American Airlines, flight AA109
LHR - LAX
Boeing 777-300ER, N724AN
Seat 08J
Business Class
This was my first time ever flying long haul in Business Class with American Airlines, having only done a couple of short haul economy trips in the past which hardly blew my mind, with awful crew, awful food and ancient aircraft.
This was none of that.
From the moment I stepped aboard I was really impressed. I was greeted warmly in a very typical American fashion by the crew bustling about the large gallery areas and directed to my seat. I kinda like the lack of formality, I don’t like being called ‘Sir’ or ‘Mister Grainger’ at all; it feels forced and pretentious.
There are two Business Class cabins on these American Airlines 777-300ER’s, with the first one being very small and private, consisting of just rows 3 and 4. These I think have the drawback of being very close to both toilets and the galley. (I am in seat 03A for the return leg of the journey, so I will definitely have opinions about this after that flight). I was seated in 08J which is a window seat in the far larger second Business Class cabin which stretches from row 5 through to 15, which was spacious and fresh looking. This is billed as their ‘Flagship Business’.
These seats are identical (except in their colour scheme) to Cathay Pacific’s Business Class product, configured in a 1-2-1 reverse herringbone layout. This layout is great as the angling of the seats means you max out the privacy factor even without the new generation of mini doors (a la Qatar Qsuite and BA Club Suite), and so can’t see any other passengers unless you very deliberately move to do so. The seat itself is large and wide, with the ‘wingback’ chair vibe further enhances the already excellent privacy. The upholstery of the seat was in good condition with a muted but not unattractive colour scheme, with no spill marks or tattiness; the same goes for the carpets. Take note, BA. The seat angling towards the fuselage also means you can see (mostly) out of the two windows you’re afforded (unless you’re in rows 03 or 05 where you have only one window, or row 11 where you have zero windows). Seats 09 and 10 A/J also have excellent views of the engines and wings, if you are an avgeek.
The seat also has ample storage space for various bits and pieces, with storage located at head height by the first window, a sort of console-cum-side table area, a floor level compartment and a (far too small) shoe compartment, as well as a coat hook on the back of the seat in front. All the control functionality for the seat’s movement and the IFE remote control, call bell etc are all right next to you in one place which is pragmatic and intuitive.
The seat itself was comfortable and highly customisable in terms of positioning, though I wasn’t overly keen on the bed, finding it a bit narrow across the chest/arms as a back-sleeper, but the footwell is really large so they didn’t feel cramped. Although it’s 180 degrees (and so true lie-flat) I felt it was a bit lumpy, especially around the knee/calf area.
The seat storage compartment contained a set of (very effective) Bang & Olufsen noise-cancelling headphones, a bottle of water as well as the amenity kit from This Is Ground which came in a beautiful tan leather clamshell style pouch, and contained the usual goodies which were all stored neatly with their own little straps. These kits seemed to be gender neutral which I like.
Also major shout-out to the individual air vents for each seat. These are so useful!
We were served pre-departure beverages by our crew with the usual choice of water, orange juice or champagne. I obviously chose champagne. However, these drinks being served in plastic glasses feels really cheap. American Airlines need to start using glass. This is environmentally conscious as well as it feeling like a premium product.
I took a little timelapse video of our departure from LHR. As you can see, we were driving about and waiting for a typically long time.
The IFE was very well stocked with brand new through to classic titles, as well as TV series and games, though the interface I felt was laggy and unintuitive. I was particularly appreciative of the Halloween selection, with our flight taking place in October. The screen pops out from the shell of the seat in front (not unlike BA's Club World), though unlike BA's offering, doesn't angle downwards so you can watch while in bed-mode, and must also be stowed for take-off and landing, which negates gate-to-gate entertainment. That, and that the crew take away your fabulous Bang & Olufsen noise-cancelling headphones around 45 minutes before landing only compounds that minor irritation.
The on-board WiFi was entirely non-functional for the entire flight, so I couldn't try this out, which is a shame. (Edit: on the return flight (AA108 LAX - LHR) the WiFi worked perfectly for the whole duration and was very swift. I thought it was a steal at $19/£15 for the 10.5 hour trip.)
Drinks were served shortly after take-off. I chose my usual; a G&T. This was served with warm nuts that were topped up twice.
The two meal services on board were really tasty. The starter of prawns with harissa, humous, clementine and pomegranate was very tasty and refreshing. I was expecting my (pre-ordered) fillet steak to be tough and dry but no, it was juicy, easy to cut and pink in the middle. This is a rarity on an aircraft; usually they’re like an old boot (stares at BA). It was served with a potato and celeriac gratin as well as roasted carrots with leek and a delicious accompanying jus. I went for the famous sundae for dessert and *drools* it was so good. Hot fudge and nuts is always a winning combo. I like that the crew come through the cabin and make this for you on request; it’s a nice touch and allows for some chatting time. The two pies served as we neared LAX seemed a strange item, presented sparsely on a plate together and felt like they were missing... something. Maybe a salad, or some potatoes? I don’t know, I’m not a chef. Either way, they were also tasty, with chicken & leek and mushroom forming the pair.
The service throughout was always very informal and jovial which I really liked. Sometimes BA can feel a touch stuffy, as mentioned before with the whole “sir” nonsense. Both Keith and Gabriel serving the D/J seats were really excellent crew members; nothing was too much trouble, and always delivered quickly with a smile and a mere hint of sass which was entertaining.
There needs to be an honourable shout out to the enormous D/J side bathroom. I’ve never been on a plane with such a large toilet space which meant freshening up after an 11 hour flight wasn’t a feat of contortionism and I could get changed without bashing my knees and elbows off the walls. Unfortunately, the A/D side bathroom was typically minuscule.
This flight flew by, and we were treated to some incredible views from Nebraska all the way to California. My travelling companion and I were blown away, especially flying over the Grand Canyon.
Like I said at the start of this post, this flight was a very far cry indeed from the awful crew, awful food and ancient aircraft of my domestic US encounters with American Airlines. A combination of great seat, great cabin, great food, great IFE selection and great crew meant that ‘Flagship Business’ isn’t a misnomer. I can’t wait for the return leg to London in 12 days.
Post script: I also need to shoutout whoever designed American Airlines’ livery; I absolutely love it. It’s so cool, especially the tail patternation. It reminds me of the Los Angeles 1984 Olympics logo which is a classically American piece of design.
Here's another little timelapse of our descent into LAX.