canyonleo

Consider leaving ALB the night before then getting a hotel at DFW... the Grand Hyatt is connected to the airport (curbside of course) so no transport required, and the Hyatt Regency is a short (but maze-like maybe) walk through the parking structure - and I think both are Cat4 so one can use a Hyatt 1-4 Cert if one has that... still both have reasonable rates depending on dates.

PDXAA

If you like Delta so much, how'd you get all these AA miles?

hurnik

LOL! Lots of credit cards from the old USAirways days converted over to AA. Plus had to make a lot of FC flights last 2 years, and bought the mileage boosts.

Anyway, DL/AA have pros/cons. I just like the delta.com website better than AA for searching things. (Planes both have about the same out of ALB with nothing on them--haha). AA.com has thicker blankets in FC, I think. Delta has more consisent PDB, IMO. But remember I'm out of an old USAir hub so get most of the old plane/crew.




That being said:

Anyone know what flight #8, HNL -> DFW is (2/12/18)? AA.com says it's a 772. Seatexpert only shows one layout as a 777-200 that doesn't match the seat layout on aa.com. Not to mention delta has e-vouchers/etc you can actually redeem online whereas AA gives you paper vouchers you have to mail in or lose. haha

Seatguru seems to indicate this is 777-200 v3 (?)
AA.com has First class with 4 columns. First 3 columns have 5 seats, and the last column has 6 seats.

Then there's a Business Class (according to aa.com) of 4 seats in each column.

Just trying to figure out which item in the wiki corresponds to that particular layout since I'd consider that a 3-class plan (First, Business, Economy).

thanks!

hurnik

Ah, OK, found this thread:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/ameri...thread-42.html

Which lead me to this other one here:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/ameri...-2017-a-4.html

Is there any advantage to flying the 757-200 (72) PHX to HNL vs say, the A321 from LAX to HNL in First?

I mean they both seem to have basically the same "amenities" (no WiFi once you get over the ocean, regular FC seats).

Although it *looks* like aa's website says the A321 has seatback entertainment vs. the 757 old overhead monitors? At least on the flight to HNL. Unless you get the A321 version that has no power (?) with wireless streaming?

JDiver

The only A321 version that can fly to Hawai'i is the A321H (ETOPS). These are 32B aircraft with power, etc. So many complaints about the LUS 757-200 Hawai'i version I might avoid them if in F. (OTOH, I frequently find myself flying AS to Hawai'i on their ETOPS 737-800.)

Longboater

The A321H's that service LAX-Hawai'i all have seatback entertainment and inseat power. However, they do not have satellite wifi. The LUS 757s flying PHX-Hawai'i are former Internationally configured 757s. They only have overhead monitors and do not have inseat power. I'd take LAX-HNL on a A321H over PHX-HNL on a 757 in a heartbeat.

hurnik

Thanks to both of you. Hopefully A321 will work out.

Although all the flight schedules I'm seeing on aa.com for Feb. 2018 show 32B, which according to this wiki are the "sharklets"? I don't see a A321H in the wiki above (A321T?)

thanks!

TWA884

There are three versions of the 772 currently flying.

V1 is the non retrofitted version. It has three classes of service with 16F (FlagShip Suites), 37J (angle/slanted flat) and 194Y.

V2 is the the first retrofitted version. It has two classes of service with 45J (lie flat) and 210Y.

V3 is the current retrofitted version. It has two classes of service with 37J (lie flat) and 252Y.

For more information, check out this thread:

AAdamE

I plan on flying ORD-MIA on flight AA 342 on 5/20. I plan to use miles to upgrade, but I would prefer not to if the cabin is the old angle flat leads. I looked on seat guru, and give that there are 16 first class seats, it seems like it will for sure be the international configuration. I even tried to call the airline for assistance and they were not able to assist. Hoping someone on here flys this route often and can let me know how common the new cabins are.

Thank you!

Adam

FWAAA

Welcome to Flyertalk.

Of the internationally-configured 757s, only two have yet to be converted, so if the map shows 16 seats not long before boarding, it's very likely that your flight will feature the new lie-flat seats.

ryan182

ORD-MIA is like a 3 hour flight...you need a fully flat bed vs a angle flat on a 3 hour flight? I think any sort of international config on a flight that short is a bonus. With announcements, needing to be upright prior to landing you could do what 2 maybe 2.5 hours nap at 4:40PM? Seems odd to have a flat bed be a requirement for an upgrade on a flight like this.

AAdamE

<redacted> The difference is that the angle flat seats are quite old and in some cases decrepit. The fully lay flat seats are an indicator that the cabin has been recently refreshed. I am taking my mom on a trip, her first flight in over 15 years, and I thought it would be nice to upgrade us using Miles + Copay to ensure the upgrade. In my opinion lay flat seats in a newly refreshed warrants the upgrade spend and and angle flat seats in an old crusty cabin do not. We could fly the day before on a B767-200 that I know is re-freshed but less fitting to our schedules.

Austin787

Keep in mind aircraft type, and seating configuration, can change anytime prior to departure. While AA 342 is 16 F 757 (probably the lie flat version) as of now, the aircraft can be changed to the 22 or 24 F 757, 738, A319, or A321 all of which are standard domestic first seats. AA does not guarantee lie flats on domestic routes (except JFK-LAX and JFK-SFO).

ijgordon

Yeah, the lengths people used to go to to get the 757 angled flat seats on domestic flights. Now they're not worthy? Sorry, I'd take them any day of the week and round-trip on Sunday over a regular domestic seat.

They do have IFE though. The flat bed seats won't have any personal entertainment on a domestic flight.

And I'd assume even a switch to a regular domestic 757 is a decent likelihood, although I suppose these are being increasingly retired? Have they gotten to the point where the 16-seat F cabin is the default seat map?

arlflyer

Two things:

1) <redacted> I think that his point was more or less valid: even the much-maligned old angled lie-flat seats are great for a flight of that length. Most of the time you'd get a 738 or 2-class 321 with a greatly inferior product. For someone who hasn't flown in 15 years, unless all the flying before then was private or in long-haul F, I think that the product will be quite satisfactory either way.

2) Miles + copay does not seem to be a good value for this flight. With the flight numbers and dates you mentioned, Y prices at $138 one-way and F at $307. By the time you spend $75 + 15k miles each plus forfeit the additional class-of-service EQMs/RDMs and CC bonus miles, you're pretty deep in the hole.