Review of American Airlines flight Washington Los Angeles in Domestic First

Airline American Airlines
Flight AA1736
Seat 1A
Aircraft Airbus A319
Flight time 06:05
Take-off 05 Dec 15, 07:50
Arrival at 05 Dec 15, 10:55
AA   #69 out of 95 Airlines A minimum of 10 flight-reports within the past two years is required to appear in the rankings. 591 reviews
KévinDC
By SILVER 3783
Published on 19th December 2015
Hello Flight-Reporters!

Recently, I took a quick weekend trip from Washington, DC to San Diego, CA. Because it was a quick trip, I didn't want to do a crazy complicated routing to maximize mileage earning, as I often do, instead just deciding on the most convenient option.

UA is the only one of the Legacy carriers with direct flights to SAN from the DC area. As an AA Frequent Flyer, the most convenient oneworld routing for me was via LAX. I booked IAD-LAX-SAN based on schedule, not realizing until after the tickets were purchased that the IAD-LAX segment had recently been switched to a Legacy-US Airways A319. As far as I remember, the route had always been operated by an AA 757 or 737-800, so I was a bit disappointed to be honest. I've been on US metal on these long transcon routes before, and knew that this meant a 6 hour flight with no IFE or power outlets.

Routing:

Washington Dulles IAD - Los Angeles LAX, American Airlines A319, First Class [THIS REPORT]
Los Angeles LAX - San Diego SAN, American Eagle E-175, First Class [COMING SOON]
SAN Diego SAN - Los Angeles LAX, American Eagle E-175, First Class [COMING SOON]
Los Angeles LAX - Washington Dulles IAD, American Airlines A319, First Class [NO REPORT..Yeah, I hate redeyes]

We got to the airport around 6:30AM for the 7:50 departure to LAX. Bag drop was quick and painless through the Priority lane. Security was also a breeze, which is a nice change out of Dulles. There are separate Premium Access lanes at IAD, but there was literally nobody in line so there was no need to go through them, but they are useful at busy times if you don't have pre-check.

Once Airside we take the train to Concourse B

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The end of Concourse B is mostly domestic departures (non-United Airlines) and features State flags, whereas the international sections of B and A feature world flags. NGO85 will be happy to know that I can differentiate between the two this time :-P

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Departures FIDS

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Here is our bird, in the new AA colors, sitting at the gate. It's still night out at this point.

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As the sun rises, we get a better look at our PMUS A319

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For registration geeks, this plane's tail number is N801AW, making it West Metal in US Airways speak–or a former America West plane prior to the US-HP Merger in 2005. Delivered to HP in 1998, this bird is no spring chicken despite the new paint job.

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Boarding begins a few minutes early. Upon stepping onto the aircraft we are warmly greeted by 2 crew members.
I am pleasantly surprised that the cabin looks relatively fresh for such an old plane.

The aircraft interior is still, unsurprisingly, in the old US Airways standard, but it has been well maintained. There are a handful of Pre-Merger-US Airways aircraft out there that have recently been retrofitted with new cabins in the new AA standard black/gray, though this aircraft is not one of them.

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My seat 1A, with a blanket. Unlike DL, AA does not automatically provide pillows in F, but they are available on request.

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Old US Airways Bulkhead design. Some planes now have a new AA logo in the place of the old US flag logo.

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As previously mentioned, there is no In-flight Entertainment or power outlets, which is a shame on such a long flight to LA, not much shorter than a Transatlantic flight.

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The only power outlets are in the galley :-(

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Outside view

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Shortly after settling in the one of the FAs comes to take our coats as the purser comes to take pre-departure drink orders.
Whereas Pre-departure drink services are inconsistent on Legacy AA planes, usually consisting of a limited choice of water or OJ (if there is a PDB service at all). In my experience PDB service on US has always been full bar, and this flight was in line with those experiences.

So I ordered a Bloody Mary to start the morning off right :-)

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Legroom is decent in the bulkead

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The flight is only about half full and we push back early.

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The taxi time was short and we were off.

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Soon we were flying over the Appalachian mountains

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The AA fleet in the American Way in-flight magazine

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Half an hour after takeoff the meal service began with linens laid and a hot towel service

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There were two options for breakfast: Oatmeal or Quiche
I chose the quiche as I'm not a fan of oatmeal–it was pretty good.

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Sparkling wine to accompany the meal. I never say no to a champagne brunch!
Yes, I know it's not real champagne, haha. But AA gets points for having bubbly on Domestic F (not offered on UA or DL AFAIK)

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After the meal it's time to stretch out a bit

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Without IFE or power outlets to keep your personal electronic devices charged, there's not a whole lot to do on a 6 hour flight, except for chatting…and drinking. It can help to pass the time :-)

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The Lead FA made regular rounds to check on drinks and offer snacks. We had a nice little chat with her. She was very personable and enjoyed her job. We learned that the US crews on the IAD-LAX run are DC based (which makes sense). Both AA and US have DC crew bases. I know I'm totally biased, but DC crews are always super nice in my experience!

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Another form of entertainment when you have no IFE is the scenery. I love flying to the West Coast because you are pretty much always guaranteed some nice views. Unfortunately the window was a bit scratched up, making photography somewhat difficult

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It's important to stay hydrated onboard :-)

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Some great desert landscapes over Arizona. Pretty sure it's AZ, but not certain without an airshow. We must have been close to the Grand Canyon.



And more bubbly to enjoy the scenery



When the sparkling wine started running out (Yes, I depleted the stock), the lead FA suggested she make us some mimosas with the last of it. Vitamin C! What a lovely idea ;-)

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I'm always amazed at all the agriculture you see in the middle of the desert. Ah, the miracle of irrigation

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On a trancon flight to LA, when you see green/snowy mountains, you know you're getting close to the LA Basin on the other side.

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And here we are! Urban sprawl Par Excellence

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Our lovely FA offers some bottle to go. So sweet!

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As always on AA, we end the flight with AA branded mints. You may also have noticed that our glasses have been swapped out for plastic cups. This is protocol on AA once the initial descent has begun.

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And more urban sprawl



We land on Runway 25L with a view of the Proud Bird Aviation-themed restaurant

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Asiana A380 and JAL 77W at TBIT

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Making our way to Terminal 6 (US still operates there–AA is in T4)

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DL 77L Spirit of Atlanta - I once flew on this bird on an 18 hour flight from DTW to HKG, in Y…gasp

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And here we are at T6. It seems that aside for the AS operation, T6 is used as overflow gates for several airlines with some UA, DL, and AA flights sprinkled here and there.

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Seems I'm always flying through LAX at Christmastime. There's that tree again–Oh right, I never got around to publishing that LAX-ORD report yet. Yeah, I'm definitely super behind in posting…

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Thanks for stopping by! Comments are always appreciated.

Happy Holidays Everyone!

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Verdict

American Airlines

6.0/10
Cabin5.0
Cabin crew10.0
Entertainment/wifi2.0
Meal/catering7.0

Washington - IAD

8.2/10
Efficiency9.0
Access6.0
Services9.0
Cleanliness9.0

Los Angeles - LAX

7.8/10
Efficiency7.0
Access8.0
Services8.0
Cleanliness8.0

Conclusion

At first I was disappointed to find out that this route had been switched to a US A319, but it really was a pleasant flight. An amazing crew and beautiful scenery helped to make up for the shortcomings of what is clearly an insufficient hard product. AA is working hard to refit the Pre-Merger US fleet with new seats so things are definitely looking up. Inconsistent aircraft interiors are to be expected in the first few years after a merger, so it is not a huge deal. That being said, standard Domestic First class seats on 5-6 hour transcontinental flights are fine for day flights, but not so much on redeyes. The breakfast was good overall, and AA gets extra points on catering for offering sparkling wine on domestic flights. The only real negative on this flight is the lack of IFE. I could live without IFE if there were at least power outlets to charge phones, tablets, laptops, etc, but that was not the case.

Information on the route Washington (IAD) Los Angeles (LAX)

16 Comments

If you liked this review or if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to post a comment below !
  • Comment 152985 by
    jetsetpanda 2283 Comments
    Thank you Kevin for this scenic and beautifully shot FR.

    I think AA should have prioritized a better plan for this route. Not having IFE or being able to charge your electronics on such a long transcon flight is disappointing.

    The meal is a bit deficient for a flight of this length. At least AA can offer some breakfast meats with that quiche. The availability of sparkling wine is a premium touch. The breakfast you have is also being served on MIA-SJO and MIA-SFO routes this month.

    See you around.
    • Comment 330686 by
      KévinDC TEAM SILVER AUTHOR 6668 Comments
      Thanks for your comments!
      Changing this route to a US A319 was not a good move from a PaxEx point of view, but from what I understand, the loads weren't great so they had to downgrade to a smaller aircraft. That's all fine and good, but why a US A319. AA has its own A319s and they have IFE (though I hear, the Y seats are really hard and uncomfortable--never been on one so can't speak to this).

      There was ham in the quiche so it wasn't completely meatless, but I agree that there could have been more proteins. It seems that AA has an aversion to protein.

  • Comment 152990 by
    NGO85 SILVER 1963 Comments
    Thanks for sharing this FR with us Kevin!

    NGO85 will be happy to know that I can differentiate between the two this time :-P
    - Thank you :)

    I am pleasantly surprised that the cabin looks relatively fresh for such an old plane.
    - Very surprising to see such a new-looking cabin on US. Definitely not as nice as getting a new AA B738 cabin though ;( What was the reason for the bulkhead seats? I thought you normally like the back corner so you can drink without being judged. It's not a fair fight when you consider what hard-products are offered on the marginally longer LAX-JFK route...

    The only power outlets are in the galley :-(
    - Good to know, I'll be sure to bring a 25-foot extension cord and ask the FA next time to plug it in for me next time ;) This actually sounds like something Marathon would do...

    After the meal it's time to stretch out a bit
    - Ewwwww, you are one of those people that put your bare feet on the bulkhead??? Kevin, I held you to a higher standard.

    They have Aquarius in the US now? Really weird since that is a Coca-Cola product, would have assumed it'd be Dasani in the US. Sorry, that was random, but the food did look good. I am actually surprised at the breakfast main, it definitely crushes and breakfast CX has ever served me.

    Great aerial transcons shots as always. Was the window dirty on the landing shots? There seemed to be a lot of white smears.

    Asiana A380
    - 18 more hours :) :) :) But who's counting?

    So what was the total mL intake of alcohol? I couldn't even keep track off all the bottles...
  • Comment 152991 by
    NGO85 SILVER 1963 Comments
    Thanks for sharing this FR with us Kevin!

    NGO85 will be happy to know that I can differentiate between the two this time :-P
    - Thank you :)

    I am pleasantly surprised that the cabin looks relatively fresh for such an old plane.
    - Very surprising to see such a new-looking cabin on US. Definitely not as nice as getting a new AA B738 cabin though ;( What was the reason for the bulkhead seats? I thought you normally like the back corner so you can drink without being judged. It's not a fair fight when you consider what hard-products are offered on the marginally longer LAX-JFK route...

    The only power outlets are in the galley :-(
    - Good to know, I'll be sure to bring a 25-foot extension cord and ask the FA to plug it in for me next time ;) This actually sounds like something Marathon would do...

    After the meal it's time to stretch out a bit
    - Ewwwww, you are one of those people that put your bare feet on the bulkhead??? Kevin, I held you to a higher standard.

    They have Aquarius in the US now? Really weird since that is a Coca-Cola product, would have assumed it'd be Dasani in the US. Sorry, that was random, but the food did look good. I am actually surprised at the breakfast main, it definitely crushes any breakfast CX has ever served me. I agree with Adan the quantity of the tray is light, but they should offer some sort of hot sandwich pre-arrival on these long 6-hour west-bound transcons.

    Great aerial transcons shots as always. Was the window dirty on the landing shots? There seemed to be a lot of white smears.

    Asiana A380
    - 18 more hours :) :) :) But who's counting?

    So what was the total mL intake of alcohol? I couldn't even keep track off all the bottles...
    • Comment 330870 by
      NGO85 SILVER 1963 Comments
      Thanks for the double comment :-)
      - It's almost as special as a double rainbow ;)

      All of the US A319/A320 I've been on have been pretty shabby.
      - The AA B738 I had yesterday was looking pretty shabby so it's not just a US problem. There was an ad at LAX stating that all LAX-JFK service on DL is now guaranteed flatbed.

      I am convinced that government travel is the reason that DC routes are not considered premium
      - Good point, isn't AA the government preferred carrier?

      Lies! Socks! I was wearing clean socks. I would never put bare feet on a bulkhead.
      - Haha, it was a joke :)

      They have Aquarius in the US now?
      - They had Aquarius bottles on the AA flight yesterday so it must be main stream for the carrier.

      especially since it's lunchtime by then.
      - There is nothing worse than going into a layover starving and stranded in an airport with a poor lounge.
    • Comment 330712 by
      KévinDC TEAM SILVER AUTHOR 6668 Comments
      Thanks for the double comment :-)

      Very surprising to see such a new-looking cabin on US. Definitely not as nice as getting a new AA B738 cabin though ;( What was the reason for the bulkhead seats? I thought you normally like the back corner so you can drink without being judged.
      - Yes, it was a nice surprise. All of the US A319/A320 I've been on have been pretty shabby. The only relatively new cabin I've had this year was the A321s to/from SEA. You are so right that I prefer the last row of F normally, but there were no 2 seats together there. I nought my tickets less than 2 weeks before departure, and with only 3 rows of F, there wasn't much choice.

      It's not a fair fight when you consider what hard-products are offered on the marginally longer LAX-JFK route...
      - Yeah, for a similar length flight, the products couldn't be any more different. I am convinced that government travel is the reason that DC routes are not considered premium, despite the great amount of wealth in the DC region (many of the top richest counties in the US are DC suburbs).

      Good to know, I'll be sure to bring a 25-foot extension cord and ask the FA to plug it in for me next time ;) This actually sounds like something Marathon would do...
      - Haha, well he would measure the distance first, to ensure the cord is long enough. It's funny because we were joking about doing that with the FA. She pointed out that the planes used to have outlets along the wall in the first row of F, but that they were covered up. Frustrating!

      Ewwwww, you are one of those people that put your bare feet on the bulkhead??? Kevin, I held you to a higher standard.
      - Lies! Socks! I was wearing clean socks. I would never put bare feet on a bulkhead.

      They have Aquarius in the US now?
      - Yeah, I've gotten these bottles a few times now. I've only seen them on planes.

      they should offer some sort of hot sandwich pre-arrival on these long 6-hour west-bound transcons
      - Totally agree, especially since it's lunchtime by then.

      Great aerial transcons shots as always. Was the window dirty on the landing shots? There seemed to be a lot of white smears.
      - Thanks! Yeah, the windows were scratched up and dirty as they often are on US A319/A320

      18 more hours :) :) :) But who's counting?
      - Woohoo!

      So what was the total mL intake of alcohol? I couldn't even keep track off all the bottles...
      - Yeah, I clearly didn't keep track. And I just remembered I switched over to screwdrivers when the champagne ran out, lol. So I drank even more that the report shows :-P



  • Comment 153077 by
    757Fan 632 Comments
    Great report, Kevin! Looks like you had a nice flight with AA, and the Breakfast looks great!

    I hope AA puts some type of IFE, or at least what Alaska does with their Dig E players into their A319/A320 fleets, if they're deploying them on long range domestic flights. Sounds like you had great service. Maybe I've been lucky on AA/US, but I've always found the service to be really nice with both.

    Looking forward to your next trip!
    • Comment 330798 by
      KévinDC TEAM SILVER AUTHOR 6668 Comments
      Thanks for your comment! Yes, at least some kind of portable IFE would have been nice. I believe on some transcons like MIA-LAX they hand out tablets on planes with no IFE.
  • Comment 153125 by
    socalnow 976 Comments
    Thanks for another great report KévinDC. I can certainly appreciate when exceptional service from the flight attendant makes up for many of the deficiencies of the airplane. While the airplane was lacking amenities we have come to expect they appear to have outfitted the liquor cart admirably! Bombay Sapphire, sparkling wine, and Titos vodka are all appreciated premium ingredients. (There's one other mini in your pic with the Bombay that I can't quite make out.) Great shots of the diverse terrain of this large country too! Thanks again and happy flying.
  • Comment 153202 by
    Rl 777 802 Comments
    Thank you for sharing this FR with us!

    You were unfortunate to get a PMUS A319 on this long flight. Inconsistencies are pretty normal in these large fleets and especially after mergers as you mentioned. The cabin didn't look that bad though, only if it had power ports and all that good stuff.

    One good thing is that you had a fantastic crew on board, always nice to see people that love their jobs.

    The breakfast looks good but I feel like there could be something more to it, like a yoghurt? There could also have been slightly more potatoes in the main. The quality doesn't look bad in the end.

    Fantastic shots of the stunning scenery!

    Great shots upon arrival at LAX!

    Have a good one, see you!

    • Comment 330871 by
      KévinDC TEAM SILVER AUTHOR 6668 Comments
      Thanks for your comments!
      Yeah, the cabin wasn't that bad in the end, but definitely missed not having power. I agree, I feel like something is missing from the breakfast. Yogurt would have completed it. Thanks for stopping by!
  • Comment 153281 by
    Chibcha SILVER 540 Comments
    Well, good views and a nice service can make up for a 20th century hard product!

    Thanks for sharing!
  • Comment 153359 by
    KL651 TEAM 4534 Comments
    Thanks fof this FR.

    Well well well I see the gogo juice was flowing nice and good. Give the cocktails to mama, give it!

    I guess if you don't have an IFE, making it in your head with a few drinks is the good way to go.

    Nice scenery along the way.

    It's a shame a second meal service isn't done prior landing, as you say this flight is as long as YUL/BOS-CDG.
    • Comment 331180 by
      KévinDC TEAM SILVER AUTHOR 6668 Comments
      Oh yes, they did a good job stocking the gogo juice :-)

      I guess if you don't have an IFE, making it in your head with a few drinks is the good way to go.
      - As you know, this is my favorite way of avoiding boredom ^^

      It's a shame a second meal service isn't done prior landing
      - Yes, although snacks are available throughout the flight, a little sandwich or something like that would have been nice considering it was lunchtime when we landed in LAX

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