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I’m spending the next ten days in Paris and London. To kick off the trip, we flew from Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) to London Heathrow Airport (LHR) on one of American’s new Boeing 787-9 aircraft that are equipped with the airline’s newest Flagship Suites®. We were seated in the bulkhead and American considers these to be “Preferred” seats. That means that they come with an upgraded amenity kit, pajamas, and a mattress topper. These were nice additions and they did not cost any extra on this flight.
Anthony’s Take: While the aircraft is relatively new, we encountered a mechanical issue that delayed the flight around 15 minutes. Service throughout the flight was mediocre at best and it was clear that the senior, Chicago-based crew was mostly going through the motions. They did take a moment to wish us a happy birthday (since it is today), but interactions other than that were minimal and procedural. I loved the extra space in the first row and the added amenities are a nice touch. The meal was also rather meh and American’s wine offerings (aside from the Bollinger Champagne) are pretty lacking. The app made it easy to check in and get boarding passes.
Booking
I redeemed 85,000 miles each for the three of us (my mother and husband are along for the trip). This was a great value as the one-way flights in Flagship Suites® cost $9,034 each.
Boarding
The flight boarded late and departed after it was scheduled. The boarding area was a mess and the gate agents allowed a free-for-all scrum to push forward. We saw passengers boarding in Group 9 when they called for ConciergeKey and the gate agents did not say a word. We boarded shortly after we realized that there was no order. When we got on the plane almost all of the overhead bins were full as a family of seven escorted grandma down the jet bridge and filled the entire space. They looked and acted like Honey Boo Boo and Mama June. This was their first flight in Business Class thanks to grandma and they were quite loud for a while.
Seats
I booked us into seats 2D (for me), 1A (for mom), and 2H (my husband). All three were “Preferred” and included the amenities above as well as a good amount of space. The seats are further distinguished by a darker color palette that looks rather elegant. There was a lot packed into the seat when I arrived. The bedding includes a day blanket, a comforter, a memory-foam mattress pad, and two pillows. American says these have 42% more overall area and 19% more sleeping space. There are 51 Flagship Suites® total with eight in this configuration.
There was an upgraded amenity kit also waiting. I loved the design and the number of amenities packed inside.
A pair of slippers and a menu were also at my seat.
A bottle of water was also provided.
Pajamas were brought around a few moments later for “Preferred” seat passengers.
A 21-inch touchscreen offered a good selection of entertainment options.
I loved the size of the footwell.
A small cabinet was next to the seat. This held Bang & Olufsen headphones and a mirror.
There were several ways to control the seat, entertainment, and lights. Wireless charging was also found above (but it did not work).
The Flagship Suite® had two different lights as well as lights above. The small one did not work. There were also individual air nozzles.
A Universal AC outlet, USB-A, and a UBB-C port were also available.
There were a lot of odd spaces that I’m not sure what could be stored there.
Food
We had ordered our meals in advance and were all largely unimpressed with the food. If you did not, the choices were outlined above.
I chose the All Day Roast. It was described as “roasted beef served with roasted potatoes, peas, turnips, and carrots with apple cider demi sauce.”
A pre-departure beverage of water, Champagne, or orange juice was offered.
Mixed nuts and a choice of beverage came next. I had a cranberry juice and club soda mixed.
The tray was delivered next. My meal came with a Miso-Marinated Sweet Potato Tower and a Spring Mix Salad. A choice of white, wheat, or pretzel bread was offered. I enjoyed the seaweed salad and sweet potatoes. The roll could have been warmer.
The entree was delivered next. It was not very good. The meat was tough and the vegetables did not have much flavor.
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi was available and it’s free for AAdvantage members. It worked well throughout the flight.
Lavatory
The lavatory closest to me was pretty standard. It included a changing table, toilet, and sink. There were no other amenities for Business Class passengers.
Service
The flight attendants were friendly, but not too attentive. Drink refills were not offered on the flight. The flight attendant spent most of the flight in the galley and rushed through service.
Overall Impression:
I loved the new seats, but the boarding, service, and food were all meh. American could make this really special, but there needs to be some staff training to get there.
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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.
