Review of American Airlines flight from Raleigh to London in Economy

AAL

AA - American Airlines

Flight taken on 22 December 2018
AA174
20:15 06h 35m 07:50
Class Economy
Seat 31A
JonathanL
2,105 · 42 · 2 · 7

After a delayed and less than satisfactory flight on American Eagle from DCA, I was stuck waiting at the top of the jetbridge to wait for my gate checked bag. The whole process took 20 minutes and was stressfull since I kept on getting closer and closer to missing my flight to LHR as the connection was already short. I arrived at the gate just as the flight was on final call. I was stopped by the gate agent, who forced me to check my bag. When I stepped onboard, I immediately noticed the colorful and modern entryway. 


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I turned right into the business class mini cabin and headed straight to the back to my seat.  


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The seat's pitch was a bit tight. It was equiped with a modern IFE screen that had a USB built in. Below the screen was a power outlet.


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I couldn't help but admire how modern the cabin was as at the time of the flight the plane was 19 years old. The retrofits really paid off! If I didn't know any better, I would've thought the plane was brand new. As I was one of the last onboard, the doors were closed almost immediately after I took my seat. Soon, the safety demo was played and we pushed back. The mood lighting adjusted to its dimmed setting, which was gorgeous. 


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After a quick takeoff roll, we were airborne.


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 I was so happy to be on an AA plane with IFE so I could hear the recorded announcements-I don't know what it is about them but I find them oddly soothing ;-). And no flight on American could be complete without hearing about the AAdvantage Aviator Red Mastercard!


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After takeoff, drink and meal orders were taken. I ordered the chicken dish as opposed to the pasta dish. Please excuse me not having any pictures of the food-I was exhausted beyond belief. I had a (powdered) decaf coffee to go with it. 


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Soon after I was finished, meal trays were collected and cabin lights dimmed.  I was offered another drink. I had a Diet Coke to test the airplane fizz theory, which was indeed true. 


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At this point I checked out the IFE, which had an extensive selection and was responsive. I didn't watch anything and instead played some music and tried to sleep. I managed an hour or two and woke up to the breakfast service. 




Yogurt and granola were on offer though I declined. Soon, we had begun or descent into LHR. We had great views of the city on final and before long, we had touched down. 




We arrived slightly early. 




I headed straight to immigration and wasted no time heading to Terminal 5 to catch my connection to EDI.
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Display all

Product ratings

Airline

American Airlines 7.8

  • Cabin8.5 / 10
  • Cabin crew7.5 / 10
  • Entertainment/wifi8.0 / 10
  • Meal/catering7.0 / 10
Departure airport

Raleigh - RDU8.1

  • Efficiency8.0 / 10
  • Access7.5 / 10
  • Services8.0 / 10
  • Cleanliness9.0 / 10
Arrival Airport

London - LHR9.1

  • Efficiency8.5 / 10
  • Access8.0 / 10
  • Services10.0 / 10
  • Cleanliness10.0 / 10

Conclusion

American did a great job with the retrofits, making an old plane seem brand new. No complaints here.

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Comments (2)

  • Never knew that RDU would get treatment to the large 777

  • Hey Jonathan, thanks for sharing this report on one of AA's quirkier long-haul routes! If I'm not mistaken, I believe the London flight may be a vestige of the former AA hub at RDU. Seems there's decent TATL demand from RDU with DL serving CDG. We shall see if this flight returns post-Covid. I would assume at least one of the Europe connections will, most likely AA since there's always been more demand to London.

    Thanks for sharing!

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