The City of Joy and the Promised Land- AA J, 9W to India
Jan 6, 2012, 9:19 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: US
Programs: AA, DL, LH
Posts: 54
The City of Joy and the Promised Land- AA J, 9W to India
Since I was born, relatives close to me had made a yearly pilgrimage to India. Although they made it around the continent, to places such as Puri and Kerala, the main focus of their visit had always been Kolkata. I had, of course, gotten glimpses of this culture, from receiving kurtas and sweets to picking up some Bengali words (after a week in Kolkata, my Bengali has marginally improved). It had always been my hope to one day go with them to India, and to experience the wonders that leave one saying “I’ll Never Do It Again!”
Which brings us to a story of an unexpected upgrade, dusty streets, and a flight attendant appropriately named “Merry”
Welcome to
The City of Joy and the Promised Land- AA J, 9W to India
(The Promised Land referring to business class, not to Israel)
I. What I wanted to fly
My relative had initially flown KLM to CCU via AMS, and then BA (this is, by the way, the way he is lifetime platinum- that and credit cards). However, as many European airlines axed routes to CCU, he was left with either AA via DEL or LH via FRA. Being used to European airlines, he adjusted quickly to LH style service, and he acquired SWUs via the coupon connection, which he used to upgrade to J from Y. He actually sent me an LH amenity kit of the pencil case variety, which was quite nice IMOH, although the contents were subpar. Anyway, I was somewhat obsessed in LH, a passion that culminated with me buying an inflatable A380 model in the WorldShop at FRA.
Frankfurt is also one of my favorite cities, especially after a two week stay there this past summer. That being such, I was pushing for LH from day 1, even though I said I would fly Aeroflot to DEL. However, due to pricing and logistical issues (no Y availability to ORD Jan. 1st 2012 from FRA), he eventually booked me on American’s daily 777 from ORD direct to Delhi.
UA 6052 LEX-ORD (December 19th, 2011)
AA 292 ORD-DEL (December 20th, 2011)
9W 914 DEL-CCU (December 21st, 2011)
6E 236 CCU-DEL (December 29th, 2011)
AA 293 DEL-ORD (January 1st, 2012)
UA 5817 ORD-SDF (January 1st, 2012)
I had originally booked a UA flight to LEX, but it was cancelled about three months out. The choice was then one between camping out at the airport for seven hours or flying to Louisville, and then having to face a 90 minute drive to Lexington. I’m happy with the decision I made.
Keep in mind that all of this was booked in Y, and yet I ended up flying J for thirty hours when I have no status. How, you ask??
Well, the relative who I travelled with was a seasoned AA flyer since the days that BA flew to CCU. He, using a credit card, managed to achieve lifetime PLAT statues about 3 months before booking. With that came SWUs. And guess who got those SWUs assigned to him for this flight? Ami! But I wasn’t actually expecting to upgraded, of course. Considering that I was on the bottom of the totem pole, I was just happy to have exit row seats on the way back (293). But then I got obsessive. I started reading trip reports. I started researching the upgrade process. I joined expertflyer three times with three different email addresses. I started checking AA’s availability. And you know what I saw??
A possibility.
This could actually happen. I know that this flight usually goes out full, I know that I am at the bottom of the heap, but I want that upgrade, darn it!!! I stared at my computer screen and I willed it to upgrade me. At one point I serenaded it. I started making promises I couldn’t keep. I promised it chocolates. Money. The contact info for the people who designed BA’s J seats. And it held out on me.
And so I passed August, September, October, November, and the first part of December. And then, bang! T-48hrs, and I receive an email from AA stating that my itinerary has been modified. I didn’t even bother to read it at first. I just assumed that the flight time had been changed by some insignificant amount of time. And then I read it. And reread it. And jumped out of my chair. What wondrous miracle, that I had been smiled upon by the auto system. I wanted to fly, baby! Get out of my way. I started practicing my strut. Taking cue from the late fashion icon Kim Jon-Il, I started trying fur coats and sunglasses. What a pity that they did not give PJs to J pax, as they are all the better to tour the coach cabin with.
It was remarkable, really. I immediately went online to find out what meals were being served, what goodies they gave to J pax, and what the salt shakers looked like. I’m not kidding. I have 7 sitting on my desk as I type this.
FLIGHT 1-UA 6052 LEX-ORD
I started packing about two days out. I had originally used a fairly small suitcase to put all my stuff in, as well as a decent sized backpack (I had originally ordered a TIMBUK2 bag, but it did not arrive in time). Soon, it became obvious that while the bag was large enough for everything that I was bringing, it was not nearly large enough for souvenirs and such. So I brought out the big guns. Or as I called the behemoth, Big Hoss after the character on Pawn Stars. Everything fit. Owww yes. It fit. And it jostled around, too. At less than 50 pounds, I was expecting to pay the nominal bag check fee on UA. That did not happen, as we will soon see.
LEX
My home airport was originally a bit of a dump. Two concourses, two baggage claims, one security checkpoint. Not so good- it looked like it belonged in the early 90s. And then came WEG (World Equestrian Games, which Lexington hosted in 2010). All of a sudden, our worn lil’ airport was transformed into the pinnacle of small airport design. A classy sign was put in front of the airport, declaring with bold gold letters “LEX”. All this to appease oil billionaires, so they can come to my humble town and buy multi-million dollar horses. Oh, and Queen Elizabeth II, too
I arrived for my 3:30ish flight at around 1:30. After all, why not? I was planning to splurge and buy a (gasp!) $5 day pass to the local lounge “The Club at Blue Grass”. I went immediately to the UA check in counter, my hand at the ready to dip into my wallet. I proceeded to the counter, and gave the agent a copy of my itinerary, which she used to locate my reservation. First things first- I gave her my M&M card, hoping to gain all of 500 miles. No-go. Because of the international part of my travel on a different alliance, apparently she could not add my FF number. Pity. A pleasant surprise followed, however, when I found out that I had an allowance of 2 bags, presumably because of the upgrade. Score.
I passed security quickly, and stopped to take pictures at the top of the staircase. After that, it was a short hop to the lounge, which is not well marked (a staircase with a sign). I walked up the staircase and was, emmm, surprised when a look into the dragon’s lair revealed a 6 year old kid. Wow. Talk about cutbacks. It turned out that it was part of a group of refugees from the delayed DL flight to Atlanta. They were British, with a hard working mom managing two toddlers, including one who tried to wander off. I grabbed a coke and talked for a bit.
The lounge was surprisingly nice, given that access was only five dollars. It had a sitting area, computer area, and several glassed off meeting areas. For a small airport, what can you expect? The refreshment area was equally modest, with a fridge offering juices and sodas. There was a water dispensing tower, a flavia machine, and a selection of packaged snacks such as Goldfish and Famous Amos. There was free airport-wide WiF; in addition, the lounge had two internet equipped computer. I stayed for about an hour, reading on my Kindle and researching AA’s business class product.
Boarding was quick, athough there seemed to be quite a few “specials”. One thing of interest was a large Arab family, possibly Saudi, who were carrying several large Macy’s bags. A little shopping, perhaps?
UA 6052
Seat 1A
December 19th, 2011
I arrived on board and was greeted by a somewhat frazzled FA. I extracted my Kindle, iPod, and camera from my backpack and looked at the FA meaningfully. “You can put it in the overhead bin”, she said in answer to my nonverbal question. This was somewhat surprising, as they normally have me put it in the locker. Oh well…. The gate agent came onboard quickly, and I heard the loading- 45 adults, 5 children. Actually, I am unsure if this includes flight crew, but either way, the plane was fairly full.
Two things:
1) This was an old CO bird
2) The ACs tail number was 911, which would have been OK if it was not on the cockpit door in red letters. Winced, than took a covert photo.
One downside about 1A is that it is right below the speaker. I found this out quickly when the FA’s, which seemed to have increased an octave, pierced my ears. I jumped, than almost hit my head on the ceiling. Smooth, real smooth. Seatguru says that this seat has less legroom than a normal seat- I would disagree. The bulkhead makes the angle different, certainly, but the pitch seems greater.
Takeoff quickly followed, and a quick drink service. I am always disappointed by UA in this aspect- their cups are both smaller than DL’s, and that they do not serve as much as a peanut. The seatbelt sign was on for most of the flight, but the cloud formations were just wonderful. One thing that struck me was the FA’s personality, or lack of. One would think that having her prepare the cart next to me would invite a little conversation- none occurred.
ORD ground was less than spectacular-‘nuff said. 45 minute wait for bags, got 303 cab, got to shelter, and ate a pizza.
Which brings us to a story of an unexpected upgrade, dusty streets, and a flight attendant appropriately named “Merry”
Welcome to
The City of Joy and the Promised Land- AA J, 9W to India
(The Promised Land referring to business class, not to Israel)
I. What I wanted to fly
My relative had initially flown KLM to CCU via AMS, and then BA (this is, by the way, the way he is lifetime platinum- that and credit cards). However, as many European airlines axed routes to CCU, he was left with either AA via DEL or LH via FRA. Being used to European airlines, he adjusted quickly to LH style service, and he acquired SWUs via the coupon connection, which he used to upgrade to J from Y. He actually sent me an LH amenity kit of the pencil case variety, which was quite nice IMOH, although the contents were subpar. Anyway, I was somewhat obsessed in LH, a passion that culminated with me buying an inflatable A380 model in the WorldShop at FRA.
Frankfurt is also one of my favorite cities, especially after a two week stay there this past summer. That being such, I was pushing for LH from day 1, even though I said I would fly Aeroflot to DEL. However, due to pricing and logistical issues (no Y availability to ORD Jan. 1st 2012 from FRA), he eventually booked me on American’s daily 777 from ORD direct to Delhi.
UA 6052 LEX-ORD (December 19th, 2011)
AA 292 ORD-DEL (December 20th, 2011)
9W 914 DEL-CCU (December 21st, 2011)
6E 236 CCU-DEL (December 29th, 2011)
AA 293 DEL-ORD (January 1st, 2012)
UA 5817 ORD-SDF (January 1st, 2012)
I had originally booked a UA flight to LEX, but it was cancelled about three months out. The choice was then one between camping out at the airport for seven hours or flying to Louisville, and then having to face a 90 minute drive to Lexington. I’m happy with the decision I made.
Keep in mind that all of this was booked in Y, and yet I ended up flying J for thirty hours when I have no status. How, you ask??
Well, the relative who I travelled with was a seasoned AA flyer since the days that BA flew to CCU. He, using a credit card, managed to achieve lifetime PLAT statues about 3 months before booking. With that came SWUs. And guess who got those SWUs assigned to him for this flight? Ami! But I wasn’t actually expecting to upgraded, of course. Considering that I was on the bottom of the totem pole, I was just happy to have exit row seats on the way back (293). But then I got obsessive. I started reading trip reports. I started researching the upgrade process. I joined expertflyer three times with three different email addresses. I started checking AA’s availability. And you know what I saw??
A possibility.
This could actually happen. I know that this flight usually goes out full, I know that I am at the bottom of the heap, but I want that upgrade, darn it!!! I stared at my computer screen and I willed it to upgrade me. At one point I serenaded it. I started making promises I couldn’t keep. I promised it chocolates. Money. The contact info for the people who designed BA’s J seats. And it held out on me.
And so I passed August, September, October, November, and the first part of December. And then, bang! T-48hrs, and I receive an email from AA stating that my itinerary has been modified. I didn’t even bother to read it at first. I just assumed that the flight time had been changed by some insignificant amount of time. And then I read it. And reread it. And jumped out of my chair. What wondrous miracle, that I had been smiled upon by the auto system. I wanted to fly, baby! Get out of my way. I started practicing my strut. Taking cue from the late fashion icon Kim Jon-Il, I started trying fur coats and sunglasses. What a pity that they did not give PJs to J pax, as they are all the better to tour the coach cabin with.
It was remarkable, really. I immediately went online to find out what meals were being served, what goodies they gave to J pax, and what the salt shakers looked like. I’m not kidding. I have 7 sitting on my desk as I type this.
FLIGHT 1-UA 6052 LEX-ORD
I started packing about two days out. I had originally used a fairly small suitcase to put all my stuff in, as well as a decent sized backpack (I had originally ordered a TIMBUK2 bag, but it did not arrive in time). Soon, it became obvious that while the bag was large enough for everything that I was bringing, it was not nearly large enough for souvenirs and such. So I brought out the big guns. Or as I called the behemoth, Big Hoss after the character on Pawn Stars. Everything fit. Owww yes. It fit. And it jostled around, too. At less than 50 pounds, I was expecting to pay the nominal bag check fee on UA. That did not happen, as we will soon see.
LEX
My home airport was originally a bit of a dump. Two concourses, two baggage claims, one security checkpoint. Not so good- it looked like it belonged in the early 90s. And then came WEG (World Equestrian Games, which Lexington hosted in 2010). All of a sudden, our worn lil’ airport was transformed into the pinnacle of small airport design. A classy sign was put in front of the airport, declaring with bold gold letters “LEX”. All this to appease oil billionaires, so they can come to my humble town and buy multi-million dollar horses. Oh, and Queen Elizabeth II, too
I arrived for my 3:30ish flight at around 1:30. After all, why not? I was planning to splurge and buy a (gasp!) $5 day pass to the local lounge “The Club at Blue Grass”. I went immediately to the UA check in counter, my hand at the ready to dip into my wallet. I proceeded to the counter, and gave the agent a copy of my itinerary, which she used to locate my reservation. First things first- I gave her my M&M card, hoping to gain all of 500 miles. No-go. Because of the international part of my travel on a different alliance, apparently she could not add my FF number. Pity. A pleasant surprise followed, however, when I found out that I had an allowance of 2 bags, presumably because of the upgrade. Score.
I passed security quickly, and stopped to take pictures at the top of the staircase. After that, it was a short hop to the lounge, which is not well marked (a staircase with a sign). I walked up the staircase and was, emmm, surprised when a look into the dragon’s lair revealed a 6 year old kid. Wow. Talk about cutbacks. It turned out that it was part of a group of refugees from the delayed DL flight to Atlanta. They were British, with a hard working mom managing two toddlers, including one who tried to wander off. I grabbed a coke and talked for a bit.
The lounge was surprisingly nice, given that access was only five dollars. It had a sitting area, computer area, and several glassed off meeting areas. For a small airport, what can you expect? The refreshment area was equally modest, with a fridge offering juices and sodas. There was a water dispensing tower, a flavia machine, and a selection of packaged snacks such as Goldfish and Famous Amos. There was free airport-wide WiF; in addition, the lounge had two internet equipped computer. I stayed for about an hour, reading on my Kindle and researching AA’s business class product.
Boarding was quick, athough there seemed to be quite a few “specials”. One thing of interest was a large Arab family, possibly Saudi, who were carrying several large Macy’s bags. A little shopping, perhaps?
UA 6052
Seat 1A
December 19th, 2011
I arrived on board and was greeted by a somewhat frazzled FA. I extracted my Kindle, iPod, and camera from my backpack and looked at the FA meaningfully. “You can put it in the overhead bin”, she said in answer to my nonverbal question. This was somewhat surprising, as they normally have me put it in the locker. Oh well…. The gate agent came onboard quickly, and I heard the loading- 45 adults, 5 children. Actually, I am unsure if this includes flight crew, but either way, the plane was fairly full.
Two things:
1) This was an old CO bird
2) The ACs tail number was 911, which would have been OK if it was not on the cockpit door in red letters. Winced, than took a covert photo.
One downside about 1A is that it is right below the speaker. I found this out quickly when the FA’s, which seemed to have increased an octave, pierced my ears. I jumped, than almost hit my head on the ceiling. Smooth, real smooth. Seatguru says that this seat has less legroom than a normal seat- I would disagree. The bulkhead makes the angle different, certainly, but the pitch seems greater.
Takeoff quickly followed, and a quick drink service. I am always disappointed by UA in this aspect- their cups are both smaller than DL’s, and that they do not serve as much as a peanut. The seatbelt sign was on for most of the flight, but the cloud formations were just wonderful. One thing that struck me was the FA’s personality, or lack of. One would think that having her prepare the cart next to me would invite a little conversation- none occurred.
ORD ground was less than spectacular-‘nuff said. 45 minute wait for bags, got 303 cab, got to shelter, and ate a pizza.
Jan 16, 2012, 1:33 pm
#2
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: US
Programs: AA, DL, LH
Posts: 54
ORD Ground 12/20/11
My new wallet
Needless to say, I was excited. Really excited. As far as I was concerned, the first 12 hours of the day were wasted. My life meant nothing until I arrived at O’Hare. I was anticipating it all… arriving at the check-in counter, sailing past security and into the embrace of AAngels, boarding the plane and sinking into the seat… no, throne with glee. Too bad I can’t drink!
The taxi was originally scheduled to pick us up at 12:30, which would give us about 2 hours in the airport. I passed the first part of the day re-packing (distributing stuff across my luggage) and locking the bags with hot-pink TSA-OK locks. Then the phone rang, and there was no name on the caller ID. Solicitor, I thought. No big deal. I let it ring. Then it started up again. So I picked it up, and almost dropped the phone in horror.
“This is an automated message from American Airlines regarding flight 292 with service to Delhi”
Oh god. I’ve been ousted from my kingdom.
“Flight 292 will be running an hour and a half behind schedule”
I wept with glee. More time in the lounge. Whoopee!
The taxi appeared shortly, and whisked me off to heaven
Arriving
Love the logo!
We arrived at O’Hare at around 1:30, and entered the Terminal 3 check-in area. I had not been in this terminal in years, so it was a new experience for me. I thought that it was certainly on-par with the rest of O’Hare, and certainly beats my sworn enemy, T2. Additionally, the Christmas decorations were absolutely lovely (later, I would find out that most of O’Hare had them).
Some decorations
Like the Spanish, too
Check-in counter
Protector of the premium lane
The Priority Check-In line was easy to find, and it was thankfully guarded by a stout little man. There was absolutely no line, and we were checked in by the First Class AAgent. Our bags were tagged to Delhi; however, he was unable to give us boarding passes for the 9W flight. This was expected, and would prove to be no problem. One thing I was impressed by was the sturdy priority tags- Orange like Star’s, but printed on durable material with the AA and Oneworld logo on it. I liked it so much, that I asked the agent if I could have an additional one for my collection- he gladly obliged, and handed it to me with my boarding pass (the BP itself, I must mention, was not stylish at all and appeared more like a coupon- moreover, no ticket jacket was supplied).
Directions to paradise
Christmas Decorations
I found the dual languages (Chinese, me thinks) interesting
Oh, joy!
We immediately made our way to the TSA checkpoint, where I was anticipating some trouble. I had packed an old-style AA amenity kit to use on the flight, but had not put the lotion in my 311 bag. My worries proved unfounded- the bags sailed right through, along with us, after getting the bodyscan treatment.
The terminal was very much like T1, in my opinion. The ceiling had that characteristic arch in the main hall; however, the rest had a lower ceiling that reminded me of T2. Never mind- we were off. But first, some shopping at The Field Museum Store, where I acquired a t-shirt with a classy drawing of the building. After this, we went to the larger AAdmiral’s club located between the two concourses. The entrance was fairly prominent; however, it seemed rather dated with the metallic doors. Anyway, enough waiting! We entered and were greeted by the dragons, how inspected our BPs before issuing us a drink chit each. Casually, I enquired about the cause for the delay, and she was very forthcoming- apparently, the A/C had been coming in from NRT, but was for some reason delayed. As we were having this conversation at around 2:10, the A/C had not yet landed, much less gone to the international terminal.
This Admiral’s Club was a large one, located one floor above the main terminal. We took the elevator up to it, and found a pair of seats with a good view of the runway and terminal. My first impressions were good- the club was large an airy, with adequate seating and large windows. However, we did not receive a WiFi card for whatever reason, not that this mattered. Unfortunately, we were seated next to a road warrior with a Bluetooth headset, so we were able to hear quite a bit of his (often comical) conversation.
Bar area
All those premium drinks could be yours for a chit
Gonna beat us to Delhi
Old and New
Our seating are... none of us are here, by the way
Lobby area
Jan 16, 2012, 1:34 pm
#3
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: US
Programs: AA, DL, LH
Posts: 54
ORD Ground 12/20/11 (pt.2)
Like the art-deco theme
I went exploring with the goal of getting a soda- I was disappointed. There were no canned sodas on offer, only fountain drinks. Anything more (like a bottled Pepsi) was worth a chit. To me, this was not important, but if I were a full-paying J pax, I would have been gravely disappointed with the lounge experience. There was absolutely no substantial free food- some off-brand check mix, fruit, and cookies. However, I was impressed by the amount of computers and TVs, which were at a sensible volume. The best part for me was the literature rack- the usual AA magazines, but also Iberia’s Ronda and Excelente, which I added to my collection.
A bonus to all of this was that we got a great view of all the international traffic on its way to T5. We saw planes in the colors of Air India, British Airways, Etihad, Cathay Pacific, and Lufthansa, which I enjoyed. Unfortunately, by this point, my camera was screaming at me to get new batteries, which I had neglected to bring in my carry-on. So we left the lounge, and I purchased some cheap batteries at Hudson News.
The gate area was something. It was at the end of the concourse (I want to say Gate K16), and there was plenty of chairs. There were several AA employees patrolling the area, and they made several announcements requesting, nay, ordering people to use the carry-on size checker. Thankfully, they did not make me do this, as there is no way my backpack would of fit (luckily, space was in abundance in J). At this point, the aircraft had still not arrived from T5, and some passengers were getting a bit… err, restless. No announcements were made in Hindi, which you think would be something that they would do for the convenience of some passengers.
Scary!!!
The flight was 100% full, with around 18 passengers on the standby list. I did not happen to see the upgrade list, but I would hazard a guess that it took up several pages. The aircraft finally arrived, but we were forced to wait while the flight crew conducted their “security checks”. I could practically taste the welcome OJ and smell the aroma of the roasted nuts… oh, let me on already!
Boarding started with first class passengers, which took about three minutes. Let me be the first to tell you- I was the most eager gate lice out there- practically nipping the heels of all the F pax. Shortly, the call for business passengers was made, and I leapt towards the gate agent with anticipation welling in my chest. Come to me, you beautiful seat. House me, you promised land!
Jan 17, 2012, 6:46 pm
#5
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: US
Programs: AA, DL, LH
Posts: 54
Lucky with the upgrade, a fresh new hell in coach
Jan 19, 2012, 3:40 pm
#9
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: US
Programs: AA, DL, LH
Posts: 54
Jan 28, 2012, 4:03 pm
#10
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: US
Programs: AA, DL, LH
Posts: 54
AA 292 ORD-DEL
I walked down the jetway with the intent of absolutely enjoying every minute of this flight. There were no newspapers offered by the door, which I was not expecting, but would have been nice. Additionally, the aircraft was boarded from only one jetway instead of two, and the one was latched on to door 2L. This was great for the F passengers, but it meant that the Y passengers boarded through the J cabin. I’m not feeling superior here (since I had forgot my fur coat at home), but it made it difficult for the FAs to conduct an efficient pre-departure service.
I need an SLR bad
My first impressions were heavily in AA’s favor. The WOW! factor was considerable, as was the adrenaline. However, I noticed what most people do- AA doesn’t win any awards in color choices. It was like being on the U-505, except without the cabinetry. A soulless design seemed to be the priority here- well, they achieved that. It was all very efficient, industrial, and international. But it was like paradise.
The coach cabin (or main cabin, as it was called) is planned to provide minimal aisle access for the maximum number of passengers. A 2-5-2 layout is awful for those poor folks in the center seats, but makes the side seats good for travelling couples. Following this, the business cabin has a 2-3-2 layout, which leads me to conclude two things.
1) They only eliminated two freaking seats! And with the center console, that means that the seat width does not improve dramatically.
2) Let’s take, for example, a 6 row cabin with AA’s J configuration. That means that of the seven people across, 4 have aisle access directly, while three do not. This means that 42% of J passengers have no direct aisle access- not something that is ideal when a large amount of the flight is spent sleeping.
First impressions
My throne
Note the headrest
godspeed
a shaky seat front
across
Sure, there were plenty of negatives, especially for those folk in the A, E, and J seats. But it is still business class. Not that you would believe that by reading some reviews on flatseats.com. To quote…
“ZRH-JFK 6-7 times a year for the last five years. Worst business class seats I've ever experienced. I don't care about my miles, and will rather have more comfortable trips from now on”
“Complete joke of a business class seat. Miami to Brazil overnight, seat does not recline fully, so your feet hang off the end when you lie down.”
“These have to be some of the poorest comfort Business Class seats I have had in sometime. Very uncomfortable and very difficult to get a position that you can sleep.”
Some people there (and on FT) need remedial lessons in being gracious. One look at coach in AA was enough to make me want to burn offerings to the business class god… why does nobody else seem to feel this way?
The seats themselves are grey with a black square pattern. There is a large black leatherlike headrest (adjustable) that can be moved up a significant amount. The seat design is hardly innovative, but is on par with European carriers like Lufthansa, Air France, KLM, and (god forbid) SAS. One nice classy touch is the AA eagle logo (very retro) on the back of the hard shell, so when you sleep, the eagle “watches” over you. I know, I’m a little crazy.
The seat is a significant distance from the next seat, which is good. It has the nice ability to move forward while in a reclined position, which was very nice (although there are limits on this feature). There is no massage function!! However, the seat makes up for this by allowing the user to move individual parts of the seat independent of the others, thus allowing one to customize their seating experience. One of the unfortunate aspects of the seat is that the leg (for lack of a better word) support has this sensor on it that makes it retract when it meets resistance while moving. This happened with a variety of objects- the blanket, the backpack, and my own legs.
The controls are laid out in a logical manner at the end of the console. I cannot imagine one having difficulties understanding them- this was my first time in an electronic seat, and they were quite simplistic. The only vague control was the button labeled “M”, which I foolishly though controlled the (non-existent) massage function. Instead, one can, by means of a complicated ritual, imbed a position into the memory of the seat, thus insuring an easy transition from eating to, as I call it, chillaxing.
Controls
The tray table was a two part affair, literally. The first part popped out from the center console (although “popped out” is misleading- it had to be dragged out), while the latter piece could be lowered from the front of the shell in front of you. It was released by a rather clever latch that was similar to what might find in a galley- a small tab that could be nudged up to release what was presumably a pin, letting the tray table fall (catch it!). However, on both flights, the two tables did not lock effectively, halving my usable dining space. Behind the tray table was a small rack with an adjustable light, presumably to make up for the lack of a gooseneck lamp. There was a compartment below this that could be opened by lifting a small tab, revealing the magazines for tonight’s flight (American Way, Celebrated Living, On the Runway, and the Spanish language magazine Nexos (a great idea!)).
There was a small indentation on the side of the console, which was large enough to hold perhaps the Bose Headphone box, as well as the remote for the IFE. There was space for the safety card in a special slot on the console, but there was no room for additional items in said slot. There was of course the shoe container, one for each seat. On the seat front was a coat hanger; however, this proved to be useless.
Indentation
Enough about the seat!
On the seat (don’t worry, this is different) was a sealed plastic package containing a blanket and pillow. The blanket (or should I say, duvet) was very soft, albeit rather thin. It featured a flagship logo, as did the oversized pillow (perfectly adequate and, in fact, wonderful). The new amenity kit was placed in the show cutout, and was sealed in crinkly plastic. Although I did not open for this flight (it was bound for my collection), it contained
• Dermalogica brand moistening lotion, multivitamin hand lotion, towelette, and lip balm
• Comb
• Earplugs
• Toothbrush and Colgate toothpaste
• Pen with logo
• Eyemask and socks
• Tissues
• All in a very nice Eames Office Bag
I was disappointed that no slippers were offered for this flight. From what I read on AA’s website, slippers were provided on Asia flights to premium passengers. But no mind- let the experience begin!
More to come…
Real classy, I know
Seatfront
The bird
Literature pocket
Blanket Detail
Tray table
More to come, hopefully tonight
I walked down the jetway with the intent of absolutely enjoying every minute of this flight. There were no newspapers offered by the door, which I was not expecting, but would have been nice. Additionally, the aircraft was boarded from only one jetway instead of two, and the one was latched on to door 2L. This was great for the F passengers, but it meant that the Y passengers boarded through the J cabin. I’m not feeling superior here (since I had forgot my fur coat at home), but it made it difficult for the FAs to conduct an efficient pre-departure service.
I need an SLR bad
My first impressions were heavily in AA’s favor. The WOW! factor was considerable, as was the adrenaline. However, I noticed what most people do- AA doesn’t win any awards in color choices. It was like being on the U-505, except without the cabinetry. A soulless design seemed to be the priority here- well, they achieved that. It was all very efficient, industrial, and international. But it was like paradise.
The coach cabin (or main cabin, as it was called) is planned to provide minimal aisle access for the maximum number of passengers. A 2-5-2 layout is awful for those poor folks in the center seats, but makes the side seats good for travelling couples. Following this, the business cabin has a 2-3-2 layout, which leads me to conclude two things.
1) They only eliminated two freaking seats! And with the center console, that means that the seat width does not improve dramatically.
2) Let’s take, for example, a 6 row cabin with AA’s J configuration. That means that of the seven people across, 4 have aisle access directly, while three do not. This means that 42% of J passengers have no direct aisle access- not something that is ideal when a large amount of the flight is spent sleeping.
First impressions
My throne
Note the headrest
godspeed
a shaky seat front
across
Sure, there were plenty of negatives, especially for those folk in the A, E, and J seats. But it is still business class. Not that you would believe that by reading some reviews on flatseats.com. To quote…
“ZRH-JFK 6-7 times a year for the last five years. Worst business class seats I've ever experienced. I don't care about my miles, and will rather have more comfortable trips from now on”
“Complete joke of a business class seat. Miami to Brazil overnight, seat does not recline fully, so your feet hang off the end when you lie down.”
“These have to be some of the poorest comfort Business Class seats I have had in sometime. Very uncomfortable and very difficult to get a position that you can sleep.”
Some people there (and on FT) need remedial lessons in being gracious. One look at coach in AA was enough to make me want to burn offerings to the business class god… why does nobody else seem to feel this way?
The seats themselves are grey with a black square pattern. There is a large black leatherlike headrest (adjustable) that can be moved up a significant amount. The seat design is hardly innovative, but is on par with European carriers like Lufthansa, Air France, KLM, and (god forbid) SAS. One nice classy touch is the AA eagle logo (very retro) on the back of the hard shell, so when you sleep, the eagle “watches” over you. I know, I’m a little crazy.
The seat is a significant distance from the next seat, which is good. It has the nice ability to move forward while in a reclined position, which was very nice (although there are limits on this feature). There is no massage function!! However, the seat makes up for this by allowing the user to move individual parts of the seat independent of the others, thus allowing one to customize their seating experience. One of the unfortunate aspects of the seat is that the leg (for lack of a better word) support has this sensor on it that makes it retract when it meets resistance while moving. This happened with a variety of objects- the blanket, the backpack, and my own legs.
The controls are laid out in a logical manner at the end of the console. I cannot imagine one having difficulties understanding them- this was my first time in an electronic seat, and they were quite simplistic. The only vague control was the button labeled “M”, which I foolishly though controlled the (non-existent) massage function. Instead, one can, by means of a complicated ritual, imbed a position into the memory of the seat, thus insuring an easy transition from eating to, as I call it, chillaxing.
Controls
The tray table was a two part affair, literally. The first part popped out from the center console (although “popped out” is misleading- it had to be dragged out), while the latter piece could be lowered from the front of the shell in front of you. It was released by a rather clever latch that was similar to what might find in a galley- a small tab that could be nudged up to release what was presumably a pin, letting the tray table fall (catch it!). However, on both flights, the two tables did not lock effectively, halving my usable dining space. Behind the tray table was a small rack with an adjustable light, presumably to make up for the lack of a gooseneck lamp. There was a compartment below this that could be opened by lifting a small tab, revealing the magazines for tonight’s flight (American Way, Celebrated Living, On the Runway, and the Spanish language magazine Nexos (a great idea!)).
There was a small indentation on the side of the console, which was large enough to hold perhaps the Bose Headphone box, as well as the remote for the IFE. There was space for the safety card in a special slot on the console, but there was no room for additional items in said slot. There was of course the shoe container, one for each seat. On the seat front was a coat hanger; however, this proved to be useless.
Indentation
Enough about the seat!
On the seat (don’t worry, this is different) was a sealed plastic package containing a blanket and pillow. The blanket (or should I say, duvet) was very soft, albeit rather thin. It featured a flagship logo, as did the oversized pillow (perfectly adequate and, in fact, wonderful). The new amenity kit was placed in the show cutout, and was sealed in crinkly plastic. Although I did not open for this flight (it was bound for my collection), it contained
• Dermalogica brand moistening lotion, multivitamin hand lotion, towelette, and lip balm
• Comb
• Earplugs
• Toothbrush and Colgate toothpaste
• Pen with logo
• Eyemask and socks
• Tissues
• All in a very nice Eames Office Bag
I was disappointed that no slippers were offered for this flight. From what I read on AA’s website, slippers were provided on Asia flights to premium passengers. But no mind- let the experience begin!
More to come…
Real classy, I know
Seatfront
The bird
Literature pocket
Blanket Detail
Tray table
More to come, hopefully tonight