AA Airbus Experience Review DCA -> DFW -> SAN
Apr 16, 2015, 6:16 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: MIA
Programs: AA EXP (AC), DL G (SC), Bonvoy LTP, & IHG AMB
Posts: 1,798
AA Airbus Experience Review DCA -> DFW -> SAN
Greetings Flyertalk! I wanted to write this report because I noticed there weren’t many reports on AA’s A32B and this trip offered the opportunity to try one out. I’ll offer some general remarks on the flight, service and experience. Of course, comments are always appreciated. I truly hope the report isn't too verbose and it's of some use to those who have trepidations about the new AA planes.
Introduction:
The reason for the trip was a few meetings in San Diego and as I would be working out DCA, the routing options were either through CLT, LAX, ORD, DFW, or PHX. Flying with US Airways multiple times a week, I ruled out CLT and PHX pretty quickly. I was tempted to go through LAX, but the schedule was a bit off. Moreover, the idea of a six hour domestic flight after doing almost exclusively shuttle flights and one-hour express flights for the better part of a year, well, I demurred. Looking around, I noticed that the A32B was available from DFW to SAN, which was ideal since I’d not yet flown on AA operated airbuses. The timing would also work for the meetings, which required I get in before lunch on Thursday. Of course, during the two weeks between booking and departure, meetings were shuffled, so I wouldn’t actually have to get to San Diego until Friday morning, but given the light week, I decided to stick with the original itinerary and head out Thursday morning. Beyond the opportunity to try out a new airplane, well, a new airplane operated by AA at any rate, I was excited for the trip because I hadn’t been to San Diego in about five or six years and I’ve always enjoyed the city. For hotels, I had thought about staying at the Andaz down-town, but with the majority of the meetings occurring in the corporate parks on the northern side of the city, I decided to stay at the Hyatt Place in Sorrento Mesa.
I wrapped up work on Wednesday and mentally prepared myself for the early departure. Weather in DC had been pretty unpredictable: seventy-five and sunny one day, forty and raining the next. I woke up prematurely to the alarm which had been set at 0335, a time which I was not keen to see. I had woken up early the morning prior more or less to confirm that uber was running at the early hour. Fortunately they were. So with a quick ‘Set Pickup’, I was off to DCA. Not surprisingly with the quantity of early morning flights, the terminal was a bit crowded although not that bad at all. The priority line was naturally longer than the main cabin line.
Interestingly, the AC actually opens around 430 despite the signage and website saying 0500. Needless to say, there's no bar service, but they do have the bagels and some drinks available. Personally, I like the Terminal B AC, but it can get very very crowded. With multiple rooms in the AC, I find the one behind the bar to be the best in terms of available seating. The room itself offers a view of the Starbucks and the check-in area, which isn’t ideal, but the main room is usually full; especially in the afternoon. Moreover, I get tired of sitting in the ‘cell phone free’ zone only to have people chitchatting in there. Is it just me or do I read ‘cell phone free’ to mean quiet room, like on trains: no talking. I might be mistaken. Also, TSA PreCheck doesn't open up until 0430, so plan accordingly.
Some pre-dawn shots of the AC:
AA 175
DCA -> DFW
Departure Scheduled: 0530 Actual: 0524
Arrival: Scheduled: 0758 Actual: 0801
Equipment: 737-800
Seat: 6F
Back to the flight though; the equipment for our two hour and fifty-eight minute journey to Dallas would be the good ol’ 737-800. Personally, I think the plane is adequately comfortable. As someone who is Boston and DCA based, I’m almost always on US Airways and it’s nice to change things up a little bit. As I see it, the pros on the 737 are the generally spacious cabin, lumbar support (compared to US airbuses), greater potential for upgrades with six-teen vice twelve seats and the limited in-flight entertainment. The cons are the padding on the seat cushion for your bum and the low windows; I’m about six feet tall and I have to slouch to look out of them.
The flight itself boarded promptly at 0501 and the cabin door was closed at 0524. We departed to the North and were airborne at 0538. Before I get to the climb out, which was a little bumpy due to storms in the area, spare me a moment to kvetch about bulkhead etiquette. As the flight boarded, I could tell there were a few characters. One clocharde with a yacht captain’s hat literally stumbled on board, there were the obligatory screaming children, and then there was what I’ll call the bulkhead duo. I would think it’s generally common knowledge that you can’t store your luggage, hand bags etc on the floor of the bulkhead. If not, there’s a sign that says you can’t. So, mom and daughter duo boarded, they were the last ones naturally because they decided to wait in the before shown line for Dunkin. I heard a bit of a kerfuffle, as daughter, who was probably in her forties proceeds to spill the coffee all over the seat and all over the floor. Now, I’ll count myself fortunate that the flight was so empty because my first thought was ‘ugh’, inoperable seats, delayed departure, perfect. Well, the FAs cleaned it up and found her a seat next to mom. Previously, they were sitting across the aisle from each other. After cleaning up daughter’s mess, the FA reminds daughter that she needs to store her purse in the overhead for take off and landing. At this point, I should have probably just turned up the volume on my podcast, but instead decided to see how this little drama would play out.
Daughter’s response: Why?
FA: Ma’am, this is an FAA regulation.
Daughter: What’s the difference, I’ll just put it under the seat.
FA: Ma’am, that’s the passenger behind you’s space.
Daughter: Well, why would I pay all this money to sit here if I can’t even have my bag.
FA: Ma’am, it’s only for take off and landing and look at all the room you have. I’ll put your bag up for you.
Daughter dearest continues to complain about this to mom, as mom tries to settle her down. If you’ve seen ‘Mildred Pierce’, this daughter would have been perfect as 'Vita'; in the Joan Crawford version, not the mini-series.
Anyways, we took off heading north and I tried to get a quick shot of the mall, but the cloud coverage was too low. As mentioned, climb out was a bit bumpy due to storms in the area, but nothing too major. Meal service commenced about fifteen minutes after take off starting in the back of the F cabin. The moist towelettes were distributed which had a faint scent of lemon, but were sort of baked and hard.
Didn't engage the flash, apologies for the poor quality.
I had neglected to pre-select a meal, but went with the oatmeal, largely for the photo-op. The oatmeal itself was decent in that it was warm, not hot, like one might prefer, but not inedible. I had a couple of spoon fulls. Bread choices were offered, either a biscuit or raisin bread. The biscuit was doughy and not in a fluffy doughy way, rather like an under-cooked way. One bite was enough. On a positive note, the pineapple was nice.
I handed the tray back to the FA and she brought back another club soda. I would say that the FAs were very polite and friendly, bordering on perky, which is a feat for a 0530 departure. At this point, I went back to my podcast and just tried to relax. Parks and Recreation was on the overheads; regrettably, it was an not an episode from seasons 1, 2 or even 3. My my, that show couldn’t have ended fast enough. What an implosion! It may be a sitcom, but the messaging was irresponsible at best, and dangerous at worst. Governors? Congress? Everyone is a multi-millionaire in the end and Indiana is a ‘progressive state’. Hmmmm. Oh and the sad devotion to politicos was truly worthy of a snarky Mark Liebovicz magazine feature. I’m sorry, I’ll put the soap box away.
Meal service concluded, I put the seat back and closed my eyes and tried to ignore my posterior’s discomfort at the limited padding. IMO, the seat is more comfortable than the US Airways Airbuses, but not by much. I think the major advantage is the lumbar support which is almost absent on the Airbuses. To be sure, not bad for a three hour flight, but I long for the MD-80 seats. I suspect the gentlemen next me felt the same as he fell asleep quickly after take off but continued to twist, jerk and twitch somewhat aggressively for the entire flight. Generally, I could care less, but when you’ve slouched to a point where your head is almost on my shoulder, maybe you should lay off the ambien, or at least offer to buy me a drink. With the early departure, it’s understandable that the FAs only went through the cabin a handful of times during the flight for drink re-fills. Probably half of the cabin was attempting to sleep, while the other half pounded away on laptops. Flight from that point on was uneventful, save for the light chop we encountered sporadically throughout the remainder. At 0751 Eastern, the Captain announced final descent and thanked everyone for flying American.
AA 175
DFW -> SAN
Departure Scheduled: 0900 Actual: 0854
Arrival: Scheduled: 1010 Actual: 1020
Equipment: A321B
Seat: 1A (Switched to 3A)
I can’t recall the last time I connected through DFW, since it’s mostly either non-stops or CLT, or ORD, but my oh my. The C concourse is definitely a sight with a mix of everything. Greeting you upon your exit from C14 is not only a Wendy’s, but a Taco Bell as well. Terminal C is gross, plain and simple, at least compared with Terminal D, which I think is really nice. Since we were scheduled to depart from C28, I decided to pop into the AC near C18 just to have a look.
Boozy crowd at 0800, to include multiple red wine sightings
As the saying goes, ‘Everything is bigger in Texas’ and this was no exception. With only about twenty minutes, I hardly had time to explore, but it was quite massive in a cavernous sort of away. It's probably been three or four years since I've connected through Dallas. What is more, seating was easy to come by. I can’t say whether that’s because of the hour, or just the size. I decided to grab a quick bloody mary since the afternoon was now completely unscheduled in San Diego and I had no 'adult supervision'. It might just be that being from the Northeast, I feel acutely sensitive to humidity and Dallas and the AC definitely felt humid. I was happy to have such a short layover.
After a quick walk to C28, boarding commenced at about 0825. I made my way down the rather truncated jetbridge to the new equipment, at least for me. Catering was still being loaded which further contributed to the humidity.
First impressions were very positive. The cabin is pretty sleek and the grays are generally inoffensive. The big positive was the size of the screens in the seat backs. Wow. If I want to watch something, I’ll bring the iPad along, but this was a huge improvement. Not only was the screen enormous, but the selection of entertainment was really impressive. Scrolling through the options, there were dozens of movies and televisions shows, including a feature for new movies that were in theatres.
Bad iPhone shot; sorry
After sitting down, I was asked if I wouldn’t mind re-locating, which when traveling solo, I couldn’t care less. If you’re concerned about private viewing, the seat monitors are slightly elevated in row 1 to go above the sight-line of the seat. It’s not like AA loads porn into the content, but just an FYI, in case they do load 'Basic Instinct' into the 'Classics' section.
So, seated in row 3 now, I noticed that the pleather didn’t have a lot of give and the cushion itself was more or less that which I had had on the previous flight. Damn, I thought to myself: opportunity lost. The padding is not very generous, but again for a three hour flight it’s fine. What is it about the MD-80 seats? Are they comfortable because they’re just so well worn, or do they really have that much more padding? Naysayers aside, it will be a sad day when they’re finally retired.
Monitor is really big!
But I digress, boarding wrapped up at about 0850 and we pushed back on time. Unfortunately, there was a massive queue for take off.
We ended up holding for about thirty minutes. Oh, forgot to mention, no PDBs. Come to think of it, no PDBs offered on the previous flight. It would seem AA’s SOP does not include this service and it’s one part of US’ service which I hope AA takes on moving forward. After a few bumps, the service began with orders taken again from the rear of the cabin.
I had opted for the frittata and a bloody mary. Question: does AA offer prosecco/sparking wine on their flights now? From the looks of some of the drinks, it appeared that people were having mimosas. The ‘mimosas’ were offered in the tumbler with ice (why?). I’m almost certain I saw the FA pouring them with mini-bottles. I stuck with the bloody mary, but would consider a mimosa for future flights, if available. Meals were delivered at a leisurely pace. What a shame. Again, the food was only luke warm. The frittata would have probably been pretty good as it had the right taste elements and was fluffy, but when it’s barely warm it ended up going un-eaten. Ditto for the sausage and the potatoes which were actually cold. I don’t think the biscuit even went into the oven because it was cold. All in all a pretty crAApy meal.
Of course, I’m not expecting a Cathay dim sum brilliance or JAL bento extravaganza, but when the food could be decent and it’s not even cooked, I take issue with that. Tray was returned to the FA along with a request for another bloody mary. I settled in and watched ‘Horrible Bosses 2’ which was terrible and some episodes of ‘Always Sunny in Philadelphia’ season 9. Again, the diversity of the content was impressive. Also impressive was the power console which now includes USB.
After landing in San Diego, I reclaimed my luggage. I had checked a bag because I didn't feel like lugging it through Dallas and needed to kill some time. Of course, it was the first bag out although I wasn’t that much in a rush because I wasn’t certain if I’d be able to check into the hotel this early (about 1100ish). Please pardon my ‘Irish luggage’, I left my rollerboards in Boston. As a helpful travel tip, if you don't mind looking like a hobo, recyclable grocery bags make for excellent luggage, especially if your meetings are business casual.
A quick twenty minute Uber up to Mesa Sorrento and I was able to check into the Hyatt House. The room itself was rather small and the bed is your typical Hyatt House bed. I think it's definitely a step up from Marriott's Courtyard and Residence Inn beds, but it's not ideal and a bit stiff, as opposed to firm. The hotel has a nice happy hour, starting at 1700 and going until 2200 with discounted prices on adult beverages and bar snacks like chicken wings and potstickers for $5. Unfortunately, if you're looking to go on a bender in the northern suburbs of San Diego, the bar actually closes at 2200. There's a Chili's two blocks away though if you feel the need for a 'mega-rita' after 2200. The hotel also has an adequate gym with three treadmills, some ellipticals, bikes and weights. I was given one of the nastiest looks in my life when I told one of the ladies using the treadmill that she might look at rule number four of the gym, which requires one to wear shoes. On a positive note, there's free breakfast from 0630 to 0900 on week-days and from 0700 until 1000 on week-ends. It's really quite an impressive spread.
How do they get the sheets so flat?
The trip was really productive as far as the office work was concerned and I did make it to the San Diego Zoo so I could get properly sunburned on Sunday. I had a few meals in Coronado, which is always beautiful. For the last night, since I would be departing at 0815 the next morning, I decided to move to the Andaz as opposed to trekking in from Sorrento Mesa, especially in light of San Diego's rush hour traffic which is YIKES. The Andaz was really nice. Upon checking in, I was offered 'red' or 'white' which is always a good sign. I went with the 'white' and was poured about half of the bottle, US Airways style.
The 'Big Boy' glass, a third of which was already consumed. ^
I was also upgraded to a corner room on account of the Platinum status with Hyatt, which was a shocker. I don't recall many upgrades with Starwood, or Marriott; but, to be fair, I'm only mid tier with all of them. The hotel most assuredly achieves the trendy and hip vibe it's going for. Sort of comfortable Scandinavian, for lack of a better categorization. I forget what 'Andaz' means in Swahili, or wherever they got the term from.
The rooms are large and well appointed:
Remember to close the blinds of the windows, if you're skittish.
There's a roof-top pool bar, which had some loud club music playing. Normally, I'd be game, but after eleven hours of power-points, I was rather tired so I just had some IPAs in the bar on the first floor, I think they call it the Wine Bar. The next morning, I went for a run in the gym, showered and uber-ed back to the airport. I would write a review of the return flights, but the equipment was the exact same and I suspect you're rather tired of my babbling by now. Just a quick few shots of the Airspace Lounge which AA utilizes in SAN:
The club is easy on the eye, but didn't have much on offer aside from power outlets. I couldn't even find water, but I suspect they put out the more generous offerings for the JAL and BA flights.
Summary thoughts on the trip: AA is welcome departure from US, if only for the novelty of being on a flight for more than an hour and offering some impressive features on their new aircraft. The FAs were decent, but nothing spectacular. On both flights they were pretty good about top ups, which is really all that counts, assuming there’s no emergency in flight. I still prefer the 737-800 to US’ airbuses if only for the fact that they give the impression of more space. Having tried the new airbuses on AA though, I would not hesitate to take them over the 737s and actually recommend them for what it's worth. The cabin is comfortable and it does feel wider than the 737s. The padding on the seats remains an issue though. The slim-line seats aren't any less comfortable than those on the 737s, but they're certainly not any more comfortable. Regarding service, as many here have noted, AA’s service is inconsistent. Sometimes you have a PDB, often times not. Sometimes you have moist towels, sometimes you don’t. Sometimes your food is warm, other times it’s almost cold. Moving forward and merging the two sets of service standards, we can only hope this is adjudicated. Other than that, I still prefer AA over UA and DL, not that I fly them often, and I really like the new airbuses. The entertainment is really impressive and I appreciate that you can charge multiple devices simultaneously with both the standard plug and a USB. Hyatts are generally very good, and this trip largely confirms whatever reservations I had about moving away from Marriott permanently. A month in the Residence Inn Dayton in March will do that to you. Moreover, Hyatt brands like the House and Place are certainly expanding to enough markets to make them a viable option, even in smaller markets, and if no Hyatt, there's usually a Starwood. Finally, what's not to love about San Diego?
I hope you enjoyed and thank you for making it this far. If any-thing, my intention was just to provide a few laughs and share what makes travel fun. Oh, and to give some thoughts on the AA airbuses.
See y'all in Dallas for the inaugural 787 flight!
Introduction:
The reason for the trip was a few meetings in San Diego and as I would be working out DCA, the routing options were either through CLT, LAX, ORD, DFW, or PHX. Flying with US Airways multiple times a week, I ruled out CLT and PHX pretty quickly. I was tempted to go through LAX, but the schedule was a bit off. Moreover, the idea of a six hour domestic flight after doing almost exclusively shuttle flights and one-hour express flights for the better part of a year, well, I demurred. Looking around, I noticed that the A32B was available from DFW to SAN, which was ideal since I’d not yet flown on AA operated airbuses. The timing would also work for the meetings, which required I get in before lunch on Thursday. Of course, during the two weeks between booking and departure, meetings were shuffled, so I wouldn’t actually have to get to San Diego until Friday morning, but given the light week, I decided to stick with the original itinerary and head out Thursday morning. Beyond the opportunity to try out a new airplane, well, a new airplane operated by AA at any rate, I was excited for the trip because I hadn’t been to San Diego in about five or six years and I’ve always enjoyed the city. For hotels, I had thought about staying at the Andaz down-town, but with the majority of the meetings occurring in the corporate parks on the northern side of the city, I decided to stay at the Hyatt Place in Sorrento Mesa.
I wrapped up work on Wednesday and mentally prepared myself for the early departure. Weather in DC had been pretty unpredictable: seventy-five and sunny one day, forty and raining the next. I woke up prematurely to the alarm which had been set at 0335, a time which I was not keen to see. I had woken up early the morning prior more or less to confirm that uber was running at the early hour. Fortunately they were. So with a quick ‘Set Pickup’, I was off to DCA. Not surprisingly with the quantity of early morning flights, the terminal was a bit crowded although not that bad at all. The priority line was naturally longer than the main cabin line.
Interestingly, the AC actually opens around 430 despite the signage and website saying 0500. Needless to say, there's no bar service, but they do have the bagels and some drinks available. Personally, I like the Terminal B AC, but it can get very very crowded. With multiple rooms in the AC, I find the one behind the bar to be the best in terms of available seating. The room itself offers a view of the Starbucks and the check-in area, which isn’t ideal, but the main room is usually full; especially in the afternoon. Moreover, I get tired of sitting in the ‘cell phone free’ zone only to have people chitchatting in there. Is it just me or do I read ‘cell phone free’ to mean quiet room, like on trains: no talking. I might be mistaken. Also, TSA PreCheck doesn't open up until 0430, so plan accordingly.
Some pre-dawn shots of the AC:
AA 175
DCA -> DFW
Departure Scheduled: 0530 Actual: 0524
Arrival: Scheduled: 0758 Actual: 0801
Equipment: 737-800
Seat: 6F
Back to the flight though; the equipment for our two hour and fifty-eight minute journey to Dallas would be the good ol’ 737-800. Personally, I think the plane is adequately comfortable. As someone who is Boston and DCA based, I’m almost always on US Airways and it’s nice to change things up a little bit. As I see it, the pros on the 737 are the generally spacious cabin, lumbar support (compared to US airbuses), greater potential for upgrades with six-teen vice twelve seats and the limited in-flight entertainment. The cons are the padding on the seat cushion for your bum and the low windows; I’m about six feet tall and I have to slouch to look out of them.
The flight itself boarded promptly at 0501 and the cabin door was closed at 0524. We departed to the North and were airborne at 0538. Before I get to the climb out, which was a little bumpy due to storms in the area, spare me a moment to kvetch about bulkhead etiquette. As the flight boarded, I could tell there were a few characters. One clocharde with a yacht captain’s hat literally stumbled on board, there were the obligatory screaming children, and then there was what I’ll call the bulkhead duo. I would think it’s generally common knowledge that you can’t store your luggage, hand bags etc on the floor of the bulkhead. If not, there’s a sign that says you can’t. So, mom and daughter duo boarded, they were the last ones naturally because they decided to wait in the before shown line for Dunkin. I heard a bit of a kerfuffle, as daughter, who was probably in her forties proceeds to spill the coffee all over the seat and all over the floor. Now, I’ll count myself fortunate that the flight was so empty because my first thought was ‘ugh’, inoperable seats, delayed departure, perfect. Well, the FAs cleaned it up and found her a seat next to mom. Previously, they were sitting across the aisle from each other. After cleaning up daughter’s mess, the FA reminds daughter that she needs to store her purse in the overhead for take off and landing. At this point, I should have probably just turned up the volume on my podcast, but instead decided to see how this little drama would play out.
Daughter’s response: Why?
FA: Ma’am, this is an FAA regulation.
Daughter: What’s the difference, I’ll just put it under the seat.
FA: Ma’am, that’s the passenger behind you’s space.
Daughter: Well, why would I pay all this money to sit here if I can’t even have my bag.
FA: Ma’am, it’s only for take off and landing and look at all the room you have. I’ll put your bag up for you.
Daughter dearest continues to complain about this to mom, as mom tries to settle her down. If you’ve seen ‘Mildred Pierce’, this daughter would have been perfect as 'Vita'; in the Joan Crawford version, not the mini-series.
Anyways, we took off heading north and I tried to get a quick shot of the mall, but the cloud coverage was too low. As mentioned, climb out was a bit bumpy due to storms in the area, but nothing too major. Meal service commenced about fifteen minutes after take off starting in the back of the F cabin. The moist towelettes were distributed which had a faint scent of lemon, but were sort of baked and hard.
Didn't engage the flash, apologies for the poor quality.
I had neglected to pre-select a meal, but went with the oatmeal, largely for the photo-op. The oatmeal itself was decent in that it was warm, not hot, like one might prefer, but not inedible. I had a couple of spoon fulls. Bread choices were offered, either a biscuit or raisin bread. The biscuit was doughy and not in a fluffy doughy way, rather like an under-cooked way. One bite was enough. On a positive note, the pineapple was nice.
I handed the tray back to the FA and she brought back another club soda. I would say that the FAs were very polite and friendly, bordering on perky, which is a feat for a 0530 departure. At this point, I went back to my podcast and just tried to relax. Parks and Recreation was on the overheads; regrettably, it was an not an episode from seasons 1, 2 or even 3. My my, that show couldn’t have ended fast enough. What an implosion! It may be a sitcom, but the messaging was irresponsible at best, and dangerous at worst. Governors? Congress? Everyone is a multi-millionaire in the end and Indiana is a ‘progressive state’. Hmmmm. Oh and the sad devotion to politicos was truly worthy of a snarky Mark Liebovicz magazine feature. I’m sorry, I’ll put the soap box away.
Meal service concluded, I put the seat back and closed my eyes and tried to ignore my posterior’s discomfort at the limited padding. IMO, the seat is more comfortable than the US Airways Airbuses, but not by much. I think the major advantage is the lumbar support which is almost absent on the Airbuses. To be sure, not bad for a three hour flight, but I long for the MD-80 seats. I suspect the gentlemen next me felt the same as he fell asleep quickly after take off but continued to twist, jerk and twitch somewhat aggressively for the entire flight. Generally, I could care less, but when you’ve slouched to a point where your head is almost on my shoulder, maybe you should lay off the ambien, or at least offer to buy me a drink. With the early departure, it’s understandable that the FAs only went through the cabin a handful of times during the flight for drink re-fills. Probably half of the cabin was attempting to sleep, while the other half pounded away on laptops. Flight from that point on was uneventful, save for the light chop we encountered sporadically throughout the remainder. At 0751 Eastern, the Captain announced final descent and thanked everyone for flying American.
AA 175
DFW -> SAN
Departure Scheduled: 0900 Actual: 0854
Arrival: Scheduled: 1010 Actual: 1020
Equipment: A321B
Seat: 1A (Switched to 3A)
I can’t recall the last time I connected through DFW, since it’s mostly either non-stops or CLT, or ORD, but my oh my. The C concourse is definitely a sight with a mix of everything. Greeting you upon your exit from C14 is not only a Wendy’s, but a Taco Bell as well. Terminal C is gross, plain and simple, at least compared with Terminal D, which I think is really nice. Since we were scheduled to depart from C28, I decided to pop into the AC near C18 just to have a look.
Boozy crowd at 0800, to include multiple red wine sightings
As the saying goes, ‘Everything is bigger in Texas’ and this was no exception. With only about twenty minutes, I hardly had time to explore, but it was quite massive in a cavernous sort of away. It's probably been three or four years since I've connected through Dallas. What is more, seating was easy to come by. I can’t say whether that’s because of the hour, or just the size. I decided to grab a quick bloody mary since the afternoon was now completely unscheduled in San Diego and I had no 'adult supervision'. It might just be that being from the Northeast, I feel acutely sensitive to humidity and Dallas and the AC definitely felt humid. I was happy to have such a short layover.
After a quick walk to C28, boarding commenced at about 0825. I made my way down the rather truncated jetbridge to the new equipment, at least for me. Catering was still being loaded which further contributed to the humidity.
First impressions were very positive. The cabin is pretty sleek and the grays are generally inoffensive. The big positive was the size of the screens in the seat backs. Wow. If I want to watch something, I’ll bring the iPad along, but this was a huge improvement. Not only was the screen enormous, but the selection of entertainment was really impressive. Scrolling through the options, there were dozens of movies and televisions shows, including a feature for new movies that were in theatres.
Bad iPhone shot; sorry
After sitting down, I was asked if I wouldn’t mind re-locating, which when traveling solo, I couldn’t care less. If you’re concerned about private viewing, the seat monitors are slightly elevated in row 1 to go above the sight-line of the seat. It’s not like AA loads porn into the content, but just an FYI, in case they do load 'Basic Instinct' into the 'Classics' section.
So, seated in row 3 now, I noticed that the pleather didn’t have a lot of give and the cushion itself was more or less that which I had had on the previous flight. Damn, I thought to myself: opportunity lost. The padding is not very generous, but again for a three hour flight it’s fine. What is it about the MD-80 seats? Are they comfortable because they’re just so well worn, or do they really have that much more padding? Naysayers aside, it will be a sad day when they’re finally retired.
Monitor is really big!
But I digress, boarding wrapped up at about 0850 and we pushed back on time. Unfortunately, there was a massive queue for take off.
We ended up holding for about thirty minutes. Oh, forgot to mention, no PDBs. Come to think of it, no PDBs offered on the previous flight. It would seem AA’s SOP does not include this service and it’s one part of US’ service which I hope AA takes on moving forward. After a few bumps, the service began with orders taken again from the rear of the cabin.
I had opted for the frittata and a bloody mary. Question: does AA offer prosecco/sparking wine on their flights now? From the looks of some of the drinks, it appeared that people were having mimosas. The ‘mimosas’ were offered in the tumbler with ice (why?). I’m almost certain I saw the FA pouring them with mini-bottles. I stuck with the bloody mary, but would consider a mimosa for future flights, if available. Meals were delivered at a leisurely pace. What a shame. Again, the food was only luke warm. The frittata would have probably been pretty good as it had the right taste elements and was fluffy, but when it’s barely warm it ended up going un-eaten. Ditto for the sausage and the potatoes which were actually cold. I don’t think the biscuit even went into the oven because it was cold. All in all a pretty crAApy meal.
Of course, I’m not expecting a Cathay dim sum brilliance or JAL bento extravaganza, but when the food could be decent and it’s not even cooked, I take issue with that. Tray was returned to the FA along with a request for another bloody mary. I settled in and watched ‘Horrible Bosses 2’ which was terrible and some episodes of ‘Always Sunny in Philadelphia’ season 9. Again, the diversity of the content was impressive. Also impressive was the power console which now includes USB.
After landing in San Diego, I reclaimed my luggage. I had checked a bag because I didn't feel like lugging it through Dallas and needed to kill some time. Of course, it was the first bag out although I wasn’t that much in a rush because I wasn’t certain if I’d be able to check into the hotel this early (about 1100ish). Please pardon my ‘Irish luggage’, I left my rollerboards in Boston. As a helpful travel tip, if you don't mind looking like a hobo, recyclable grocery bags make for excellent luggage, especially if your meetings are business casual.
A quick twenty minute Uber up to Mesa Sorrento and I was able to check into the Hyatt House. The room itself was rather small and the bed is your typical Hyatt House bed. I think it's definitely a step up from Marriott's Courtyard and Residence Inn beds, but it's not ideal and a bit stiff, as opposed to firm. The hotel has a nice happy hour, starting at 1700 and going until 2200 with discounted prices on adult beverages and bar snacks like chicken wings and potstickers for $5. Unfortunately, if you're looking to go on a bender in the northern suburbs of San Diego, the bar actually closes at 2200. There's a Chili's two blocks away though if you feel the need for a 'mega-rita' after 2200. The hotel also has an adequate gym with three treadmills, some ellipticals, bikes and weights. I was given one of the nastiest looks in my life when I told one of the ladies using the treadmill that she might look at rule number four of the gym, which requires one to wear shoes. On a positive note, there's free breakfast from 0630 to 0900 on week-days and from 0700 until 1000 on week-ends. It's really quite an impressive spread.
How do they get the sheets so flat?
The trip was really productive as far as the office work was concerned and I did make it to the San Diego Zoo so I could get properly sunburned on Sunday. I had a few meals in Coronado, which is always beautiful. For the last night, since I would be departing at 0815 the next morning, I decided to move to the Andaz as opposed to trekking in from Sorrento Mesa, especially in light of San Diego's rush hour traffic which is YIKES. The Andaz was really nice. Upon checking in, I was offered 'red' or 'white' which is always a good sign. I went with the 'white' and was poured about half of the bottle, US Airways style.
The 'Big Boy' glass, a third of which was already consumed. ^
I was also upgraded to a corner room on account of the Platinum status with Hyatt, which was a shocker. I don't recall many upgrades with Starwood, or Marriott; but, to be fair, I'm only mid tier with all of them. The hotel most assuredly achieves the trendy and hip vibe it's going for. Sort of comfortable Scandinavian, for lack of a better categorization. I forget what 'Andaz' means in Swahili, or wherever they got the term from.
The rooms are large and well appointed:
Remember to close the blinds of the windows, if you're skittish.
There's a roof-top pool bar, which had some loud club music playing. Normally, I'd be game, but after eleven hours of power-points, I was rather tired so I just had some IPAs in the bar on the first floor, I think they call it the Wine Bar. The next morning, I went for a run in the gym, showered and uber-ed back to the airport. I would write a review of the return flights, but the equipment was the exact same and I suspect you're rather tired of my babbling by now. Just a quick few shots of the Airspace Lounge which AA utilizes in SAN:
The club is easy on the eye, but didn't have much on offer aside from power outlets. I couldn't even find water, but I suspect they put out the more generous offerings for the JAL and BA flights.
Summary thoughts on the trip: AA is welcome departure from US, if only for the novelty of being on a flight for more than an hour and offering some impressive features on their new aircraft. The FAs were decent, but nothing spectacular. On both flights they were pretty good about top ups, which is really all that counts, assuming there’s no emergency in flight. I still prefer the 737-800 to US’ airbuses if only for the fact that they give the impression of more space. Having tried the new airbuses on AA though, I would not hesitate to take them over the 737s and actually recommend them for what it's worth. The cabin is comfortable and it does feel wider than the 737s. The padding on the seats remains an issue though. The slim-line seats aren't any less comfortable than those on the 737s, but they're certainly not any more comfortable. Regarding service, as many here have noted, AA’s service is inconsistent. Sometimes you have a PDB, often times not. Sometimes you have moist towels, sometimes you don’t. Sometimes your food is warm, other times it’s almost cold. Moving forward and merging the two sets of service standards, we can only hope this is adjudicated. Other than that, I still prefer AA over UA and DL, not that I fly them often, and I really like the new airbuses. The entertainment is really impressive and I appreciate that you can charge multiple devices simultaneously with both the standard plug and a USB. Hyatts are generally very good, and this trip largely confirms whatever reservations I had about moving away from Marriott permanently. A month in the Residence Inn Dayton in March will do that to you. Moreover, Hyatt brands like the House and Place are certainly expanding to enough markets to make them a viable option, even in smaller markets, and if no Hyatt, there's usually a Starwood. Finally, what's not to love about San Diego?
I hope you enjoyed and thank you for making it this far. If any-thing, my intention was just to provide a few laughs and share what makes travel fun. Oh, and to give some thoughts on the AA airbuses.
See y'all in Dallas for the inaugural 787 flight!
Last edited by CHOPCHOP767; Apr 16, 2015 at 6:54 pm
Apr 18, 2015, 5:28 pm
#2
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: BTR/MSY
Programs: AA EXP, Hyatt Globalist, Marriott LTP, Hilton Gold
Posts: 1,258
Thanks for posting, CHOPCHOP767. Too bad your friatta was screwed up by the crew, because it's definitely the best main I've had post merger. I Agree one thing US does a heck of a lot better than AA on is consistent open bar PDB. I've been flying almost nothing but US lately, and the consistent PDBs are nice change from the PMAA side.
Apr 20, 2015, 5:39 am
#3
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: MIA
Programs: AA EXP (AC), DL G (SC), Bonvoy LTP, & IHG AMB
Posts: 1,798
Thanks for reading, dat4life. I too am almost exclusively on US Air operated flights these days and appreciate the consistent open bar PDB. Of course, I was also looking forward to something a little bit more substantial than Hanover pretzels on a flight, but I suppose the crews may still be getting familiarized with the new airbuses.