wco81

But there would probably be a wait list for this route, especially when it's spring, summer, fall in Australia.

The way Citi has given AA miles with their cards, there are probably a lot of people with hundreds of thousands of miles, but maybe no status. So they'll look to buy a coach fare and upgrade with miles, if low saver awards aren't available.

JDiver

Don't forget there's a thread: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/ameri...fp-merger.html

ijgordon

You should read the upgrade FAQ thread. In short, the waitlist is prioritized by elite status and then time of request. The credit card pax who don't have status and will be toward the end of the list. Mileage vs instrument upgrade doesn't really matter.

marnold3

I returned today (12/27/15) on flight 72 from Sydney and I could easily get used to this. AA has really ramped up the service in F on this particular route. At check-in I was met by a Premium Services Representative who escorted me to the Qantas International First Lounge. It was pretty busy but I managed to find a seat facing the runways. Got a photo of the 77W (N727AN) that would fly us to Los Angeles.

About 11:15 AM the PSR returned and escorted me to Gate 9. She was very pleasant and friendly but at the same time thoroughly professional. Once at the gate, I thanked her for everything and told her I could find my own way to seat 1A. There I met Lori who would be the purser for the flight. Another FA came by and handed out jammies. We not only got a PDB but also PDN (pre-departure nuts). Recognizing that I needed to remember this for you all, the PDB consisted of OJ, water, or real champagne (Nicolas Feuillatte Brut Vintage – Champagne France) served in a stemless glass (not plastic). I had water. It seemed we were all set for an on time pushback from the gate when the captain came on and informed us that a couple of passengers were being removed from the flight (no idea) and that their luggage had to be removed as well. Lori and I had been speaking when the announcement was made. She looked at me and said that could be an hour. Fortunately it only took twenty minutes that we easily made up in the air. Shortly after takeoff Lori came back and took my lunch order. She knew I had pre-ordered the roast spatchcocked chicken but also informed me the portion size was large enough to feed a family of four. I’ve always thought AA overfed us in international F but they’ve taken it up a notch on this route not only in quantity but also in quality. It started with olives and sweet potato chips and your choice of beverage. I had water. Next came gazpacho and caviar followed by soup and salad. Mind you all of these were very good. The salad was especially nice – one of the better ones I have had on an airline. Next came small plates with five choices ranging from an heirloom tomato salad to a steak sandwich. I had the heirloom tomato salad which was excellent. Finally the main plate and Lori was quite right - it’s a whole (small) chicken split in half. It was really tasty and cooked just right. Unfortunately there was no way I could finish a whole chicken so there is some guilt in me about the waste. During lunch Lori said I had to stop with the water and try the infamous Shiraz. You know it’s the wine that’s caused some buzz in this thread. It was good. I am most assuredly not a wine expert – you could have poured from a nine dollar bottle of wine and I probably would not have known the difference. All of this was followed by dessert, the usual made to order ice cream sundae (lots of toppings to choose from), Australian Pavlova, or warm sticky date pudding. I asked Lori if the cappuccino machine was working and she said she would try it. She brought me back an excellent cappuccino with a cookie – my favorite dessert. During the flight there were a variety of snacks available in the first class galley including fresh fruit. I tried a couple of the apples and they had good taste and good texture. I read for a good three hours during which I was constantly being checked on by Lori and the other first class FA. I had my bed made up and slept till we were about an hour from LAX. When I woke up I was hungry so had the full traditional breakfast consisting of scrambled eggs, bacon, roasted potatoes, and herbed tomato. It came with a mango smoothie, OJ, toast, and coffee. It was quite tasty and quite satisfying. At LAX we deplaned by both 1L and 2L. As soon as 1L opened, Maryann from Premium Services asked for me by name. She escorted me through the arrival process and was in communication with my car service. Like her counterpart at SYD, she was very friendly and pleasant but also very professional. We reached the curb and up drove my car. Like I said at the start of this report, I could get used to this. Maybe some of you people that have more information could comment on this but it would be fantastic if this level of service in F spread to some other routes as well. Wouldn’t it be nice if they did this on the rumored LAX to HKG route?

TheBOSman

On AA? Pics or it didn't happen .

FriendlySkies

Encouraging report. Thanks for posting ^

marnold3

I almost never take pictures of my food but today for some reason I did. I must have had an inkling TheBOSman would come calling.

marnold3

Another photo of the gazpacho and caviar after being presented with what turned out to be really good multi-grain bread.

marnold3

Here's a photo of the whole chicken. It was served with grilled scallions, carrots, and risotto with peas. The choices for sides were entirely mine so you have some freedom with the main plate. The risotto was quite good, not the best I've ever had but not too shabby at 32,000 ft.

IceTrojan

Real quick comment... even the Y meals have been taken up a couple of notches. Had a sirloin for dinner that was above average, but for breakfast, the scrambled eggs with mushrooms and tomato, cinnamon muffin, and yogurt was by far the best I've had on AA in any class on any route.

Pics coming later.

TheBOSman

Caviar on AA, it does exist!

Thanks .

tom911

If AA ever matches the Qantas fares (they just had a $999 sale before Christmas), I wouldn't mind flying in MCE economy and giving it a try. For the dates I checked, AA wanted $1,800. Hard to stay on AA metal at those prices.

serfty

The butter is the same that Qantas serve in First.

The caviar is the same type of serving that Qantas have been doing on their First services for the last year or so.

Longboater

Thanks for the trip report. If AA is serious about offering a premium, competitive F class product, the soft product on LAX-SYD should be the standard for all 77W flights, especially upcoming LAX-HKG where they'd have to deal with CX.

TheBOSman

Both of which are good options in my experience, although as in the picture the caviar is not quite the full service as seen on CX, LH, EK, and a few other airlines, but is similar to QF where it is part of a specific dish. Just wanted to clarify for those interested.