Review of American Airlines flight from San Antonio to Charlotte in Domestic First

My wife and I wanted a quick weekend trip and I have always wanted to go back to San Antonio now that I am older. Its an easy flight from CLT on American and so it begins! I'll add some pictures at the end for both segments as a teaser for this great American city.

You can check out my prior report as well!
 

Flight Details

Airline: American Airlines (AA)
Aircraft: Boeing 737-800
Registration: N958NN
Delivered:   2014
Route: SAT-CLT
Flight Number: AA2013
Seat: 2E
Departure Gate:B6  
Departure Runway:  13R
Scheduled Departure Time: 9:48
Actual Departure Time:  10:02
Scheduled Arrival Time: 1:28 
Actual Arrival Time:  1:19
Landing Runway:  36L
Arrival Gate:  A2
Scheduled Block Time: 2 Hours 40 Minutes
Actual Flight Time: 2 hours 17 minutes

Check In

I was originally in Main Cabin but at check in was offered a seat in Domestic First for only $84.00 ! So moral of the story… wait it out! $85.67 for a 2.5 hour flight is a steal! Check in via the app was fast and easy and in no time I had my BP! I knew it wouldn't be a traditional Domestic First experience but who can say no to more leg rooms and better snacks!

How lucky was I!!! This flight had a lot of screaming babies and all were near my original seat.  Both of my flights on this trip ended up being check in upgrades to Domestic First! 

Arrival/Security

I arrived way to early at 7:11 to a mostly empty B Terminal. American and use the B gates while others including Southwest and Delta use the A gates. The A and B gates are not connected airside. I was airside from the TSA Precheck line at 7:16.

Once airside you arrive at a small food court with a coffee option, pizza option and cheesesteak option. Two sit down restaurants were closed. I'm not sure if it was due to COVID or just the fact it was early morning.  Terminal B also had other food options throughout but nothing really stuck as different or special. From security to the farthest set of gates is maybe a 5 minute walk tops.  One thing I noticed was that SAT had loads of sanitizing stations and distancing markers! This did create a situation where lots of people had to sit on the floor or stand up at the gates. 

Boarding/Seat

We had a slight 13 minute delay this morning but started boarding with zone 1 at 9:21. As I was in Domestic First, I boarded at that time. The seat width and padding is fine for up to 4-5 hour trips. Leg room was sufficient. I'm a big fan of winged headrest so points to AA for that. 

IFE/Food/Beverage

Wifi was available but I did not try it out. in the seatback pocket was a safety card and a AA Magazine that claimed to be "germ proof". Not sure how I feel about it. The USB Plug for rows 2-4 are in the seat back in front of you yet the plug is below the middle armrest towards the back of the seat. If you did not know where to look then you wouldn't find it. 

For all non-domestic first passengers a grab bag with Biscoff, water and hand sanitizer was given out. Drinks were available on demand. the gate agent was imploring passengers to shop in the terminal as "the grab bag was going to satisfy no one". Domestic First also received these bags in addition to the choice of cheese and nut tray with Turkey or cold Turkey sandwich. I once again chose the cheese tray and found it acceptable for a flight of this length. Typically, this would been a bit more substantial. I asked for a coke and received a full can and cup with ice. I later on requested a cup of coffee and had it served with no issues.

In-flight/landing

Even though we were slated to leave with a delay we pushed back at 9:50 and had wheels up on 13R at 10:02. The flight was super smooth with little to no bumps. We touched down ahead of schedule on 36L at 1:19. As usual with CLT, we had to wait to reach our gate. Finally getting there at 1:39.