Review of American Airlines flight New York → Chicago in Business

bad luck

It wasn't originally supposed to be like this. A 777-200ER subbed in for a 737-800. Let me explain. On the day of departure I woke up at 5 something in the morning for the 7:25 departure. My dad then told me to go back to sleep as the flight was delayed until 11:00. This unfortunately would cause us to mis-connect in Chicago. My father called AA and tried to get us re-booked on the 1:26 flight. Unfortunately the agent said there were no seats available. Instead, we were booked on the 8:55 pm flight which would make us spend 8 hours in Chicago. My mother and I were able to get seats on that flight, but my father still needed a seat, but we were going to get that done at JFK. With that out of the way I went back to sleep…

American airlines flight 852 new york - jfk to chicago - o'hare

I woke up at 8-ish to head the airport for the delayed flight. We stayed at the Holiday Inn JFK so they had free shuttles to the airport. When we arrived at JFK's Terminal 8 it was pretty much dead. Luckily, American has dedicated priority check-in desks which are different from the Flagship First ones. The priority lines were located at Pier 8 against the entrance wall. Unfortunately, there were only 2 agents staffing the area and there were some people who had some difficulties with cancellations or what not so I waited in line for half an hour at least. The actual check-in process was quick, and we had boarding passes in no time. My pass showed my seat as 9D which I thought was weird b/c my original seat was 6A and first class on the 737-800 goes from Rows 3-6. In my head I thought this might be due to an aircraft swap (foreshadowing?), but the agent confirmed this seat was first class. Security was very quick and soon enough we were in the terminal.

History of American's logos

The boarding pass displayed Gate 3 which is on the western end of the land-side concourse.

LATAM 787-9

Terminal 8 interior

When we got to Gate 3 I saw a 777-200ER parked at the gate, and I became confused as to where our plane was. It suddenly dawned on me that the 737 had been swapped for a 777 which explained my new seat and the delay all of a sudden became less harsh to me. This flight was going to be awesome!

N760AN

Rear view

Nose view

With nothing to do we sat in the gate area. Boarding started relatively quickly after we had arrived. Group 1 passengers were allowed to board before the others.

I entered the plane where a flight attendant was getting ready, but she directed everyone to their seats. American has two configurations of the 777-200ER, but they both have the same number of seats: 37 business, 24 PE, and 212 Main Cabin. However, American offers two different types of business class seats of which one type is being phased out. Some of the planes have B/E Aerospace Super Diamond seats that are all forward facing and in a 1 - 2 - 1 reverse herringbone configuration. Other planes have Zodiac seats which are also 1 - 2 - 1 but they alternate between forward and rear facing. My seat was a forward facing Zodiac middle seat pointed away from the aisle.

When I arrived there was nothing placed on the seats. My seat was located in the second business class cabin. Each seat has a shoulder strap which you are required to wear during takeoff and landing.

To the right of the seat there was a reading light, touchscreen IFE controller, and seat controls which had base and also customizable settings. Next to the headrest there were also two buttons for making the seat upright and going fully lie flat.

There was a shallow storage space right next to the seat which I used to store a water bottle and my Bose headphones during the flight. There is a three prong jack and single prong headphone jack right above. The seat appeared to have some scratches and marks in this area.

Next to the seat controls there was a little storage space that contained two USB ports and two universal power outlets below for easy access to charge your devices. There is also an adjustable divider between the seats.

There is a foldable tray table that came out next to the seat, and it was a pretty good size. The tray table could be folded twice, and it could also move away from or toward you.

Below the tray table there was a pocket with the basic literature items and another small storage pocket which contained some ear buds.

To the left of the seat there was an armrest that can be raised for comfort, and it also added some privacy when the seat is in lie-flat mode.

A coat hook was located across from the seat. Each seat also came equipped with personal air vents.

The IFE screen folded out from the side and had to be stowed for takeoff and landing but was functional on the ground. The display was a pretty good size and the responsiveness of it was good too.  The footrest was a decent size, but too far for me to reach comfortably. You could probably store some shoes under it.

American has one of the best selections of movies and TV shows out there right now. There are many new releases and old classics as well. Of course there are also live TV channels to watch from as well.

As boarding continued a flight attendant walked down the aisle with pre-departure beverages in plastic cups. There was the option of orange juice or water, and I picked orange juice.

Boarding continued for a while but doors eventually closed at 10:55. We pushed back at 10:57, three minutes before the rescheduled departure and the safety video was screened. Our flight time would be one hour and 57 minutes with a cruise altitude of a whopping 40,000 feet.

During our taxi I saw many foreign carriers, but the most interesting plane was the Cayman Airways 737-300. We made our way to Runway 4L at 11:18 where the captain announced we were Number 4 for takeoff. We took off at 11:24 and headed east over Long Island before turning back to Chicago.

Once we reached a higher level I went to check out the lavatories. There were a total of three in business class.

The lavatory was clean as it had not been used much yet, but it did not come with any other amenities. It also had a large sink (cough cough 737 MAX).

This is where I assume the self service area would be on longer flights. I reclined my seat and relaxed once I got back. It was very comfortable.

Cabin shot

Around half an hour after takeoff the male flight attendant on my aisle came around and took drink orders. I asked for a Dr. Pepper. Hot towels were also handed out later.

The meal service reached my seat another half hour later. The options were either an omelette or oatmeal. I chose the former.

Along with the omelette there was a large side of fruit and a choice from the bread basket. The breakfast also came with cream cheese, butter, and jam. The omelette was nicely seasoned, but it was a little bit too buttery and salty. The potatoes were also a bit salty, but the dish was still good. The fruit tasted fresh, but unfortunately the bagel was rock hard.

After trays were taken away I watched some Big Bang Theory until it was time to descend. Screens had to go back in and seats had to be raised with armrests and dividers lowered.

We landed in Chicago shortly on Runway 10C before 12:30 and docked at Gate K15 at 12:41. 

Last view of N760AN, AA 777s are very rare in Chicago as it is now a 787 hub