Review of American Airlines flight from San Francisco to Dallas/Fort Worth in First

A new year begins and the frequent flyer game starts all over again. This is my second trip in 2016 and it was a last minute run. When I was searching for fares a few weeks ago, I came upon a USD 100 rt total from SFO-DFW and grabbed it immediately. This one day trip proved to be the perfect excuse to visit the new DL lounge and I was excited at the prospect of exploring it.
SFO-DFW in F - you are here.
DFW-SFO in F - http://flight-report.com/en/report-13311.html
It's about 06:00 on a dark wintry morning. I leave my place all bundled up and ready to brave the cold outside on my way to the bus stop for the ride to the airport. Luckily the stop is not far and it takes a 5 min. walk to get there. I consider myself very fortunate to live in Burlingame - a suburb that is conveniently close to SFO airport and easily accessible through public transportation. Some travelers on long layovers venture here for some shopping and dining. Burlingame Av. is the main street with stores like Banana Republic, Apple, GAP, J Crew, etc. There are plenty of casual restaurant and one of my favorites is Delfina, which has the most authentic pizzas in the Peninsula. For Asian food I like to go to Millbrae for Chinese and San Mateo for Japanese. I even showed "indianocean" my favorite place for chicken kaarage in San Mateo. ;) There is an "In-N-Out" branch in Millbrae for those that love burgers, but the spotting is nonexistent unlike the one in LAX.
Walking thru my neighborhood.

Only Starbucks is open but I am not a coffee drinker.

A bit past 06:35 the bus arrives and it is fairly crowded. How can it be so full at this time on a Sat. morning? Most of the passengers are hotel workers on their way to work. The bus passes through Old Bayshore Hgwy where a number of hotels like Marriott, Hyatt, Westin, Crowne Plaza and Hampton Inn are located. I paid my USD 2 fare and then the driver kindly reminds me that it is USD 2.25 now. I take a few seconds to search my pockets for some loose change and one of the passengers offers me her change - nice to see that human kindness still exists and humbling at the same time since this is a lady that apparently is part of a morning crew. In the end I don't need the change since the driver waives me in and I thank my prospective savior.
I get off at T2 and takes the stairs up to the check-in area. A lot of travelers are flying today due to the holiday weekend and I use the kiosk to print my boarding pass. I take the priority line and after my documents are checked I am behind a long line with the rest of the passengers waiting to pass through security. It almost seem that the priority thing is pointless. Thankfully the lines move quickly and soon I am on the other side.

I walk through the connecting hallway to the DL terminal.
Destination - DL lounge.

On my way I pass the eye catching "High Heels for Going to Heaven" artwork.

DL Lounge.
The lounge is located after security which makes more sense compared to the old one. An agent greets me upon entering and I present my AMEX DL card to pay the USD 29 or EUR 26.60 single visit pass (the regular fee is USD 59 or EUR 54.15) As a matter of fact, AMEX DL credit card holders can bring up to two guests and pay the reduced rate. I was offered the card free for the first year in addition to 50,000 miles as a targeted promotion. As it turned out, it is quite useful.

After getting a receipt from the friendly agent I take the elevator upstairs and go to the desk to inquire about a shower. The agent asks for my boarding pass, signs me in and escorts me right away to the back of the lounge where 2 shower suites are located.

I am asked about my preference for toiletries and was given small sample bottles from MALIN+GOETZ. I like this brand with its herbal scents like Peppermint shampoo and Sage body gel.

Shower suite.
The suite is very spacious and the small sign by the sink with other amenities available is appreciated. Small touches like the wooden stand to place one's belongings, the carefully folded toilet papers and a sitting bench inside the shower show attention to details.

Small details that make a difference.

The shower area.

After a long and nice shower, it's time to explore the lounge. So far I have read very positive reviews about this place and it's hard not to agree with those initial impressions. It has space, style, great service, decent catering (for U.S. domestic standards) and superb views of the tarmac with floor to ceiling windows.

The Bar.

You can even request fresh squeezed orange juice.

Seating areas.

Individual cubicles.

Dining area.

Breakfast buffet.

Hot beverages.

My breakfast.

I then parked myself by the windows and did some plane spotting.

WC's.
Clean and with a contemporary touch.

After an enjoyable stay at this lounge, it was time to head back to the AA terminal to catch my flight.

When I arrived, boarding has already started. I placed myself in the queue and handed the agent my boarding pass for scanning. No, I did not not use the "priority" line since there were not that many people ahead in the line. I don't need to be reminded that I am "special" because I know I am. ;)

A friendly FA greeted me at the door and when I arrived at my seat, my neighbor was kind enough to stand up and let me in. Pre-dept. beverage service was offered and it was an open bar. The purser asked each passenger individually for their choices which was uncommon for AA. I declined the offer since I just came from the DL lounge.
Each seat had a pillow and duvet wrapped in plastic.

The door closed and we taxied to the runway. It was a rainy day and I managed my best to take some pictures during taxiing.

Suddenly I saw this rainbow in the background.

The runway was busy with heavy traffic.

Bye to SFO and the rain.

Hello sunshine!

The cabin was half empty and I could see that seats 4AB were unoccupied, so I quickly unbuckled and switched to those seats. I quickly mentioned to my neighbor that since this flight is empty we might as well enjoy more space. It's a win-win for both of us.
Cabin.

The purser started the lunch service by passing hot towels.

Followed by hot nuts.

This is a surprise - linen on the tray table!

The choice for main dish was between a cold grilled chicken salad OR a cheese ravioli type of dish if I remember correctly. I pre-ordered the chicken salad and this was acknowledged by the FA.

I was impressed by this shrimp appetizer. Not even intl. J offered this type of appetizer last time I flew AA to GIG. Does that make sense? No.

Main dish all assembled.

Condiments. How fresh is "freshly ground"? :P

The excellent purser made sure that drinks were refilled and trays cleared in a timely manner.
I had hot tea with my chocolate ganache cake. I appreciate that she gave me an empty cup to get rid of the tea bag.

Some cruising shots.
"For once you have tasted flight you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skywards, for there you have been and there you will long to return."
Leonardo Da Vinci

Before arrival, the FA distributed mints from a tray.

She then went to each passenger asking if he/she was connecting to another flight. I responded that I was one of those crazy mileage runners who will be back to SFO and then she told me that she was going to work that return flight and will see me later. I was also told that I am not the first one that she came across with a smile.
Landing.

We took a few minutes taxiing to the gate. In the meantime I took advantage of my window seat and did some plane spotting.