After dinner Monday night at the LAX QF First Class Lounge, I slept pretty much all the way from LAX to JFK and arrived at the FL just after 5:30am. I had 3 hours before my JFK-YUL Eagle flight so I decided to check out the Flagship First Dining room and have breakfast before showering.
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The hostess counter is right inside the front door. And don't even try to get in without an invitation card from one of the front check-in AAngels.
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Very attractive but small bar, lounge area and dining room.
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Very nice Breakfast menu with lots of nice looking options.
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Excellent and attentive service with an offer of still or sparking bottled water.
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I started with the Seasonal Fruit Kebabs with a nice honey and ginger lime sauce
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And then the Eggs Benedict.
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Which looked and tasted great!
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What a great first impression, but at 5:30am the place was dead and I was to the only customer. Let's see how they do at a more normal traffic time when I'm back tomorrow afternoon. With another couple of hours before my JFK-YUL flight, I headed out to The Flagship Lounge.
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And a much improved shower from the old facilities.
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Then over to the midfield concourse...
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And the usual Eagle Gate 31 for my flight to Montreal.
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New York JFK to Montréal YUL
AA 3543
ER4
9:00a-10:35a
June 6, 2017
Exit Row 12A
AA's ER4 is a single class regional jet with 1-2 seating. Exit row 12 has loads of leg room and is quite comfy for the short 55 minutes flight.
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Ah yes, a lovely rainy day in my old home town.
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The next day was much nicer and I headed back to YUL just before noon.
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As usual, the YUL transborder US terminal is pretty empty after the early morning wave of deaprtures.
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And yet another annoying airport where you have to walk thru the duty free store to get to the gates.
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Lunch was the always delicious Montreal Smoked Meat sandwich.
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Montréal YUL to New York JFK
AA 3810
ER4
1:15p-2:55p
June 7, 2017
Exit Row 12A
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My regular ER4 extra leg room seat 12A.
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Less than an hour later, final approach to JFK.
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And the long trek from Gate 31 back to the main terminal and the Flagship Lounge.
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Major traffic jam at main check-in but after a few minutes wait, a most pleasant AAngel moved me to an earlier flight and I gave me my "permission slip" for First Dining. ![Wink](https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/images/smilies/wink.gif)
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What a mob scene in the main part of the Flagship First Class Lounge. Yikes.
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But beyond in Flagship First Dining, a lovely oasis of calm. Pretty funny watching hostess Adama deny wave after wave of non-international/transcon First passengers. Talk about a tough job.
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First order of business was a drink. Nothing amazing on the wine list although there were some nice offerings but way, way better than the pathetic inflight F wine list. The Specialty Cocktail list looked interesting.
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Up first was the Gin Basil Lemonade. Delicious.
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The All Day Dining Menu. Wow, lots of interesting looking options.
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Service this afternoon was simply wonderful and perfectly paced, from my server Scott and Javier. As soon as I sat down, I was offered my choice of still or sparkling water.
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The single window seats are great for plane-spotting.
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For my starter, I chose the Basil infused compressed watermelon, with whipped feta and smoked onion crumble. It was fabulous.
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I went with the Olive oil poached loch duart salmon with cauliflower risotto, wild mushroom ragout and spring broth.
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Wow.
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And with the broth. OMG, this was spectacular. And the Livia Felluga Pinot Grigio was a lovely accompaniment.
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Also tried the Paring Rosé of Pinot Noir, Santa Rita Hills but I preferred the Livia Felluga.
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Next, I moved over the bar where I could re-charge my iPhone. Also, where bartender Karen convinced me to try the Spiced Tequila. ![Smilie](https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/images/smilies/smile.gif)
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And the dessert menu...
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My caramelized apple tart tatin was amazing.
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What a great meal and experience. AA has hit a home run with the Flagship First Dining. Which is good news, since their on board product hasn't improved.