Review of American Airlines flight Miami → Washington in Premium Eco

After arriving from Guatemala City, it was time to catch my flight to my final destination, DCA. As I arrived to the boarding gate, I noticed how crowded it was. Just 30 minutes prior to boarding my seat assignment changed, which pointed to the prospect of an Oasis cabin. In hindsight, that was probably the reason of the chaos at boarding. As I entered the plane my suspicions were confirmed. I was seated in seat 8A, the first row of Main Cabin Extra. The only plus to an Oasis cabin (for economy passengers) is that there is no bulkhead wall, which allows for under seat storage. There were power and USB outlets at the seats. The tray table was in the armrest, which also held a phone/tablet holder. The standard 33 inches of pitch in Main Cabin Extra is totally unacceptable given that on some JetBlue planes the legroom is 34 inches in standard economy! 

The bag of a missconnecting passenger had to be removed from the hold, which caused a 20 minute delay. After the bag was accounted for, the safety demonstration was performed and a flight time of 1 hour and 50 minutes was announced, which would put us in DC on time despite the delay. The cabin lights were then dimmed and after a short taxi we were airborne. We were treated to a great view of the lights of Miami on our climb out. 

After takeoff, the drink service commenced. I ordered a Sierra Mist, which was served with pretzels. 

The flight attendants then disappeared until just before landing. On descent, we were given great views of the Washington Monument, the US Capitol, and the Lincoln Memorial. We landed at exactly midnight.

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