ARCHIVE: 2016 HELP DESK: General questions re aircraft equipment, fleet, seat etc.
#646
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: CUR
Posts: 2,170
Rule of thumb. If it's JFK-LAX/SFO it's an A321T, If its any other route it won't be. It is currently flown on JFK-BOS and LAX-SFO as well, though. The only way to check would be to check the seatmap.
#647
Moderator: American AAdvantage, Signatures
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: London, England
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Not sure what the mystery is about where you're coming from and trying to go... but the only route that would definitely have flat beds 100% of the time would be BOS-CDG, and that's a seasonal route which is likely to have angle-flat rather than flat-to-the-floor seats at least in the short term. Anything else would be a route that might have a few flights with flat beds, and even those could be changed at any time and flat seats would not be assured. To find them, look for the aircraft type: any 330 would be flat, any 75L would be flat (either angle or flat-to-the-floor), and a 32B may be depending on configuration. I hope this helps!
#648
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Join Date: Feb 2005
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While at LGA this week I saw a A321 with winglet on a AA plane, it was heading to DFW. Wasn't aware of any A321 with winglets.
#649
Moderator: American AAdvantage, Signatures
Join Date: Jan 2008
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#650
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#651
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All LAA 321s have "sharklet" wingtip devices (here's a picture). They are shown as 32B when searching AA's website for flights.
#652
Moderator: American AAdvantage, Signatures
Join Date: Jan 2008
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You may be thinking of wingtip fences, which is what Airbus used to use on their A320 family. They look like this. Sharklets are basically the Airbus term for blended winglets, and they're by and large more efficient than the wingtip fences they replaced (though the efficiency of these devices is a complicated calculus as heavier devices may prove less efficient on shorter routes).
#653
Join Date: Sep 2015
Posts: 9
Upgraded 737-800
I've got an upcoming flight on a Boeing 738. I believe I'm first on the upgrade list (would have to purchase two 500-mile vouchers) and I'm wondering if there is a way to tell if I'll be on one of the newly renovated planes (have they finished refurbing the fleet? A few months ago they hadn't). If so, buying/spending my upgrades is totally worth it, if not, it would be an enormous waste (old metal doesn't even have IFE). Any help is greatly appreciated. For reference it's AA333 BOS>LAX
#654
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: SFO
Programs: AA EXP
Posts: 5,270
I've got an upcoming flight on a Boeing 738. I believe I'm first on the upgrade list (would have to purchase two 500-mile vouchers) and I'm wondering if there is a way to tell if I'll be on one of the newly renovated planes (have they finished refurbing the fleet? A few months ago they hadn't). If so, buying/spending my upgrades is totally worth it, if not, it would be an enormous waste (old metal doesn't even have IFE). Any help is greatly appreciated. For reference it's AA333 BOS>LAX
#655
Join Date: Sep 2014
Programs: AA EP, Hilton Diamond, Hertz Platinum
Posts: 636
All the 737s have some version of IFE. Majority have the overhead screens, power plugs and wifi. Only a small number have the individual screens instead of the overhead screens.
#656
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Boston, MA (BOS)
Programs: AA PLT Pro 2MM, DL Gold, UA Silver, Marriott Ambassador + LT Plat, COFC Venture X, HHonors Diamond
Posts: 5,587
I've got an upcoming flight on a Boeing 738. I believe I'm first on the upgrade list (would have to purchase two 500-mile vouchers) and I'm wondering if there is a way to tell if I'll be on one of the newly renovated planes (have they finished refurbing the fleet? A few months ago they hadn't). If so, buying/spending my upgrades is totally worth it, if not, it would be an enormous waste (old metal doesn't even have IFE). Any help is greatly appreciated. For reference it's AA333 BOS>LAX
Years ago the original 77 frames had cabin mods to match the newly delivered 73Ds.
You may get a 73A with AVOD or non-AVOD. BOS-LAX tends to get 73A more often than not in my vast experience flying the route.
#657
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: TX
Programs: AA: EXP MR: Ti
Posts: 495
As noted by others, only a small portion of the fleet has seat-back IFE. There is no movement towards adding this towards any aircraft already in the fleet... these seat-back IFE screens only exist on new deliveries.
I believe N939NN and higher have them. There is no way to definitively know until for sure in advance - aircraft swaps happen early & often.
I believe N939NN and higher have them. There is no way to definitively know until for sure in advance - aircraft swaps happen early & often.
#658
Join Date: Oct 2016
Location: MCO
Programs: AA EXP, National EE
Posts: 36
OP, what date is your flight?
#659
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: MCO
Programs: DL PM, UA Silver, Marriott Titanium, Hertz Presidents Circle
Posts: 4,324
I've got an upcoming flight on a Boeing 738. I believe I'm first on the upgrade list (would have to purchase two 500-mile vouchers) and I'm wondering if there is a way to tell if I'll be on one of the newly renovated planes (have they finished refurbing the fleet? A few months ago they hadn't). If so, buying/spending my upgrades is totally worth it, if not, it would be an enormous waste (old metal doesn't even have IFE). Any help is greatly appreciated. For reference it's AA333 BOS>LAX
-Regular 738 (Overhead TVs, standerd bins) most common
-738 w/Boeing Sky Interior (Overhead TVs, mood lighting)
-738 w/BSI and AVOD (AVOD, mood lighting, ISP, leather seats)
There is no way to tell if you are on a new 738 until 24 hours out. They are N939NN and above. There are more of them based on the west cost.
#660
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: Milwaukee
Programs: AA Pl, KL Platinum for Life
Posts: 384
I would rather AA invest in better seats or other comforts instead of IFE systems since most of us have our own IFE systems like iPads and laptops.