Last year I had the intention of switching my frequent flyer program to BA's Executive Club but after I had the pleasure of connecting through LHR where I nearly missed my flight coupled with some enhancements that BA announced last year to their program, I decided to move to greener pastures. However, I was only short of 5 Tier points to qualify for Bronze by Oct. and couldn't bear the thought of missing elite status by so little so close. So I booked a quickie between SFO-PHX that surprising was cheaper than a SFO-LAX turn. The ticket was only about USD 112 total so why not.
US operates out of T1 in SFO while AA leaves out of T2, so for the time being they are still operating separately. However, once you pass security, these two terminals are connected through a hallway which makes things a bit more convenient. In addition, the DL Skyclub is now located past security at T1.
The counter was not very crowded and I printed my boarding pass from the kiosk. I was disappointed that it already had the American logo on it while I was hoping for the US one. As you all know, the US brand will disappear soon and I wanted to have a few lasting souvenirs of the old logo. I must confess that I have some sentimental value attached to US. This was the first airline that I achieved elite status during my early years as a frequent flyer and at that time being a Silver member which was a low tier elite member with their Dividend Miles program meant something. I used to receive 2 systemwide upgrades that could be applied to any Y fare anywhere they flew. My chances of upgrades were about 80-90% which were pretty high compared to today's average. It was a different world in the late 1990's.
I showed up at the gate ready to board and the two ladies working at the gate were really pleasant. I asked if I can have my boarding pass reprinted and one of them said It's $25 jokingly. To be honest I wouldn't be surprised if this turned out to be true with the way that they are extracting every cent out of passengers these days. I was excited when she handed me two boarding passes with the US logo on them - collector's item for sure.
Sadly I didn't have status with AA anymore and my boarding group was 5, which is slightly better than employee class. Good thing that I did not have to worry about finding overheard space since I only had a small bag that could easily fit under the seat in front of me. As it turned out, I did not have a neighbor since the middle seat remained empty for my outbound and return trips. I guess I was upgraded to an European style J cabin.
Boarding was surprisingly quick and two FA's were at the door greeting passengers as they came in.
My row.
The contents inside the pocket, with the B.O.B. menu still saying US Airways.
One thing that I disliked was the presence of ads on the tray table when you folded it down.
We took off more or less on time and a beverage service was conducted after we leveled off. There were snacks for sale and I bought some vegetables chips with hummus for USD 4.
Cabin.
We landed early at 1338 and upon exiting I took some pics of the bulkhead which clearly had the US logo.
AA uses T4 at Sky Harbor Intl. which has 4 different gate concourses connected by a moving walkway. I had a little over 3 hrs. to kill so I did some spotting and familiarized myself with the gates.
For a short flight, I had a good experience with friendly gates agents and professional FA's.
As far as comfort it was great to have the middle seat open which gave me room to stretch out.
There was no entertainment except for the publications in the seat pocket. Kudos to AA for providing a separate publication (Nexos) for those who speak Spanish and Portuguese.
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One thing that I disliked was the presence of ads on the tray table when you folded it down. - Disgusting. Anything for a buck, I guess.
Even though the seats look like they have seen better days, the cabin doesn't look to be in too bad of condition.
The BOB looks reasonable. Weird container for the hummus, why not in some sort of cup for easier use? Or are you supposed to eat it like Go-gurt?
Love the HP/AA plane! They could have been classier and just scratched off the West from America West and added a n.
Together at last. - Where is the spaghetti to reenact Lady and the Tramp?
Great spotting at PHX! The new AA livery is definitely an improvement on the tin can livery and the old US livery. I just don't like the look of A319/320/321s...
Once again a very thorough FR for a short flight. I didn't know AA and US were still separate in SFO...I guess they better get a move on since US branded flights will no longer exist after 10/17.I've flown US a lot in the past and several times this year and there are definitely some things I will miss about US, but generally I prefer AA. It's nice that you got an empty seat next to you--that's about as good as you can ask for in Y anymore. Thanks for sharing!
I would tend to agree, US employees seem to be more friendly in that they are not as standoffish and tend to be more informal with customers (some like that, some don't). How weird that you were getting everything served on one tray. Especially on a long flight like that. I had everything served separately on my CDG-JFK that I'll publish soon. I think I got that same lame appetizer you must be speaking about--I've seen it on other reports...the microscopic zucchini rolls? AA J catering is definitely not as good as Delta's was. The hard product, on the other hand is decent (on new or retrofitted planes, anyway). Luckily I haven't had any old Business class cabins...NGBC was behind the times the second it was installed...there was nothing Next Generation about it.
Salut Kevin. Yes, they are still separate using different terminals, but I guess that will change soon. From what I've experienced with US, it seems that their employees tend to be a bit friendlier.
I just came back from GIG and I am at the AA LAX lounge now. Did you know that they no longer have silverware in the clubs? They have been substituted with plastic ones in silver color, at least for the ones in JFK and LAX so far. When did this happen? GIG still had the old eagle silverware.
One thing is for sure, I feel that the J product has deteriorated. My meals were all served in one tray with the salad, appetizer and main meal. Dessert is no longer served from a trolley. There is no ice cream sundae with toppings anymore. Just plain ice cream if you are lucky - going and coming back into GIG. Wait until you see the joke of appetizers that I had.
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9 Comments
A bit of US nostalgia ;)
Gorgeous spotting at PHX
See you soon for the return leg
Nostalgia is a necessary sentiment that keeps us humans, don't you think? ;)
I'm afraid that there was not much variety in the spotting, but as always I try my best and make do with what exists.
The return will not be as visually stunning as this part, but will feature some new discoveries. Stay tuned.
Thanks for your comment.
One thing that I disliked was the presence of ads on the tray table when you folded it down.
- Disgusting. Anything for a buck, I guess.
Even though the seats look like they have seen better days, the cabin doesn't look to be in too bad of condition.
The BOB looks reasonable. Weird container for the hummus, why not in some sort of cup for easier use? Or are you supposed to eat it like Go-gurt?
Love the HP/AA plane! They could have been classier and just scratched off the West from America West and added a n.
Together at last.
- Where is the spaghetti to reenact Lady and the Tramp?
Great spotting at PHX! The new AA livery is definitely an improvement on the tin can livery and the old US livery. I just don't like the look of A319/320/321s...
Thanks for sharing this quickie with us Adan!
I just came back from GIG and I am at the AA LAX lounge now. Did you know that they no longer have silverware in the clubs? They have been substituted with plastic ones in silver color, at least for the ones in JFK and LAX so far. When did this happen? GIG still had the old eagle silverware.
One thing is for sure, I feel that the J product has deteriorated. My meals were all served in one tray with the salad, appetizer and main meal. Dessert is no longer served from a trolley. There is no ice cream sundae with toppings anymore. Just plain ice cream if you are lucky - going and coming back into GIG. Wait until you see the joke of appetizers that I had.
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