American First Class LAX to London
The short walk back to Gate 41.
Wow, T-35 and we're already on Group 9. When I booked this flight some six months ago, I had Mrs. SFO777 in 1A and I was in 2A. Fast forward to yesterday and I'm now in 1D with 2A assigned to someone else. No idea whether this was a FAM thing or what. When Mrs. SFO777 decided that she was not going to come along, I cancelled her ticket and moved over to 1A. Lo and behold I board and the doufuss in 2A is sitting in 1A. Huh? When the FA intervened and we found out that his boarding pass said 2A, I told him to stay there and I took 2A. Definitely not a FAM type so no idea what that was all about.
Pleasant cabin with 1-2-1 staggered configuration.
Seat was comfy but not very private as you're pretty much exposed to the rest of the cabin, and vice versa.
Lots of pillows, duvets and blankets clogging up the seat.
Service tonight was excellent. Friendly, professional and impressive.
But then there was Mr. Detroit Piston in 2D, yapping on the phone the entire time prior to push telling his friends that he was in First Class. He was no doubt also trying to impress the world with his sense of fashion.
Tonight's menu...
OK, this is encouraging. But how does it translate to the real world at 35,000 feet.
Yep, still going strong in 2D.
Like the Energizer Bunny.
The AA amenity kit.
Different packaging and colors from last week's JFK-LAX flight, but the same basically useless stuff.
And we're off.
What a gorgeous night for flying.
One cool feature the AA continued with the new International First Class seat is its swivel capabilty which let's you turn your space into an office, especially with Wifi, $19 for the entire flight.
Showtime, AA style. And the same old tiny hot towel.
Jeez, they try so hard and then cheap out on a dopey salt and pepper shaker.
Despite having had dinner 2 hours ago, I decided to sample the menu. Apparently working backwards on the menu, the Tomato and Lentil soup with Grilled Cheese Crouton was first. This was delicious with just enough kick to make the dish really memorable.
The Lump Crab salad seemed to be missing the crab. Nevertheless, it was nice and very fresh.
The Lobster Salad Deviled Eggs were different but very tasty.
For my main, the Slow-Braised Lamb Osso Buco was spectacular.
Melt in your mouth and extraordinary flavor with lots of spices that was simply a knockout.
But wait, it gets even better. The Warm Louisiana Praline Bread Pudding was to die for. OMG.
Our FA proactively asked whether I wanted the bed made and she made it as I changed in the lav.
I slept like a baby for 5 hours.
The snack counter in the First Class galley. No I did not have anything more to eat. LOL.
Presumably this is the Business Class snack bar but for the life of me, I cannot remember taking the pic. Memo to self: too much alcohol not good.
And Lily O'Brien's chocolates handed out on our descent.
The forward Business Class mini cabin as we exited thru 2L.
The long trek from our gate to customs and passport control.
Fast track worked great and I was officially in the UK a few minutes later.
Other than the sorry excuse for a temporary First Class Lounge, this was one very impressive day with American. Excellent service, great food and wines. But is this the kind of service anyone can consistently and reliably expect on American? I lucked out tonight with a great crew, but others report a much different experience. Unfortunately, there are far too many senior AA flight attendants just mailing it in. If AA can weed out those bad apples and continue with this kind of catering, there may be hope. On this flight alone, AA cracks the Top 20 International First Class products and certainly ahead of BA.