SJC AA

My burger at JFK Flagship [Bridge] took about 45 minutes as well, and it wasn't a busy time (3pm maybe?). Incomprehensible. At least I got a bun.

AANYC1981

Weird....my burger at the Bridge last week took only 15 mins and it was at prime time like 7pm

dp4m

Interestingly, I was going to make a post about how my JFK/LAX F service is almost always miles ahead of the F-class service (food, people, etc.) on AA193 (LAX/HKG) regardless of which JFK/LAX flight I take. Happened again yesterday (landed in HKG this morning) -- AA35 was phenomenal (people, food, etc.) and AA193 was not great (though the Purser was excellent, the remaining staff seemed grumpy, as usual).

jcatman

Seriously? I'm flying that route on Monday night. How does "grumpy" affect the service level on that flight? I thought this would be a flight where AA would place its best foot forward.....

dp4m

Well, it depends -- I've occasionally had a fantastic group, but I do the flight in J or F usually about 4 or so times a year (I tended to route more oddly before the LAX/HKG service started but now that tends to work best for me getting out and then routing back differently).

There are some objectively odd things (non-staff related) that happened this flight -- no more sundaes in F (there weren't in J to begin with), likely because of the LAX catering issues still apparently causing smaller issues. Things like the purser being also confused as to how the menus had changed (no more separate sides to choose from, it's all one dish like J meals, etc.), which I likely discovered they were catering half-J meals as the menus printed said Flagship First but then in the blurb on the back said "We hope you enjoy your Business Class experience," etc. And a total lack of wine / drink menus entirely. I rarely grab things from the galley, but the selection seemed smaller this time (may be incorrect here).

Interestingly we also lacked ALL menus from JFK/LAX but that actually seems like a common occurrence, strangely. They were able to cobble together one wine list though.

But staff-wise, it's hit or miss -- as I said in J or F I've had some great people all around, but a lot of times (possibly because it's an overnight flight leaving so late from LA -- I'm still used to it being 1:25 am or so PST) after that first meal is served, you sometimes get grumpy looks or curt responses when ringing the bell, or asking for things. And it's almost never that way on any 321T flight I take westbound. These last parts are personal opinion, of course, so YMMV. I have no idea if it's just the longer-tenured folks having seniority being grumpy (plus the 1-2 young'uns required to speak Mandarin/Cantonese), if it's just people working long hours in a pressurized tube of metal and composite, if other passengers are being 'schbags, or if it's just a wrong impression on my part -- which is entirely possible! But I can say similarly from my opinion, every person I've had work JFK/LAX in F has been uniformly excellent, even the one woman who was clearly having a day and we all made a fun go of it together.

MCI777

Of course there are more senior FA's that do an outstanding job as well. But unlike your experience, I've seen more surliness from the seasoned vets. YMMV.

cynicAAl

the job description has changed. No more service. No more safety. They are now "primarily here to sell you credit cards".

Adelphos

DMPHL

If it's technically a full J fare, then it would be worth it to try it. And/or the QF F Lounge. If it's an I, D, or R fare, then it'd be 15,000 miles and $175, in which case, eat the sushi.

Finsup72

According to the AA site, full-fare business is actually considered J, D, or R. Only "I" is considered discount business.

But yes, I agree with your advice - if you've never had flagship dining, then you should certainly try it for 15k miles, assuming no copay. If it costs 15k + $175, then I'd pass.

And depending on what time you land, you can potentially enjoy flagship dining upon arrival at JFK as well...

jcatman

In my book, a $175 copay to experience the Flagship First Dining at LAX before the flight and the same at JFK at the end of the flight while enjoying the privacy of F on the transcon is money well spent.

lightbulbs

ZbadhabitZ

Agreed! I'm not sure I'd do it just for the Flagship First dining (though the food is good, but sushi is a light dish in my opinion and your dining options could end up being heavier and alter your in-flight experience). Having said that, the experience alone is worth having at least once, and I do personally enjoy the added privacy of F on this route vs. business. My first time at Flagship First dining at JFK, I tried to avoid the food to enjoy the in-flight options, though when I found out sundaes are no longer being served on this route, I'm glad I was encouraged to eat at Flagship First. Is it just me that's really bothered by this? It's been such a business/first tradition for so long on many carriers, it really deters me from AA that this LAX food supplier issue, which has gone on for almost three months now, hasn't been rectified...

AANYC1981

It's been fixed by now especially for transcon routes.

enviroian

OP's experience sounds awful. I couldn't imagine how pissed I'd be if I paid big bucks for such a flight only to have a half conscious, grumpy flight attendant. Ugh.