. They whisk away my food service tray as soon as I finish eating. They do everything they can to make the experience feel as "first class" as possible. (This can be a tall order, seeing as the product itself -- the seats, the IFE, the meal choices -- are kind of crappy compared to transcon flights on widebodies. The FAs pull it off, IMHO.)

When I fly direct on the 762 in J, I frequently feel like I'm getting subpar service. Sure, the 762 is a nicer plane. The seats are better (footrests!), the meal service is better, and the IFE is better. But when you're in J on a three-class, there's some sort of psychology that kicks in that says, "The passengers in F get our best. The passengers in J should only expect to get almost our best."

When sitting in J on LAX-JFK flights (or JFK-LAX), the FAs are less attentive to handling drinks and hot nuts right after takeoff, filling drinks mid-flight, clearing trays after meal service, etc.

(In another thread, I posted about this sub-par service in-situ using GoGo. I went over an hour in J w/o seeing a FA while an empty glass sat next to me. As I said in that thread, if I was paying full-fare J, I would have been mighty pissed.)

So that's the difference. Pax in F on a three-class transcon are more likely to get the service and attention they deserve. J passengers get the short end of the high-end service stick.

benzguy80

the proletariat sit in Y, petty bourgeoisie in J