Bretteee

Real estate taxes increase by 6.5% annually in New York. That is something you should look at when purchasing an apartment.

nequine

Wow at the view from that last apartment! :O

SFO777

And our return to LAX in American First Class


We left the hotel just before 4pm and it still took nearly 75 minutes in rush hour traffic to get to Terminal 8 and American. Since I was using Business Extra upgrade certificate, we stopped at the new Flagship First Class Check-in area where a check-in dragon had a list of all First Class passengers that day. After finding our names, we were permited to pass.



A little spartan compared to some other airlines premium check-in, but certainly a pleasant oasis especially since as we were the only passengers while we were there.



Sour battle ax like agent checked us without any smile although her colleague was much more pleasant when she walked over.



The grey door at the far end leads directly into the PreCheck queue which was a nice design and set up feature.











The International First Class Lounge is still a work in progress as the plan is to have a sit down dining room for international and transcon First passengers. AAgent estimated another month which is New York speak for "we don't have any idea". I'd been inside the new IFCL once before and my impressions this time are no different. New space, new design, new furniture... but what was the point of renovating? I don't think it's much better than the old First Class Lounge.























And then there was the food and beverage counter. Meh. Not very much and not very inspiring. OK, I get that is may be temporary since there is supposed to be a dining room coming. But still, the was pretty weak.























Apparently, the Admirals Club snack mixes are beneath the First Class Lounge so I wandered over to the new Admirals Club to get something for Mrs. SFO777.





The new AC is depressing and maybe 1/2 the size of the old one.

SFO777

OMG. Mississauga? Just shoot me.

You are a brave man.

Now that's the spirit.

I hear crickets.
Other than Raya at The Ritz, Michael Mina's Stonehill Tavern at The St-Regis and maybe Sapphire in Laguna, ZZZZzzzz.

Very nice. Thanks andy2016.

Indeed I can see where this is heading.

Thank you SAtraveller.

Thanks Bretteee, but we are only going to rent.

Agree. Thanks nequine.

SFO777

At around T-45, we headed out for the long walk to the satellite concourse.



New York JFK to Los Angeles
American 21
A321T
7:00p-10:35p
April 24, 2017
3 Class First Class
Booked 4/10
Departed 10/10
Seats 3A and 3F

7pm on a Monday and AA can only sell at most 2 First Class seats, 1A and 2A? And they don't release award seats any more so the cabin winds up being filled with employees. Real smart AA.



Although this cute employee was dressed to the nines for her free F seat to the coast.





Mrs. SFO777 liked this plane and seat, at least at the start.







The AA amenity kit.



Double meh. Yeah, that's exciting.



Crew eventually got around to offering a pre-departure beverage, choice of water or cheap champagne.



Tonight's menu.



I hope they are paying Sam a lot of money to put his name on this menu, because no one is going to think "this meal was great, let's visit one of Sam's restaurants".







And then there's the laughable wine list. Why not just go with Charles Shaw and Two Buck Chuck white and red?





I guess that it takes a while for the system to reset. 0 hours and 0 minutes to destination...



... and 167 feet below sea level.



Showtime AA style. LOL.



Starting with the plush AA towel.





Last year, AA used to place a table cloth and each item on the table individually but not any more. Why go to all that trouble when it's mostly fellow employees on free passes?



The Spicy Crab starter with sushi rice, avocado and wasabi aoili was actually pretty good.



But it was downhill from there. Salad with zesty chive vinaigrette was meh.



For her main, Mrs. SFO777 chose the Pan Roasted Coconut Lime Chicken. When I asked her for opinion, she said "it tasted like airplane food".



For my main, I went with the Beef Oscar. Looked great on paper with crab, asparagus, béarnaise sauce and smashed potatoes. In the real world, it was gross and inedible. The sauce did not even remotely resemble béarnaise, the crab was unrecognizable and no doubt fake. The Australian Merlot was wretched.



But the worst part was the "beef", a disgusting cut of industrial grade meat of some sort, cooked beyond well done. A couple of bites was all I could take and I sent it and the wine back to the galley.



On the other hand, the raspberry tart was delicious.



The snack basket came in handy mid-flight.







It's no wonder American can't sell many First Class tickets with this kind of service and catering. Even Mrs. SFO777 wants nothing more to do with this, insisting that she wants JetBlue Mint Business Class next time. And so it is as we are headed back in two weeks and have booked Virgin America on the outbound and JetBlue on our return. Thanks for following along this report.


For more pics and an HD version of this report please visit SFO777.com

offerendum

But so luxurious and lovingly presented

gaobest

If you're not thrilled about summer weather, then will you just spend future Summers away?

Also where did you live in San Francisco for 10 years?? I've lived in cow hollow, sunset, and bernal.

Agreed on this - plus for travel, you'd have longer fun flights to Europe and the Asia / Australia / Hawaii flights are still long enough.

AtlFlyer123

I'm never flying American I just want to say thank you for encouraging me to never fly American

That beef doesn't even look like beef if I were you I would have taken a sample of beef and sent it to a lab for analysis

Also I'v been wondering every time I read your Ireland trip report where you stay at Ashford Castle how can a hotel that's five star rated be that bad

Flavio1990

"The Australian Merlot was wretched"

So it would be when you can buy it for less than $15. Always amazed at the low quality of wines that are sometimes offered in business and first class

Eastbay1K

That steak is prepared in a style now known as "Presidential-style." The only thing that was missing (perhaps available on request) was ketchup.

I suppose they think it is a step up from last year's meat loaf. First class meat loaf ... four words you never thought you'd see together.

764toHI

Great report - I enjoyed your perspective of someone not from NYC looking to live here as a livelong NYer.

Just curious, did you consider Gramercy Park or the West Village as well? I personally prefer the dining options and convenience of being downtown. Also maybe think about Brooklyn Heights - very close to Manhattan with some nice cozy dining options in the neighborhood and nicer ones just a bit south in Cobble Hill.

Genius1

It'll be sad to see the VX product disappear; a nicely executed concept that was head and shoulders above all the legacy North American carriers.

Some nice pictures from around NY. I was there last month when it was still rather cold and wet, with the trees barely out which I think makes all the difference, particularly for photos.

I agree with you on the AA IFCL at JFK - nothing amazing at all and not very different from the previous FL. The wall where the buffet is (and indeed the buffet itself) is temporary and will open out to more lounge space and the Flagship Dining area once refurbishment is complete. I believe the AC is also not yet its full size.

It looks like you got an old international J amenity kit on your way back to LAX - presumably using up stock. It's a shame AA's catering is so dismal when the hard product in J and F on transcon and international sectors is much improved and indeed better than some other carriers.

Thanks for an interesting read, and good luck with house hunting!

theshaun

Being the proud Vancouverite that I am, have you considered Vancouver? Don't forget the best domestic first flight in North America. Cathay YVR>JFK

BUT777

Thanks for another great report. Having my 1st trancon first experience with AA just 2 weeks ago. I finally understand your pain with the food on AA. Everything except the sundae was borderline edible. Although food on CX has gone downhill, I would never complain on their food again after my experience with AA.

BA5E

glad to see SFO777 next report have subscribed and will be reading it at my leisure, probably at work^