Review of American Airlines flight San Francisco Miami in Domestic First

Airline American Airlines
Flight AA 208
Seat 6A
Aircraft Boeing 737-800
Flight time 05:00
Take-off 04 Sep 16, 08:30
Arrival at 04 Sep 16, 16:30
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
jetsetpanda
By 2409
Published on 23rd September 2016
Hi and welcome to this short one day trip that I took at the beginning of Sept. during a holiday weekend.

A few days before my trip I was checking for SFO-MIA fares and came upon a USD190 (approx. EUR 169) fare for same day return. I had no plans for the long weekend and this proved to be the perfect excuse to grab some Cuban food which I was craving for. I guess this was a very expensive meal if you want to look at it that way. :P

*Some pics were taken with my mobile phone camera, so apologies in advance if they are less than ideal.

SFO-MIA in F - you are here
MIA-SFO in F - click here


I woke up early and took the bus to the airport. It's only a 10 min. or less ride from my place since I live very close to it. I checked my phone and noticed that I was already upgraded just before I arrive at the airport.


Arriving at the airport.

photo img_20160904_070858896_hdr - copyphoto img_20160904_070915316_hdr - copyphoto img_20160904_071328153


Security was very busy but I used my TSA Pre-check privilege and was through in less than 10 min.

photo img_20160904_071859956


I stopped by the yoga room to check the place out.

photo img_20160904_072511962photo img_20160904_072550602photo img_20160904_072533401


VX planes in front of the yoga room. It remains to be seen whether AS plans to keep VX as a separate entity or not.

photo copy vx


Arrived at the gate and we started boarding soon. Passengers with disabilities, elderly and families were invited to board first followed by F and elite members. I was greeted by a nice FA and open bar pre-dept. beverages were offered. I was pleasantly surprised.

My seat.

photo aa 208 sfo-mia sep 2016 1


Nice IFE screen size.

photo aa 208 sfo-mia sep 2016 2


View from my seat.

photo aa 208 sfo-mia sep 2016 3 - copy


Some passengers with big bags boarded towards the end and couldn't find space for their carry-on's so the FA's were looking for space in F. Is it so hard to leave the sinks and refrigerators behind? Why can't people travel light?

photo aa 208 sfo-mia sep 2016 24 - copy


Taxiing to the runway. There is no doubt that SFO is a UA hub.




Take off on a beautiful day.




Upon reaching cruising altitude service commenced and by the time the FA reached my seat I still had a choice - Egg stratta with chicken sausage or Orange cranberry bread pudding with apple compote. Glad to see two hot choices offered. I had the bread pudding with apple compote. A few dishes were returned including mine because they were lukewarm and not heated properly. The purser apologized about one of the ovens malfunctioning. A basket with biscuit and roll with dried fruit was offered with the meal. Drinks were refilled and the crew was proactive throughout the flight.

Hot towel.

photo aa 208 sfo-mia sep 2016 4


Hot tea.

photo aa 208 sfo-mia sep 2016 6 - copy


Orange cranberry bread pudding.

photo aa 208 sfo-mia sep 2016 7 - copyphoto aa 208 sfo-mia sep 2016 11 - copy


Cruising.




My neighbor was not too talkative - a blessing in disguise.

photo aa 208 sfo-mia sep 2016 19 - copy


Cabin mid flight.

photo aa 208 sfo-mia sep 2016 18


About 1 hr. before arrival the snack basket was offered along with mints before touchdown. Snacks were also available in the galley after the breakfast service for those who wanted to nibble.

photo aa 208 sfo-mia sep 2016 17 - copyphoto aa 208 sfo-mia sep 2016 59


Arriving in MIA.

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Verdict

American Airlines

8.6/10
Cabin8.0
Cabin crew10.0
Entertainment/wifi8.5
Meal/catering8.0

San Francisco - SFO

9.8/10
Efficiency10.0
Access10.0
Services9.0
Cleanliness10.0

Miami - MIA

8.1/10
Efficiency8.0
Access8.0
Services7.5
Cleanliness9.0

Conclusion

I had a great crew working this flight so it was very enjoyable, despite the oven snafu. In the end, it was not the crew's fault and they did the best they could under the circumstances. I was glad that I still had a choice of meals with the last minute upgrade.

Information on the route San Francisco (SFO) Miami (MIA)

Les contributeurs de Flight-Report ont posté 6 avis concernant 1 compagnies sur la ligne San Francisco (SFO) → Miami (MIA).


Useful

La compagnie qui obtient la meilleure moyenne est American Airlines avec 7.2/10.

La durée moyenne des vols est de 5 heures et 21 minutes.

  More information

14 Comments

If you liked this review or if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to post a comment below !
  • Comment 367866 by
    indianocean SILVER 7572 Comments
    Is the cuban food in Miami that good that you have to cross the whole country to taste it?
    If it is, USD190 is quite affordable, my friend.

    Yoga room at the airport. Is it because US flights are usually crap that one needs to get relaxed before a flight?
    Booze is quite nice too ;-)

    Beautiful views from take-off. R U sure you took them with your mobile?

    Good thing catering onboard was not plenty. You had good excuse to eat cuban food once downtown.

    Thank you Adan
    • Comment 367869 by
      jetsetpanda AUTHOR 2283 Comments
      Salut Bernard,

      Taste is such a subjective thing, but some people swear that the Cuban food in MIA is better than the one in Cuba. ;) I have never been to Cuba, so I cannot offer an objective opinion until I visit there.

      There are several ways to deal with the crappy experience of US domestic travel. Taking a Prozac or Valium does the trick, but you are right that booze is quite a good alternative too. I personally prefer the holistic and natural way - I'm from California. :P

      "Beautiful views from take-off. R U sure you took them with your mobile?"
      - The camera is not relevant, it's the photographer. ;)

      "You had good excuse to eat cuban food once downtown."
      - I stayed inside the airport. You will learn more on the return portion.

      Thanks for your visit. It's always a pleasure.
  • Comment 367873 by
    socalnow 976 Comments
    Greetings Jetsetpanda and thank you for this report.

    "...fare for same day return. I had no plans for the long weekend and this proved to be the perfect excuse to grab some Cuban food which I was craving for."
    -This is so very awesome that you are able to make such excursions. I would absolutely do the same if I could.

    "I stopped by the yoga room to check the place out. "
    -Oh dear. I guess that's better than on board the airplane.

    Smart looking and well equipped cabin on those newer AA 738s.

    "Orange cranberry bread pudding."
    -This sounds suspicious to me. It was to you liking?

    "My neighbor was not too talkative - a blessing in disguise."
    -That's a rather humorous picture!

    I too enjoyed the pictures leaving the Bay Area and approach to MIA. I have never set foot in the State of Florida. I need to get down there for a pork sandwich! Busy tomorrow? ;)

    Thanks again for the report and happy flying.

    • Comment 367881 by
      jetsetpanda AUTHOR 2283 Comments
      Hello there Christian.

      " I would absolutely do the same if I could."
      - I was lucky that a decent fare became available at the last minute. Plus I needed to add miles to my AA acct. so this provided the perfect excuse to go.

      " I guess that's better than on board the airplane."
      - Not if you are flying in the front like you do. ;)

      "Smart looking and well equipped cabin on those newer AA 738s."
      - Yes, but it is not available on all 738's. When I returned my cabin did not have IFE.

      "This sounds suspicious to me. It was to you liking?"
      - Like a cranberry bread with orange peel french toast. It was OK but personally I would have preferred regular french toasts. They should have served that with some protein like sausages. I guess it was intended to be a vegetarian choice but then again there are meatless bacon or sausages.

      " That's a rather humorous picture!"
      - It could be opened to many interpretations. Funny indeed. To be honest she was polite and very civil. I guess just a tad "eccentric".

      " I have never set foot in the State of Florida. I need to get down there for a pork sandwich! Busy tomorrow? ;)"
      - Anytime, anywhere. How can I refuse such company? ;)

      Thanks for dropping by and commenting. I always enjoy your thoughtful comments. Stay tune for my future travels. If things go as planned, I will be flying AZ in J to AMS in Oct. and JL in F from CDG-HND in Nov.
  • Comment 367951 by
    757Fan 632 Comments
    Good report, jetsetpanda! It looks like you had another good flight with AA in F. Food looks quite good, and presentation nice. I feel like AA offers some of the breakfasts in the sky.

    Thanks for sharing!
  • Comment 367971 by
    KévinDC TEAM SILVER 6668 Comments
    Thanks for sharing Adan! Looks like we missed each other by a few hours at the airport.

    Good that you got one of the new interiors. I've been seeing them more and more. Had the new cabin on 2 of 4 segments last weekend--my best ratio ever, haha.

    " Is it so hard to leave the sinks and refrigerators behind? Why can't people travel light?"
    - The bag fees are the major culprit, but also I think a lot of people have been burnt by lost luggage. When going away for a long weekend, i wouldn't dream of checking a bag, even though I can check 3 for free. So my carry-on tends to be on the larger side to have 3-4 days' worth of clothes.

    Great shots of the city of takeoff. The weather was certainly gorgeous in the Bay area last weekend!

    I like that AA has been creative with meal options, even for the breakfast, but I always find the breakfast portions to be lacking.

    I didn't get the pre-arrival mints on any of my flights last weekend. I was starting to think they'd stopped doing that, but I see you got some.

    Thanks for sharing!
    • Comment 367994 by
      jetsetpanda AUTHOR 2283 Comments
      Hi there Kevin.

      What a coincidence! It would have been nice to meet you guys.

      "Had the new cabin on 2 of 4 segments last weekend--my best ratio ever, haha."
      - I'm sure that ratio will keep going up. ;)

      " So my carry-on tends to be on the larger side to have 3-4 days' worth of clothes. "
      -Only clothes? I'm sure accessories are included as well. It takes effort to look chic and stylish. Oh I forgot, you are French so it comes naturally. :P But you are right about people being burnt by lost luggage and the fees. I never check bags.

      "I like that AA has been creative with meal options, even for the breakfast, but I always find the breakfast portions to be lacking."
      - Exactly what I was thinking. Portions are not that great and more components should be included in the tray. A small container of yogurt, even kid's size would have been an improvement. My orange cranberry pudding with just the apple compote looks incomplete without some fake bacon or sausage.

      "I didn't get the pre-arrival mints on any of my flights last weekend. "
      - They are alive and well. I got them on both flights.

      Thanks Kevin for dropping a few lines. Glad to see your comments and support.


  • Comment 368088 by
    Simmy1972 41 Comments
    Great report. San Francisco is my most favorite city and airport in America. I can never get tired of it. Wish I can make it back again.
    • Comment 368119 by
      jetsetpanda AUTHOR 2283 Comments
      Hi Simmy1972.

      I consider myself fortunate to live in SFO and so close to its great airport. Sometimes I just go there and do plane spotting. I guess once an avgeek always an avgeek.

      Perhaps one of these days you will be back again. Thanks for stopping by and commenting.
  • Comment 368165 by
    Rl 777 802 Comments
    Thank you for sharing this FR with us!

    Nice to live that close to the airport.

    Beautiful spotting shots at SFO!

    I'm glad you got a bird with the new cabin, looks really good. IFE is really modern as well (same screen as in QR's A380s and A350s).

    Wow, absolutely fantastic aerial shots!

    Stunning scenery on the way with the mountains, great shots before landing at MIA as well.

    Portion of the meal looks to be on the smaller side but presentation looks nice as I almost always find to be the case with many of AA's meals.

    Weather seemed to be good in Miami that day, I hope you had a nice short stay there.

    Have a good one, see you!
    • Comment 368168 by
      jetsetpanda AUTHOR 2283 Comments
      Hi RI 777

      For an avgeek living close to the airport is a dream come true. ;)

      Portion size is a weak point when it comes to breakfast with AA. Hopefully the introduction of new meal cycles will address that issue.

      I am glad that you enjoyed the pics. Many thanks for your support and comments.
  • Comment 368841 by
    NGO85 SILVER 1963 Comments
    “I stopped by the yoga room to check the place out.”
    - I wonder how many new strains of bacteria are on those mats. You should have tried licking one ;) There were actually people in there doing yoga the last time I walked past that room, so there is a need for those high class SF people.

    “Is it so hard to leave the sinks and refrigerators behind? Why can't people travel light?”
    - You know the most likely answer to that question: baggage fees. Although, I have a feeling WN flights are just as bad for overhead bin scrambles. People just don’t trust baggage handlers and don’t like their property being out of their eye-sight.

    Great spotting and departure shots. I hope they never repaint that old school UA hangar, it’s such an iconic fixture at SFO.

    Breakfast portion sizes seem to be smaller than what AS and DL offer. The suit plate is about half the size as what Kevin just showed on the IAD-MIA route. This is a really long flight, I think portions on the transcons should get “beefed” up relative to the normal catering.

    From your cabin shots, the demographics are quite interesting, but maybe not surprising to see a very high average age on a flight to Florida^^

    “Arriving in MIA.”
    - Is that a crop circle??? Nope, just another planned community...

    Thanks for sharing Adan!
    • Comment 369330 by
      jetsetpanda AUTHOR 2283 Comments
      Hi Michael.

      "I wonder how many new strains of bacteria are on those mats. "
      - I don't have to wonder. I travel with Lysol disinfectant, alcohol pads and sanitizing solution. ;)

      " I hope they never repaint that old school UA hangar, it’s such an iconic fixture at SFO."
      - I doubt that they will touch it. If they wanted to change that it would have been done by now.

      " I think portions on the transcons should get “beefed” up relative to the normal catering."
      - Perhaps people in the West Coast eat less in order to keep their "figures". :P

      "From your cabin shots, the demographics are quite interesting, but maybe not surprising to see a very high average age on a flight to Florida^^"
      - Any flight to Florida can count on a high percentage of travelers requesting wheelchairs, but sometimes "miracles" happen upon landing when not all wheelchairs are claimed. ;)

      "Is that a crop circle??? Nope, just another planned community..."
      - In MIA? you think?

      Thank you Michael for your comments.

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