Yes, EXPs/Emeralds can use any Oneworld First Class lounge when they have an onward Oneworld ticket in any class of service. :)

Yes, it's always been that way, but I still prefer the Cabin for its superior food offerings when flying during non peak times.

flight deck fun
 

A year back or so, MIA-ORD in 3A, I inquired at gate about "flight patterns and weather conditions." This resulted in my invitation to sit up front until just prior to push-back, "Now, which one is the jump seat?"

While such an inquiry could be regarded as suspicious I, having been a frequent pax on this route, knew the views of the FL peninsula were great
but were impossible to capture even with super wide-angle lens, except from the flight deck.

Pilot informs me of low ceiling, 12K, and offers to take the picture from flight deck. "Too low ceiling." I decline the very kind offer. Once at altitude FA inquires whether I would like pilot to try anyhow-looking out window it was not opportune.

So, sitting way "up-front," for a bit, exchanging contact info with both(I was returning from Inauguration)and provided them both with my special "Inaugural Commemorative Package," photos and copy of invitation was a real treat.

Flight 138 arrived at the gate (D25) about an hour ahead of schedule. Took skylink to Terminal A for my flight back to LAX. This time I was issued four drink chits. I'm using one and hiding the other three under a computer keyboard near the bar in the Terminal A Admirals Club. Hope someone finds them and puts them to use.

Excellent, I'll have to try both! I'll be a newly-minted EXP sometime later this month while flying over Middle America, and I have a trip to HKG in early September! Excited to try the lounges!!

Flew on AA 137 DFW-HKG on June 17. Level of service was about equivalent to what I am used to on 772 business class services transpacific. Of course the seat was fantastic. Felt like flying CX seat 773.

They do have growing pains though. The map was loaded in English and Spanish. Oops, huh? Also the Chinese announcement was a little awkward, referring to flying over the USSR, not Russia. Also didn't have entry cards for HK.

Hopefully they'll get it up to speed quickly. All in all a pleasant flight.

Would you pay the same money as CX charged? I ask because I have all but abandoned AA to Asia, but it sounds like you are an experienced CX J traveler.....would love your perspective on value and other things. I have obviously done a tone of CX and AA to Asia, but not done DFW-HKG yet......

Thanks!

Cheers,
AA777

I just booked a trip LGA-DFW-HKG and back. There were over $300 in "carrier imposed fees" I don't recall seeing this on AA before even for other int'l flights. Anyone know what these are covering? It took my $770 fare to over $1K. Still not bad but I don't recall ever seeing this before.

I have only flown CX J transpacific on award. The new AA 77W seat to HKG is in almost all ways identical to CX's, which makes a huge difference on a 16-hour flight. All aisle access, flatbed, pretty good IFE (although less HK-oriented obviously). DFW-HKG is going to be a tough upgrade over time, because it is so much more comfortable than 772 seats to ICN, PVG, NRT and PEK. At least until the new 772 seats are set to go. Service level just can't match CX, of course. This is a US-based carrier. All things equal (factoring in FF/elite considerations of course) would fly CX if I could, but no SWUs on CX, so AA it is.

Unfortunately, AA is not releasing saver F and J awards to HKG.

You're saying there are zero F or J milesAAver awards currently available on the DFW-HKG route. However, limited as they may be, that's simply untrue.

Fixed that for you, or at least how it feels these days :(

I searched month by month and ALMOST nothing is available, close in or far out.

The only saver F awards are on 6/25 and nothing else for the rest of the year or 2015; J has a few saver awards March - May 2015... considering the daily service AA offers, that's almost zero, especially in F.

April/May 2015 has a very large amount of business milesAAver availability-- far, far more than I expected when I went to check after reading your claim.

By the time we see much more than that-- or anywhere near the amount that FTers would be happy with-- we'd have yet, another "route that AA tried but didn't make it..." casualty.

The lack of -Z- availability doesn't surprise me in the least, very few seats, people use AAnytime awards for those-- happens every day as much as that aggravates those here and we wish it wasn't the case.

In fact, the large amount of -U- availability AA is releasing for April/May of 2015 should raise some eyebrows for anyone that cares about the long-term viability/success of this route.

As someone who has alternated between flying on OPM in paid premium cabins to flying on upgrades across oceans on AA Q and N fares I am quite aware that in effect someone else is footing the bill, namely those are paying cash for premium cabins wherever I fly. If I were to see too much U availability that actually would worry me as well. I will certainly be observing the success of this route closely.