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Yesterday, I wrote about my enjoyable visit to the American Airlines Flagship® Lounge (more here). When it was time to board, I walked over to Gate H18 and waited a few moments before being able to get on the plane. I fly American Airlines very infrequently and today was one of those days that found me on one of its flights from Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) to Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR). My husband and I needed to be in NJ and this worked well for us.
Anthony’s Take: I once held Executive Platinum status and flew American a fair amount. I grew tired of poor service, dated planes without Wi-Fi, and an all-around subpar experience. I can’t say our flight today was good or bad. It was just meh. There was nothing noteworthy about the flight, the crew, or any of it. We departed late, arrived late, and the flight itself was okay. If price and schedule are good, I’d fly AA again but wouldn’t pick the airline over Delta or even United.
Booking
I had a credit expiring and booked the flights directly with American Airlines. First Class was $304 each and a significantly cheaper than what United ($417) and Delta ($567 with a connection) wanted. I was able to select my seat at booking. I used my phone to check-in and found the app functional, but weaker than what United and Delta offer.
Boarding
The flight was delayed by 55 minutes. The boarding area was surprisingly quiet. The gate agent called for those needing additional time and ConciergeKey℠. Then he called for Group 1 and I boarded. American has ConciergeKey℠ and nine other groups.
Seats
We chose the bulkhead seats in row one (1B and 1A). There was decent legroom (similar to the bulkhead on United or Delta), but the seat was very stiff and had limited recline.
There were no screens on the plane, but personal device entertainment was available. The pocket in front had a safety information card and a pamphlet on the inflight-entertainment.
There are reading lights and air nozzles above.
There was a power outlet at each seat but it was tucked away behind the the armrest. The area around it was dirty.
Food
No predeparture beverages or bottled water was offered. It took some time for the flight attendant to take a drink order and bring around the snack basket. Beverages were brought out shortly after being taken. We both had ginger ale.
There were two baskets stuffed with snacks.
We selected some cookies and gummy bears.
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi was available, but it’s expensive. Delta is working to make it free on all domestic flights and United charges $8. American offers 20 minutes free for watching an ad. To purchase, it’s $15 for one hour or $19 for the flight. This is way more than it needs to be in order to be competitive. There is also a decent selection of in-flight entertainment. I did some work and did not watch anything on this flight.
Service
After delivering beverages, the flight attendants were seated most of the flight chatting. Service was fine, but not friendly or attentive. They went through the motions and then sat down.
Overall Impression: The flight was fine. While nothing was terrible, there wasn’t a single thing that I can say stood out as positive. I’ll stick with Delta this year.
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Advertiser & Editorial Disclosure: The Bulkhead Seat earns an affiliate commission for anyone approved through the links above This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. We work to provide the best publicly available offers to our readers. We frequently update them, but this site does not include all available offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities.
