Morning, everyone!

In May I will be taking my first flight on AA, taking advantage the cheaper fares from DUB.

My route is DUB>ORD>BNA and reverse. Flying in J(TATL) and F(domestic).

The forums seem to tell me that in the interests of efficiency every enjoyable aspect of flying has been stripped out of the experience, either by TSA or gate lice etc.

What should I expect, and what should I be prepared to do to make the job/flight of others less stressful?

Thanks in advance.

It's not as bad as all that. You see the extremities of travelers here on FT, and we get a bit whiney sometimes :-)

In terms of practical advice, best is to be organized. Being ready for the TSA checks, having your pockets empty etc., will make it smoother for everyone.

My rule is always to smile and ask folks how they are doing, and to have documents ready and in order. There's an awful lot of people just trying to do the job they've been asked to do.

The hard product on AA J and domestic F is nice enough, and you'll be comfortable. I don't much like the food, so prefer to eat elsewhere, but that's a matter of preference.

For J, I prefer to stay in the lounge until final boarding, and for domestic F I prefer to board first, as overhead space can be at a premium.

AA and all of the US airlines certainly are far from perfect, but I think you'll find this journey to be perfectly fine. A few points:

- For the 2016 season, DUB-ORD is being operated by a former US Airways A332. While I have not personally ridden this aircraft, the reviews of the J product around here have been quite good. (It is lie-flat with personal TVs.)
- Since you will pre-clear immigration and customs in Dublin, your plane will arrive directly at AA's T3 in ORD, allowing you to avoid the T5 - T3 transfer that other international flights are subjected to. You will not have to reclear security at ORD as a result (effectively, you arrive as a domestic flight would).
- Since you are flying international J, you will have access to the Admirals Club at ORD. It's a bit dated, but spacious and clean. You should be given an invitation to a lounge in DUB as well.
- ORD-BNA is not a long flight so don't expect much more than refreshments and a light snack option (pretzels, fig bar, similar). It looks like this route is run by American Eagle regional aircraft (which also use T3 at ORD).

Preclearance in DUB isn't too stressful, and gate lice is mainly a thing that we Flyertalkers like to overreact about.

Your flight will likely be quite enjoyable. The U.S. carriers generally have pretty good J products, and this one is no exception. (It's the three-cabin F soft product where they lag.)

Enjoy your trip!

Thanks, thats all reassuring.

I *hate* security with a vengeance, probably because I dont see the risk to me to be that significant. However it's not my choice so I put up with it.

I normally empty everything into my onboard bag so I have no pockets or belt buckles to go off anyway.

I'm definitely looking forward to the trip, it's 12 years since I've been to the states, and 35 years since I have seen my Georgia relatives (I'm driving to Atlanta for a weekend during my trip, via Chatanooga just because ...).

I suppose I could do a Trip Report!