Review of American Airlines flight Miami San Francisco in Domestic First

Airline American Airlines
Flight AA 1586
Seat 6E
Aircraft Boeing 737-800
Flight time 05:35
Take-off 04 Sep 16, 20:15
Arrival at 04 Sep 16, 22:50
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 1456
Published on 24th September 2016
Welcome to the return portion of my one day trip to MIA.

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


After exiting the plane I went directly to a kiosk to print out a boarding pass for the return flight. I then discovered that I was upgraded and was assigned 6E. I checked the seat map to see if there was any vacant seat further up but unfortunately the cabin was full. so I resigned myself to playing the meal lottery. I knew that the choices will be either an "Herbes de Provence" chicken OR cheese lasagna.

It was around my lunchtime back in SFO so I headed to a Cuban restaurant named "Ku-Va" that i've been wanting to try for some time. On the way there I spotted this 777 in Oneworld livery and took a shot. A beauty isn't it?

photo aa 208 sfo-mia sep 2016 23 - copy

Finally I arrived at Ku-Va and was seated by a friendly hostess. The restaurant has a take out counter next to the entrance and I have seen a lot of AA employees congregate there during previous visits. Stepping inside I was seated in a booth with plenty of space to stretch out. It was not that busy but I saw a few pilots eat there during my stay. I ordered "ropa vieja" which is shredded flank steak stewed in vegetables in a tomato based sauce. It is said to originate from a Sephardi dish during the Middle Ages in Spain. It was accompanied by white rice, a bowl of black beans and fried sweet plantains. I know some will be horrified at the unorthodox pairing of something sweet with savory, but I am from the New World and I like it. As a matter of fact I also like lamb with mint sauce. :P

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"Ropa vieja"

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After the meal I was offered coffee or dessert but I declined. I walked to Cafe Versailles and La Carreta to get some guava and cream cheese pastelitos instead and got a couple of Cuban sandwiches for take out. One was a classical "medianoche" and the other one "croqueta preparada". Dios santo que glutoneria!

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I walked aimlessly like a soul lost in limbo and eventually was rewarded with some great spotting.

AA in retro livery.

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Without forgetting the pieces of artwork on display . This one was supposed to represent waves.

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I eventually learn that my flight was delayed by 30 min. so I headed out to Terminal E for more plane spotting. I took the train to the satellite area where the high numbered E gates were located and upon exiting a heat wave hit me since the air conditioner was not working properly in that area. I took the train back to the terminal and tried to get some shots of a QR plane while the train was moving. It was challenging to say the least and here are some pictures.




Back to the terminal, I encountered this lovely sunset and took one last plane spotting picture.

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At the gate, I requested a new boarding pass since I hate the flimsy toilet paper ones issued by the kiosks. A very nice and smiling agent gave me a new one and I waited patiently for boarding to start. As usual, priority was given to the elderly and families traveling with children. When I stepped in another gate agent scanned my boarding pass and welcomed me back with a smile. MIA does not usually have outstanding agents, but the ones working the gate for my flight today were truly exemplary.

I enter the aircraft and there were 2 FA's having a conversation oblivious to my presence so quickly settle in my seat. I was hoping that this was not going to set the tone for the rest of the flight. My seatmate arrives and he takes his seat. I flip through the magazine and there is no pre-dept. beverages. After a few more minutes the FA hands out a pillow and duvet package to each passengers that is brought by cabin service but still no beverages. The last passenger boards and the door shuts so I guess no pre-dept. beverages on this flight.

Cabin without IFE's.

photo aa 1586 mia-sfo sep 2016 1

We leave at 20:48 instead of 20:15 and the captain asked the crew to remain seated due to potential turbulence for a good 45 min. after take off. When service starts the purser takes meal orders from back to front. I thought that this practice was suspended and that nowadays meal orders were taken from front to back. Anyways this proved to be a positive development since I had first shot at my meal choice. I read a lot about the "Herbes de Provence" grilled chicken so I decided to try it. Beverages order were taken and hot towels marked the beginning of the dinner service tonight.

photo aa 1586 mia-sfo sep 2016 2

I had a 1/2 orange juice and 1/2 cranberry accompanied by warm nuts.

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Then the meal tray arrived. The size of the main dish was fine but the hummus appetizer was disappointing. I thought that it was a bit cheap to serve this on a dinner "transcon". I had better appetizers on midcon lunch flights. Warm breads consisting of sourdough or wheat were offered from a basket.

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Salad was uninspiring but adequate.

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Chicken dish.

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For dessert there was a choice between cheese plate OR made to order ice cream sundae. I had the sundae.

photo aa 1586 mia-sfo sep 2016 13 - copy


The purser turned out to be a nice guy and very proactive during the meal service. He never used the trolley and brought each tray individually. Beverages were refilled and he made several passes to ensure that everyone was taken care of.

After the meal service the snack basket was set up in the galley.

We landed at 23:22 instead of 22:50.


***BONUS***

Completely irrelevant to the FR, but I wanted to include these shots that I took @ SFO recently.


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Verdict

American Airlines

7.0/10
Cabin7.0
Cabin crew8.0
Entertainment/wifi5.0
Meal/catering8.0

Miami - MIA

8.5/10
Efficiency9.0
Access8.0
Services8.0
Cleanliness9.0

San Francisco - SFO

9.5/10
Efficiency9.0
Access9.0
Services10.0
Cleanliness10.0

Conclusion

This was an average flight with a purser that surprisingly turned out to be good despite a misleading first impression. The delay was annoying but in the end it was not too terrible. The meal was adequate with the exception of the appetizer which gave it a "cost cutting" feel. I was glad that I was able to get a choice of meal even though I was in the last row.

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

Les contributeurs de Flight-Report ont posté 3 avis concernant 1 compagnies sur la ligne Miami (MIA) → San Francisco (SFO).


Useful

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

La durée moyenne des vols est de 6 heures et 7 minutes.

  More information

10 Comments

If you liked this review or if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to post a comment below !
  • Comment 367935 by
    eminere™ 271 Comments
    So what was the verdict on the chicken?! Don't leave us dangling.

    Few things are more beautiful than the Flying Kangaroo on the Queen of the Skies.
    • Comment 367975 by
      jetsetpanda AUTHOR 2283 Comments
      The chicken was moist and flavorful with hints of different dried herbs like thyme, oregano and rosemary. I did not detect any lavender undertones even though this plant is widely found in the Provence region. Perhaps the "Herbes de Provence" term should become a protected designation of origin one in order to guarantee the authenticity of ingredients, but that is another topic.

      The green beans that accompanied the chicken were not overcooked and added a crunchy texture that complemented the tenderness of the chicken nicely along with the mushroom risotto which felt a bit "dry" and not as creamy compared to the more traditional renditions. Then again, we are talking about reheated food at 35,000 feet so one has to adjust expectations accordingly.
  • Comment 367979 by
    indianocean SILVER 7572 Comments
    Better pay a nice meal at the restaurants in MIA than spending money to get into the lounge.

    "Cafe Versailles"--> Really. You're kidding, aren't you?

    "This one was supposed to represent waves."--> art is so subjective. I hope it's not for sell.
    Looks like garbage LOL

    Sundae is the only meal I'd dare to eat.

    Thank you Adan.
    • Comment 367984 by
      jetsetpanda AUTHOR 2283 Comments
      Hi Bernard.

      Much better value to eat at a restaurant in MIA. I still haven't been to the AMEX Centurion lounge there.

      "Cafe Versailles"--> Really. You're kidding, aren't you?
      - It's a famous restaurant chain there. If you go to their main location (10 min. from the airport near Woodlawn Park cemetery) you are even surrounded by mirrors and chandeliers. ;)

      Voilà mon ami:

      http://www.versaillesrestaurant.com/

      "Looks like garbage LOL"
      - What is one man's garbage is another one's treasure as they say. Maybe I can find bed sheets that has multicolored patterns. I need new ones and I might add a "contemporary" touch. :P LOL.

      One should always leave dessert for last. ;)

      Thank you for your comments Bernard. It's always a pleasure.
  • Comment 368653 by
    Rl 777 802 Comments
    Thank you for sharing this FR with us!

    Your meal at MIA looks really good :).

    Great spotting shots with some stunning evening light in the mix, you caught quite a few special liveries.

    I'm glad you were upgraded on this return flight, the presentation of your meal looks elegant IMO.

    Absolutely fantastic shots at the end, thanks for sharing :).

    Have a good one, see you!
    • Comment 368685 by
      jetsetpanda AUTHOR 2283 Comments
      Hi RI777.

      I was lucky to encounter all those planes with special liveries.

      Clearing upgrades is not what it used to be. I find that AA is holding on to those F seats until the very last minute. In the end it all worked out and I am grateful for that.

      Glad that you enjoyed those pics. There will be plenty of plane spotting soon when I go to YYZ, FCO, AMS, IST, ATH, CPH, ARN, HEL and JFK starting next week. I might not publish all the segments of my trips since there are many FR's on those carriers already.

      Thank you for your kind words and support.
  • Comment 368843 by
    NGO85 SILVER 1963 Comments
    “AA in retro livery.”
    - Love the AirCal livery, reminds me of the Astros uniforms of the 80s^^

    Interesting that MIA gets a QR B77W, most other US destinations are on B772-LRs. Glad to see they are taking so much initiative with their FCB partnership. The Hamad International Airports ads during Bundesliga matches are just tacky.

    “The last passenger boards and the door shuts so I guess no pre-dept. beverages on this flight.”
    - This boarding experience is more in line with my recent AA experiences and have left a bad taste in my mouth. Crews seem oblivious to the passengers and have had a low PDB offer rate.

    I’m glad you agree and think transcons should get a slightly different catering that should be similar to the single tray long-haul offering. It’s too much to expect a coursed meal, but a more substantial tray could be done. The meat-less starter is back!

    The AA cabin lottery continues and you lost on this flight. A long west-bound transcon with no IFE is very disappointing and shows how much work AA needs to do to homogenize their product.

    Thanks for the FR Adan!
    • Comment 369331 by
      jetsetpanda AUTHOR 2283 Comments
      Hi Michael.

      "Love the AirCal livery, reminds me of the Astros uniforms of the 80s^^"
      - I remember the AirCal commercials. Wish I could have flown on them.

      "This boarding experience is more in line with my recent AA experiences .."
      - That seems to be the consensus with most reports and travelers. Ever since the merger I have found AA crew to be more disengaged.

      "The meat-less starter is back!"
      - Vegetarians rejoice!

      "A long west-bound transcon with no IFE is very disappointing and shows how much work AA needs to do to homogenize their product."
      - Good thing that I don't rely too much on IFE.

      Thank you for dropping by.

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