BobFF68

Thanks ISTFlyer, I guess Y bulkhead seats are narrower than normal seats and armrests blocked, right? As the load was very low, was it allow to occupy the entire rows of normal seats for sleeping? Who knows that on my next flight I may 'decide' to go back again in Y due to cost reductions

Yanshuf

Excellent second half. You actually got 3 "meals" on the second flight, which surprised me, until I worked out how long you were in the air from DOH to IAD. Great to see that standard of service for economy passengers on such a long flight.

ISTFlyer

Thank you for your comment

Yes, the bulkhead rows are narrower than regular rows and it was also allowed to occupy an entire row of normal seats for sleeping, plus, during the greeting process, the cabin supervisor also told me that I was free to move to an empty row and enjoy the full row to myself.

Yes, 3 hot meals seem generous but it's also normal.
However, if you were flying on a European or an American airline on a 13h flight, you would still get 2 hot meals + lots of snacks. These airlines would also do an aperitif service with pretzels/crackers/nuts + drinks to give a good impression after takeoff; however, Qatar Airways is doing a great job on these kinds of long routes.

Spymon

Thanks for posting. What was it like flying wearing a face shield?

woodsbw

Did a similar route recently with Qatar (Y one way, J the other.) Honestly, the face shield wasn’t bad, the mask is quite a bit more bothersome. The only real downside of the shield is that it deadens all sound, in both directions. When you add the normal cabin noise, it makes it very difficult to have a conversation.

It is worth noting that the PPE isn’t required while in your seat in J (it was when up and moving around the cabin.) That concerned me at first, but seemed fine once I realized there were only nine of us (four of which were my family) in J on an A351.

ISTFlyer

Actually, the face shields were not that bad and did not reduce the comfort level of the flight.
However, as woodsbw mentioned, with the face shield on it was difficult to have a conversation with the cabin crew during meal services, so I needed to lift the shield a bit up when talking.

ISTFlyer

This post-COVID series is continuing with an American Airlines Domestic flight report from Washington-DCA to Jacksonville. This flight was operated with an American Eagle ( PSA Airlines ) CRJ 700 and I would present you an average AA domestic flight under 900 miles in this report. This report would also contain the service in the Admirals Club in DCA Terminal B.

American Eagle AA 5162
Operated by PSA Airlines
Washington Reagan Airport to Jacksonville Airport
July 22, 2020 09:59-11:56
Mitsubishi CRJ700
N725PS
Main Cabin Extra


Loads for this flight

Domestic First: %55 ( 5 out of 9 seats were occupied in DF )
Main Cabin: %80-85

ONLINE CHECK-IN
The day before my flight, I checked-in online for my flight on AA.com. The online check-in process was similar to pre-COVID.

I have kept my pre-selected seat.

Also I was asked how many bags I would take for the flight during OLCI. Obviously, you could prefer to answer that question later at the counter or ignore it if you don't have checked bags.
I was successful creating a mobile boarding pass

WASHINGTON REAGAN AIRPORT - DCA
That morning, I have used Lyft to access the airport as I had bulk baggage which would be hard to carry on the metro. The driver has dropped me to the American Priority entrance.

The airport was emptier than usual

When I entered the airport, I first went to the usual American Priority check-in counters next to the JetBlue counters, however, an American agent was asking passengers to walk towards the end of the terminal as they have relocated the Priority and Shuttle check-in desks next to the Main Cabin kiosks.

Some of the FIDS were not working. Hand sanitizers were available throughout the airport

The priority lane was empty and I only waited a single family to be assisted.

Then my baggage was checked by a friendly agent. However, the worst part of DCA is that you need to take your bags to the TSA screening point after check-in, it wasn't nice to walk 300 meters to the counter and another 150 meters to the TSA baggage drop point. At least American could have signposted somewhere in the curbside telling that their Priority and Shuttle counters are relocated temporarily.
In addition to this, due to COVID, baggage receipts were not handed, instead, they were available on the American app.

FIDS, this time a working one. By the way, I didn't know Frontier Airlines was flying from DCA to DCA. I guess the airport systems were not working properly that day.
A TV channel was also setting a mini-studio next to the display screens, however, I have no idea about the context that they were filming.

As the Admirals Club in Terminal C was closed, I headed to the security checkpoint in Terminal B/C.

The security process was quite smooth, the priority lane was closed, however, in the regular lane I have waited for a single person. Also, the TSA agents did ask not to remove anything from the bags including laptops and liquids. The only thing that they asked to do was to empty our pockets and to remove shoes.
ADMIRALS CLUB TERMINAL B - WASHINGTON REAGAN AIRPORT
The Admirals Club in Terminal B was open during my travel. As a oneworld Emerald cardholder in Qatar Airways Privilege Club, I had access to the lounge for free. A reminder that a premium Domestic First Class ticket without an international connection or status in AAdvantage does not grant access to the clubs for free.

After entering the lounge I was welcomed by the staff and the Wi-Fi code was given to me. Later on, a staff told me about the new concept and one of the dining hosts asked me if I would like to sit by the window or the aisle. I've opted for the former option. Also, he alerted that I was free to move in the lounge but I should only sit at my own seat.

The view from the lounge

The changes to the lounges were a bit interesting, first, I would like to mention that now everything except fruits comes to your table. The self-service bar only had apples and bananas. Nuts, water, juices, coffee, etc... is now served by the lounge staff to your table.
A minor change was that the free 2 premium drinks perk for non-AA oneworld elites was temporarily suspended so if I would like to enjoy one of the premium drinks from the bar, I should have paid for it. Also, the espresso machine was out of service as well.

Shortly after I sat at my seat, the lounge staff handed me a food bag and told me that I could check the menu with the QR. I've opted for a coffee that was served promptly in a paper cup rather than a mug.

The bag had eggs, a bagel, a muffin, an apple pie, some nuts, butter, blueberry jam and cream cheese, all packed and wrapped. It was definitely better than what I expected from AA during post-COVID.

At that time I was tracking the incoming aircraft


Before the next part, I would also like to mention that for every person and couple who left the club, one of the lounge staff was cleaning the area that those people sat with a disinfectant spray.
GATE AREA & BOARDING
As my gate was in Terminal C, I used the shuttle bus from Terminal B/C to Terminal C. The bus was there when I arrived at the stop.

And, after a 1 minute wait, we have left Terminal B/C for a 45 second journey to Terminal C.

Terminal C was also empty like Terminal B/C

While I arrived at the gate, the aircraft had just parked after its flight from Charleston, SC.

The gate area was organized and allowed social distancing and while the passengers arriving from Charleston disembarked, the gate agents were tagging carry-on bags for the yellow-tag service as the CRJ's do not have large overhead bins. Announcements were made that there would be no service on this flight and passengers willing to eat/drink something should purchase at the airport.

Shortly later, boarding has started with the original group boarding sequence. Passengers requiring assistance boarded first, followed by 5 Group 1 passengers, then followed by myself where I was the only passenger in Group 2. No passengers were assigned to Groups 3 & 4 so after I boarded boarding continued with Group 5.

AA 5162 WASHINGTON REAGAN AIRPORT TO JACKSONVILLE AIRPORT
While boarding the aircraft, I was quite surprised that the cabin crew greeted all passengers at the door. In the majority of my past AA flights, the crew didn't welcome passengers at the door and preferred to pretend to work at the galley instead.
The seats were comfortable for a regional jet.

The legroom was also decent for Main Cabin Extra. By the way, it was a nice touch to have USB ports and power outlets on a regional jet.

The only thing that you could have found in the seat pocket was a waste bag and the safety card. Due to COVID-19, the American Way & the Nexus magazines and the buy on board menu were not available in the seat pocket.

While boarding was going on, I watched the ground painting work that was going on next door.

When boarding was completed a Basic Economy passenger decide to upgrade himself to Main Cabin Extra for social distancing so the crew allowed that passenger to move to one of the empty MCE rows which was a nice touch in terms of safety.

While we were taxiing to the gate, announcements were made that wearing a face covering is mandatory throughout the flight and the cabin crew checked the cabin every 10 minutes throughout the flights to make sure everyone had their face covering on. The only exception was that you could remove your covering when eating and drinking.

Meanwhile, the safety demo was performed by the crew.

Terminal B/C and C which were full of AA aircraft

And we were in the air 35 minutes later than our scheduled departure time.
I forgot to mention that this flight was delayed 27 minutes because of the late arrival of the incoming aircraft. A notification was sent to my phone about the delay midnight before the day of travel.

Terminal A

Potomac Yards shopping center

Alexandria, VA


And more photos while we were gaining altitude



Mobile IFE was offered throughout this flight

Wi-Fi was available for $10.

You could have also watched movies & TV shows throughout the mobile entertainment platform.

I've used the free T-Mobile Wi-Fi option and here is a shot from Flightradar24. The internet was not that slow but not that fast either.

Later during the flight, I have asked for a cup of water at the front galley which was promptly served by the cabin crew. Another passenger has requested a Diet Coke and that was also promptly served. Despite the fact that some AA regional crews reject serving anything on flights under 900 miles, the crew onboard was following the actual AA protocol.

And some photos before arrival


And we have landed in JAX

A UPS 767 near the cargo stands

And we were going to park at Terminal C next to this Allegiant A320.

To be specific, we have parked at gate C7.

JACKSONVILLE AIRPORT - JAX
Deboarding was made as usual but the crew has made an announcement not to leave your seat row and open the overhead bins before the passengers seated in the rows front of you left their seats. One of the cabin crew members was also saying goodbye to customers while disembarking the aircraft.

Here is the last photo of N725PS.

The terminal in JAX looked fresh and modern compared to other US airports. In addition, the airport was empty and most of the food vendors and stores were closed.

Arrivals FIDS - Not that many traffic at JAX that day

While I arrived at the carousel, all bags from our flight were already there so I've picked up my bags quickly and proceeded to the App Ride pickup area.

Due to COVID-19, there were not many Uber or Lyft drivers available at that time so I waited 8 minutes for my driver to arrive. Then it was time to leave JAX.

2 days after the flight, I received a survey from AA about the flight.


Conclusion:

This flight experience was a regular post-COVID American 900 miles and under flight experience. DCA was empty during my visit, however, it was not nice to carry bags 300 meters because there were no signs at the curbside. The check-in experience was pleasant and normal with the exception of baggage receipts being on the phone rather than being paper. Security was also convenient as the agents asked not to remove anything from our bags including laptops and liquids so the line was going really fast. The club was better than I expected; the food bag that was provided was acceptable for post-COVID, however, I was upset when both the servers and the lounge staff told me that the free premium drink advantage for oneworld elites was removed, I am not sure if this is a location-only decision and I'm also not sure if this applies to international transfer passengers as well. Although the lounge experience was pleasant overall. The surprising part of this journey was that while some other US carriers introduced back to front boarding, AA still followed their old group-by-group boarding protocol which is great for elites sitting in the front as they would still have the space for overhead bins and those passengers would not be the one gate checking their carry-ons when overhead bins are full. The flight itself was an ordinary US domestic flight but the regional-jet that I flew on had pretty comfortable seats, USB ports, power outlets, free mobile entertainment, and Wi-Fi which was a scale-up from other regional jet flights. The only post-COVID things on this flight were that the crew checked face coverings every 10 minutes and drinks were only available upon request. The experience in JAX was surprising as bags were already there when I arrived at the carousel, however, it was not the best thing to wait for a ride-pickup for 10 minutes while the airport was empty. To conclude I would like to mention that AA was OK on this flight, however, it's still obvious that USA based carriers are still a level down from companies from the rest of the world.

DCA
(+) Efficient check-in and security processes
(+) Priorities were respected throughout the boarding process
(-) The fact that you need to carry your own checked bags to the inspection point
(-) Misleading signposts as check-in areas were changed due to COVID-19
Admirals Club Terminal B
(+) Comfortable seating
(+) Friendly lounge staff
(+) A nice snack bag was provided to passengers
(+) Every seating area was disinfected after people sitting there left the club
(-) Many drinks were not available
(-) The free premium drink perk was not available for oneworld elites.
AA 5162
(+) Comfortable seats and decent legroom
(+) IFE and Wi-Fi options
(-) No service other than beverages upon request
JAX
(+) Baggage wait time at JAX
(-) Long wait for app pickup rides

This report has come to an end.
This series would continue soon with the next report in this thread.

Yanshuf

Great, informative report. Must remember to download the AA app my next AA flight, in order to access the luggage tag receipts. Yes, sad about the reduced premium drinks offering but overall, there does seem to be some effort to offer a premium service, especially by cabin crew onboard.

ISTFlyer

Thanks for your comment,

Interestingly, on my following AA flight which the report would be posted soon, I was handed physical baggage receipts so I think that upon request they would hand you physical baggage receipts but I am not sure about that.

And, yes, the crew try to did their best, constantly checking the needs of First Class customers, smiling during the flight, etc... however AA's hard product on shorter routes is not enough for a really premium service onboard both in Main Cabin and Domestic First.

ISTFlyer

This report would contain a flight review of one of American's Flagship domestic routes, Miami to Los Angeles, onboard the 777-300ER in Main Cabin Extra. In this flight, I was lucky to get a Premium Economy seat for free and I was able to experience the Admirals Club in Miami as well.

During my travel date, American had 5 daily MIA-LAX flights, one of them was the Flagship service with the 777-300ER and the 4 others with a mixture of 737-800 & A321's.

American Airlines AA1061
Codeshare: BA 5118, GF 4266, MH 9411, QF 4123
Miami International Airport to Los Angeles International Airport
July 26, 2020 20:05-22:12
Boeing 777-300ER
N726AN
Main Cabin Extra

Loads for this flight

Flagship First: %10-15
Flagship Business: %70-75
Main Cabin: %40-45

ONLINE CHECK-IN
This alert was available before I started checking-in online.

Thanks to my Expertflyer membership, I have created a seat alert for Premium Economy window-aisle seats and as soon a double of them got empty, I selected 18J and 18K. Also an anecdote that, American had blocked row 16 and other emergency exit rows to protect their crew as there are crew jumpseats in front of those rows.


And here is the confirmation of OLCI

Boarding pass

The next morning, I've spotted our aircraft which over Europe at that time.


MIAMI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT - MIA
About 2 hours before the flight, me and my travel companion were driving to the rental car drop off point.

At that time, some AA aircraft were visible from the road

After dropping the car, we both used the MiaMover to access the terminal as the rental car center is not near the terminal

Here is an idea about the operation of the MiaMover

The MiaMover was empty and we were the only one in our car during the 5 minute ride to the terminal.

And I was able to spot some AA aircraft during the ride


Low D gates

After arriving to the terminal, I've walked to the Priority check-in desks to drop bags and I realized that the Flagship First counters were closed. In normal circumstances, non-AA oneworld Emerald members could use the Flagship First check-in desks.

However, the priority desks were open with a couple of agents serving passengers. The wait over there was about 5 minutes and after then we were served.


Later on, we've headed to the regular security checkpoint as the priority checkpoint was closed during our visit at MIA.

And after a wait of 5 minutes at security, it was time to head to the lounge.

Most of the airport vendors were closed, however, some were open.



Luckily the lounge was across our gate so we had 10-15 minutes to spend there.

However, the bad news was that the signs of the Flagship Lounge was covered with black tape so this meant that we would be using the Admirals Club.

After entering the lounge, we were welcomed by the front desk downstairs and after taking up the elevator, we were greeted by another AA staff that told us that we are not allowed to leave our seats during our visit except for visiting the restrooms. In my previous report, at DCA, the system was different as passengers were allowed to take a walk within the club but they could only sat at the same place as they did previously.

Shortly after we took our seats, one of the lounge staff took our drink orders and handed in our food bags. As you might know from my previous report, AA temporarily suspended the premium drink allowance of non-AA oneworld Sapphire and Emerald members so only soft drinks, house beer and house wine was free of charge.

For all other premium drinks in this menu, you would need to present a credit card to the server.

And here is the food box: Chips & Guac, a lemon cookie and some sweets.

And here is a view of our aircraft which was visible from the club. N726AN would be the aircraft that would take me to LA.

While leaving the lounge, I have realized that the children's area was closed to service, however, there were magazines that were still available to read.

GATE AREA & BOARDING
The gate area was crowded before boarding

Another shot of N726AN

FIDS - As you might realize from the FIDS, AA is the only carrier operating direct service from Miami to Los Angeles

While I was boarding the aircraft, all passengers up to Group 4 were invited to board. American Airlines is one of the rare carriers that does not board from back to front during post-COVID, instead they are maintaining their original boarding process.

AA 1061 MIAMI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT TO LOS ANGELES INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
After being welcomed by the crew at the aircraft door, I've headed to my seat 18L which was the last row of the Premium Economy cabin.

The American Airlines Premium Economy seat has great legroom compared to the Main Cabin seats and the seats are obviously wider. Unlike Delta and United, American does not market these seats as a separate class so passengers eligible for Main Cabin Extra could select these seats for free.

The seat has an IFE screen

As well as a remote

A power outlet and a USB port

And in the seat pocket there was something rare that you could see, besides the safety card, there was the American Way magazine available at every seat; though, the Spanish version of the magazine, Nexus was not available.

And it was time to wander around the pages of the magazine, starting with the fleet page

Maps of MIA & LAX


It was my first time seeing this ad as this was my first oneworld flight after COVID that had an inflight-magazine

American destinations within the US

And here is the IFE screen

For the majority of the flight that the air flight time was 4h28mins, the route map was open in my screen.



And, it was interesting to see personal AC units at the top as most airlines do not install these on their wide-bodies.

A view from the window

And after boarding was completed, there was an announcement made that the flight was delayed for 15 minutes because of the delay of paperwork arriving at the cockpit. At that time a cabin crew was verifying if passengers seated in the Premium Economy seats did not upgrade themselves as there was an issue with another passenger that was solved quickly.

And later on, single-use earphones were distributed

And it was time to push-back


At that time, the safety video was playing in English and then it was repeated in Spanish as well.


And we took off about 15-20 minutes later than our scheduled departure time.


Some photos from our takeoff


A last shot of MIA

And a gallery of some other photos that was taken after takeoff





And after taking off the usual welcome announcement video was played from the personal screens.

The flight also had Wi-Fi supported by Panasonic, and here were the prices for our flight. During this flight, personal mobile entertainment did not work and passengers who were willing to watch a movie or TV show should have done it via the IFE screens.

Shortly later, the beverage service had started with a full selection of soft drinks, coffee and tea. I've opted for an apple juice which was served with pretzels and Biscoff cookies. This was the only service made throughout the flight

Shortly later, I visited one of the lavatories which were clean at the time I visited


And flight information at that time



Shortly later, I took a nap and when I woke up I had enjoyed the chips&guac that were handed to me at the club. Also, the cabin crew was constantly touring the cabin to collect trash.

And flight information



A photo over eastern California

And the seatbelt signs were turned on and the cabin crew did a final run of trash collection.

A photo before landing

The new SoFi stadium

And we've landed at one of the southern runways at LAX

TBIT which mostly had Asian carriers at that time including Asiana, Cathay Pacific, China Airlines and Philippines Airlines aircraft

And AA aircraft was present at T4

An AA A321

And another one with a special livery

More AA aircraft

The closed Flagship Lounge at LAX. We were going to park at gate 41 that day.

And interestingly the TV's in the closed Flagship Lounge were open.

And we were parking next to this A321.

And a final glimpse at aircraft at TBIT

LOS ANGELES INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT - LAX
After saying goodbye to the crew, I left the aircraft and headed to the baggage carousel and after a wait of 20 minutes at the carousel bags arrived with the respect of priority tags.
Also for those who wonder, there was no row by row deboarding at this flight and deboarding the aircraft was done in the usual pre-COVID way.

And later on, it was time to leave LAX


Conclusion:

Overall, it was nice to try the American Airlines Premium Economy seats that I was supposed to try in April in the LHR-JFK route. The Premium Economy seat product is superior to the regular MCE product and I enjoyed flying on them. The rest of the flight experience was similar to pre-COVID, no Buy-On-Board, no free alcohol for MCE and that are all. The usual beverage service ( including coffee and tea ) was done with pretzels and biscoff cookies, no hand sanitizers or disinfectant wipes were distributed, the in-flight magazine still available. The IFE system onboard was working pretty fast, however, the personal entertainment option was not available for this flight and Wi-Fi was not that cheap for this flight. Toilets were surprisingly clean throughout my visit as usually when flying AA, I am used to dirty lavatories. The experience in MIA was standard with the option of checking through an agent, however, the priority lane was closed so I had waited in the regular lane for about 10 minutes. The club in MIA was a standard post-COVID AA Club experience, although still no premium drinks are served for free for oneworld elites and in the club in MIA, passengers are not allowed to leave their seats unless they are leaving the club or going to the restrooms. Boarding was made in the usual sequence with group numbers and priorities being respected. The experience in LAX was not that great as waiting for baggage 15-20 minutes is not the greatest experience, however, LAX was empty as I have never seen before.

More American Airlines reports would come within the remainder of this year.

MIA
(+) Reasonable wait for check-in and security
(+) Boarding was made in respect to the group numbers and priorities
(-) No priority checkpoint available for security
AA Admirals Club D30
(+) Comfortable seating
(+) Friendly server at the club
(-) The offering bag could be improved
(-) The removal of the premium drinks for non-AA OWS and OWE passengers
AA 1061
(+) Comfortable seats, great width, and great recline compared to a domestic MCE seat
(+) IFE options although the mobile personal entertainment system was not working.
(+) Crew was friendly towards passengers
(+) The lavatory was clean during my visit
(+) Trash was collected during the flight by the crew
(-) No food available except snacks
LAX
(+) Surprisingly no traffic within the terminal roads
(-) Long wait for baggage

This report has come to an end.
This series would continue with the next report.

Feel free to leave a comment below,

enviroian

Great report thanks!

So no alcohol available in MCE?

ISTFlyer

On this flight, it wasn't available in MCE.

ISTFlyer

It's now time to return back to Turkey and this time my return journey would start in Los Angeles. In this report, I would share my experiences on the Qatar Airways A350-1000 from Los Angeles to Doha with a brief review of the empty TBIT at LAX. As most lounges at LAX were closed, I've visited the American Airlines Admirals Club at T4 and this report would also cover a brief review of that lounge.

Also, this flight is the longest flight I've ever taken until this report is published.

Qatar Airways QR740
Los Angeles International Airport to Doha Hamad Airport
July 31, 2020 15:35-17:05+1
Airbus A350-1000
A7-ANJ
Economy Class

Loads for this flight

Business Class: %40-45
Economy Class: %65-70

UPGRADE OFFERS & ONLINE CHECK-IN
A few days before the flight I have received the usual upgrade offers from Qatar Airways.
The offers were $1420 for the LAX-DOH leg, $630 for the DOH-IST leg, and $1804 if I purchase both of them at the same time.
During online check-in, the upgrade rate for LAX-DOH had been increased to $1670.
And here is the check-in confirmation; the system wasn't able to issue a boarding pass so I would have needed to stop by a check-in counter.

[text]Also, discounted Super Wi-Fi codes were offered for purchase. As LAX-DOH is a very long flight and $8 is very reasonable, I purchased a Wi-Fi access code for that flight online.[/text]

The night before my flight, I've spotted from Flightradar24 that A7-ANJ would be the aircraft taking me from LA to Doha.


LOS ANGELES INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT - LAX
About 2h15min before the flight, my Lyft driver dropped me at the Tom Bradley International Terminal where the majority of the international flights depart at LAX.


Qatar Airways operates at Terminal B.

FIDS as I've entered the terminal.

The QR check-in desks were just behind the FIDS that I took the previous photo. The Priority check-in lane was empty and in 5 minutes, I was served by a friendly agent.

Also during my check-in process, I was welcomed by one of the QR ground supervisors.
During check-in, I also asked for one of the bulkhead window seats and the agent was happy to assign me one but she warned that in case an infant needs the bassinet, I would be moved back to another seat.

The original LAX FIDS, not that many flights that day

The other side of the check-in hall was empty

The TSA checkpoint was empty, however, there were two lanes open at all, one for TSA Pre and another one for other passengers so it took about 10-15 minutes to clear security at LAX. There were no designated security lanes for Business Class passengers and airline elites at that time.

After passing the security check, the first thing that was visible was the closed stores around the terminal




The majority of the food court outlets were closed as well. Panda Express, Vino Volo Restaurant & Starbucks were the only food merchants open at the terminal. The Hudson's store was also open.


In TBIT, all the lounges were closed, including the brand new AMEX Centurion Lounge that hasn't been officially opened yet.

The oneworld Business Lounge operated by Qantas was closed until further notice.


Same thing for the QF First Lounge.

The KAL Lounge, the Los Angeles International Lounge, and the *A Lounges were also closed.



So while I was waiting, I decided to visit the AA Admirals Club in T4 to spend time.

The walkway between TBIT and T4 was deserted.

At that time an Air France 777 had arrived from Paris-CDG.

Terminal 4 was more crowded than Terminal B.

AMERICAN AIRLINES ADMIRALS CLUB T4 - LOS ANGELES AIRPORT
And the lounge entrance, unlike MIA, evidence for the Flagship Lounge was not removed here in LAX. While entering the club I was greeted by a friendly club agent and she apologized that they weren't offering a full service today so I should have kept my expectations low. By the way, I've also asked when the Flagship Lounges would re-open and they kindly answered me that they did not have any information about that.

After going upstairs to the club level, another agent told me that I needed to sit at my own seat and do not move but I was welcome to visit the bar or the buffet which only had fruits. During my visit, the club was empty and there were about 7-8 passengers in total, 4 of them being in the same family.

The lounge has a view of the AA gates in T4 and T5, plus some of the JetBlue gates in T5.

Shortly after I sat down, one of the servers took my drink order and provided me a food bag. I've opted for the house red wine which tasted alright.

And here was the snack box, chips&guac, jellies, some nuts, and a brownie.

As you could see, the quieter back side of the lounge was totally empty.

And the back area of the club has a view of TBIT and other AA gates. At that time an Air New Zealand 787 had parked to TBIT and a BA 787 was taxiing to the terminal.

About 1h20mins before the flight, I've left the club and headed to my gate, here is a photo of the empty AA Flagship Lounge.

While walking back to TBIT, this Emirates 777 had parked to TBIT and was being catered for its flight to Dubai.

While waiting for boarding to start, I had a cold drink from Starbucks.
At that time there were announcements made from the ANA gate that passengers would only receive a limited amount of meals onboard and no duty-free shopping would be offered so they were kindly asked to eat at the airport.

GATE AREA & BOARDING
A7-ANJ would be the aircraft taking me to Doha.


At the next door, we had this British Airways 787 getting prepared for its flight to Heathrow.

The gate area was set while I arrived at the gate. At that time face shields were being distributed to passengers and all passengers except for those in Zone 1 and eligible for Priority boarding were asked to take a seat.


Boarding had started 40-45 minutes before scheduled departure time with the respect of priorities. I was the first passenger to board the aircraft in Economy Class and at the door, I was greeted by one of the cabin crew members. Also at the jetbridge, random bag checks were made by the security.

QR 740 LOS ANGELES INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT TO DOHA HAMAD AIRPORT


For this flight, my seat was going to be 16A, the window seat in the first row of Economy Class.

I usually prefer the bulkhead row on Qatar Airways as the legroom is super generous and I would have both a view of the window and aisle access at the same time.

Each seat onboard has a personal IFE screen

A personal touchscreen remote

And power outlets, USB ports are also available under the IFE screen.

The seat pocket did not have any literature onboard and only had a waste bag and the safety card.

The overhead panel

Our neighbor at LAX, an ANA 777-300ER

The IFE system could be used in multiple languages.

The IFE menu

Our route for today, the flight time for the day was 15h5mins.

While boarding was going on, a Korean Air 777 was passing by.

And shortly after boarding had finished, we were getting ready to push-back.

The 200- gates at TBIT that would open soon.


And while we were pushing back, the safety video was played from the personal screens.

After the safety video, refreshing towels, headsets, a hygiene protective kit, and an amenity kit was distributed by the cabin crew.





And we're pushing back

The gate that we have just left. At that time the cabin service director for Economy Class has come to me and introduced herself and asked if I need anything.

BA 787-9

KAL 777-300ER

Lufthansa A350-900

ANZ 787-9

T4, the home of American Airlines

More AA aircraft

T5 on the left, T6 on the right

T6 on the left, T7 on the right

United aircraft at T7

And some more in Terminal 8.

And some aircraft parked at remote stands waiting for their flights.

Some of the grounded United aircraft

And after a taxi of 5-10 minutes, it was our turn to take-off.

And, we were in the air


Shortly after take-off, the COVID-19 safety video was shown from the IFE screens.

Passing near Rolling Hills and Long Beach

Shortly after the seat-belt signs have been turned off, I've visited the lavatory which was clean at the time during my visit. During my subsequent visits during the flight, on some occasions there were clean but on some others, they were not.


Shortly later as I took my seat, the aperitif service had started with the choice of drink plus pretzels.

And that time, we were passing over a rural area.

And the route map at that time

ISTFlyer

LUNCH - QR 740 LOS ANGELES INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT TO DOHA HAMAD AIRPORT
Before the service, one of the cabin crew members came to me and told me the preferences for the lunch service. The options were beef, chicken, and vegetarian. I've opted for the beef option.[/text]
When the service began, I've opted for a mango juice as a drink.
The tray had a salad, a chocolate&caramel pudding as a dessert, bread, and a bottle of water. I've also asked for butter but it wasn't loaded on today's flight.

The main course prepared by Do&Co was surprisingly good, this was one of the best outstation meals that I had from flights from the USA.[/text]
Braised BBQ Beef
Mashed potatoes and assorted vegetables

And later on, tea&coffee service had begun and drinks were served with a small chocolate.

At that time, we were somewhere over Canada.



IFE - QR 740 LOS ANGELES INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT TO DOHA HAMAD AIRPORT
As I mentioned at the beginning of the report, I purchased the discounted Super Wi-Fi option from the web before the flight and used it throughout the entire flight. I had a promo code that I would enter at this point.

For those who didn't pre-purchase Wi-Fi, they were able to purchase the Super Wi-Fi for $10 or use the complimentary 1 hour package.

The internet was really fast

And, YouTube videos could be streamed onboard at 288p or 360p.

A shot from Flightradar24

Besides the Wi-Fi service that I used throughout the flight, I have also enjoyed watching two movies onboard.

My selections for this flight


During the flight, the cabin crew was constantly offering juices, water, and movie snacks for those who were awake.

Just about an hour before the mid-flight snack one of the passengers didn't feel well so an announcement was made that a medical staff was needed, shortly later, a medical staff showed up and the passenger was escorted by the cabin supervisor to one of the QSuites for a better rest, about 3-4 hours before arrival when that passenger felt better, he was escorted back to his original seat in the rear Economy cabin.
MIDFLIGHT SNACK - QR 740 LOS ANGELES INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT TO DOHA HAMAD AIRPORT
During mid-flight, the cabin crew once again asked my preference for the service. The options were a mushroom&potato masala pastry or a vegetarian pastry. I've opted for the former option which was served with pretzels and a choice of drink.

The sandwich was delicious as usual.

As I've taken a short nap, at this point, there was another drink run made by the cabin crew.



And while over Romania, the cabin crew offered me snacks while I was enjoying a movie.



Shortly later, we were near somewhere I am really familiar with.




BRUNCH - QR 740 LOS ANGELES INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT TO DOHA HAMAD AIRPORT
While we were over the Southeastern Anatolia region of Turkey, the cabin crew came and asked for my breakfast choice. The options were a frittata, eggs, and vegetarian. This time I've opted for the scrambled eggs option.[/text]
Also to be fair, on second main course services, the trolley starts the service from the rear of the cabin so after the crew taking my order, I needed to wait 15-20 minutes for my tray to be served.
Here is the brunch tray, which had the main course, a fruit plate, yoghurt, bread, and a bottle of water. I've asked for a mango juice with my brunch.

This main course was also delicious and I enjoyed it.
Scrambled eggs
Chicken meat balls, potatoes and vegetables

Later on, while the trays were being collected, I've asked for a cup of coffee with Bailey's which was promptly served.

At that time arrival and connecting gate information were available.



And the moment while we're over Qatar

And shortly later, we were approaching to Doha. Before the seat belt signs have been turned off, both the cabin crew serving my area and the cabin service director for Economy Class thanked me for flying Qatar Airways and asked me if I enjoyed the flight.

A shot from the tail cam

The Emiri Terminal

And we have touched down at runway 34R.

The first thing visible after we landed was Qatar Airways aircraft as usual.

The tower of DOH

Some more QR aircraft in the apron.

Construction for the terminal expansion was going on. Probably they're trying to finish it until the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.


Runway 16R/34L was closed for maintenance.

During our taxi to our parking position, the only visible aircraft was Qatar Airways aircraft. It's really rare to see another airline here in Doha.

And some more QR aircraft

Similar situation in the jet bridges



And, we were going to park at gate C4

Both of our neighbors were QR aircraft.

This one had just arrived from Istanbul and was going to head to Bangalore as a cargo-only flight.

And another shot from the tail-cam.

After the seat-belt signs have been turned off, deboarding first started with Business Class passengers which were followed by Economy Class passengers.

DOHA HAMAD AIRPORT - DOH
At the gate, an Al Maha stewardess was waiting for me and was ready to escort me to the lounge and through the security checkpoint. Also, at the top of the escalator, there were ground staff checking if passengers had their face masks and shields on, for those who left their shields at the aircraft, they were providing new face shields.


Conclusion:

To conclude this report, I could tell that it was surprising to see TBIT this empty with most of the stores and restaurants closed, plus all of the lounges closed. I'm glad that at least there were some facilities open and the security wait times were around normal. Terminal 4 looked a bit more normal with more vendors open and more crowded. I have nothing special to mention about the AA Club in T4 but it's sad to see the wonderful AA Flagship Lounge over there closed. Also, it was a nice touch that priorities were respected during boarding as it was very hot in the terminal and I moved to my seat with an overhead AC panel as quickly as possible. Like the DOH-IAD leg, the bulkhead seats were comfortable and had decent legroom. At least this time, I didn't have a neighbor so the flight was more comfortable than that one. Plus, with the option of pre-purchasing Super-Wifi for the entire flight, the flight become more enjoyable. The crew was great as usual, and the meals were super delicious compared to an ex-US departure where you might face the worst airline meals in the world. Although, it was sad that butter wasn't loaded to this flight. Compared to my previous DOH-IAD flight, the other negative things were that the lavatories were not kept clean at all times, I recall seeing toilet papers on the floor, unflushed closets; and most funnily there were at least 20-30 people during the flight who tried to sneak through the curtain to Business Class, in all occasions the crew sends them back to Economy Class, however, when sitting in the first row of Economy Class, people trying to go through the curtain seems a bit disturbing. However, both the lavatory issue and the curtain sneak issue were not the fault of the crew but the passenger broad on this flight. There were also disturbing passengers that did not close their window blinds during day time. Although, the crew made the flight enjoyable by constantly asking if I needed something and promptly serving drinks during the flight. In DOH, we arrived at a jetbridge which was a nice touch where it's possible to end up with a remote stand and a temperature of 45 C outside. Also, it's always a nice gesture that QRPC Platinum members could benefit from the Al Maha Gold package so someone had met me at the gate and escorted me through security to the Al Mourjan Lounge. So, it was an enjoyable transatlantic flight with QR, however, I hope that my next transatlantic flight would be better than this flight.

LAX
(+) Efficient check-in process
(+) Priorities respected throughout the boarding process
(-) No priority security check available
AA Admirals Club T4
(+) Comfortable seating
(+) Friendly lounge staff
(+) Contents of the meal bag being better than other AA clubs that I visited
(+) Power outlets and USB ports available everywhere in the lounge
(-) Not that much stuff in the lounge to do
QR 740
(+) Comfortable seats and decent legroom
(+) Delicious meals throughout the flight
(+) Attentive cabin crew members
(+) IFE options
(+) The reasonable Super Wi-Fi offer and the quality of the internet
(-) Toilets were not clean throughout all my visits
(-) No butter was loaded on today's flight
DOH
Nothing special to mention

And now, this report has come to an end.
This series would continue with the last part that would be published soon.
Thanks for reading and please feel free to leave a comment.

gaobest

Great TR. shame about zero butter with rolls. Nice about alcohol on the flight. I recall when UAL started to charge money in Y (E+) for intl (at least TATL) around 2007, but of course I still recall the smoking days of the 90s.

I haven’t read about random bag searches by the jet bridge in over 10 years. Always frustrating when boarding “early” for a full flight since it inevitably meant that overhead space was taken by too many others, possibly sitting elsewhere on the flight :-)