intro
Don't be concerned by the cover photo, this isn't a review of the red-light district in Amsterdam😅
Well well, welcome to the first extract of a great Caribbean and African adventure. The first leg of the adventure would see me fly from Los Angeles to Miami onboard the American Airlines 777-300 in Flagship Business. Having reviewed the 777-300 in First before, the 777-200 in Business, and the A321T in First and Business, I was excited to see how the 777-300 is holding up in Business.
Wow, what a flight this was! With a great seat, good food, and the best service I think I have ever experienced on a US carrier, this leads me to believe that American Airlines is the way to fly from Los Angeles to Miami (if on a wide-body).
routing
Flight routing
- 1AA1637-Los Angeles-Miami- Business Class 777-300
- 2AA2567-Miami-Georgetown-Business Class-737 Max 8
- 3BW463-Georgetown-Port Of Spain- Business Class-737-800
- 4BW432-Georgetown-Grenada-Economy-ATR 72
- 5JY715-Grenada-Bridgetown-Economy-Embraer 120
- 6B6662-Bridgetown-New York-Business Class-A321
- 7UA3622-New York-Toronto-Economy-E170
- 8UA3416-Toronto-Washington-Business Class-E170
- 9UA612-Washington-Lagos-Business Class-787-8
- 10HF827-Lagos-Abidjan-Economy Class-A320neo
- 11HF700-Abidjan-Dakar-Economy Class-A320
- 12HC205-Dakar-Nouakchott-Economy Class-A321
- 13HC206-Nouakchott-Dakar-Economy Class-A319
- 14ET908-Dakar-Bamako-Economy Class-777-200LR
- 15ET908-Bamako-Addis Ababa-Economy Class-777-200LR
- 16ET376-Addis Ababa-Mogadishu-Economy Class-737 Max 8
- 17ET379-Mogadishu-Addis Ababa-Economy Class-737 Max 8
- 18ET821-Addis Ababa-Kigali-Economy Class-737 Max 8
- 19WB102-Kigali-Johannesburg-Economy Class-737-800
- 204Z923-Johannesburg-Cape Town-Economy Class-E195
- 214Z922-Cape Town-Johannesburg-Economy Class-E195
- 224Z262-Johannesburg-Vilankulo-Economy Class-ERJ135
- 234Z263-Vilankulo-Johannesburg-Economy Class-ERJ135
- 244Z141-Johannesburg-Walvis Bay-Economy Class-E170
- 254Y133-Windhoek-Frankfurt-Business Class-A330-300
- 26BA909-Frankfurt-London-Business Class-A320
- 27BA1440-London-Edinburgh-Business Class-A319
- 28BA1461-Edinburgh-London-Business Class-A320
- 29BA308-London-Paris-Business Class-A320
- 30UA55-Paris-Newark-Business Class-767-300
- 31UA4189-Newark-Providence-Domestic First-CRJ550
- 32AA976-New York-Santa Ana-First Class-A321T
Wow that took a long time to write out. Anyways, I might not review all of them since some of them are a bit repetitive, but let's see!
how i booked
In order to get down to Georgetown, Guyana, to keep on the mission of being the youngest man to visit every country in the world, I found a fare that consisted of a widebody flight to Miami on American Airlines and then a flight from Miami to Georgetown in the late morning.
For both flights, the total came out to 668$, which isn't too bad at all. Rumor has it that Georgetown is a relatively cheap airport to fly into🙃.
check in
Departure was scheduled for 10:59 pm, and seeing as this was the first flight of the trip, I decided to arrive very early.
My one issue is how there is no Flagship Check-in, such as with the likes at JFK.
My documents were verified, boarding passes printed, and I was on my way to the TSA checkpoint.
lounge
Once through security, I headed over to the Flagship Lounge. I have reviewed this in the past, and not much has changed.
boarding
Boarding seemed to have been slightly delayed due to the 777-300 being tugged into the gate late. Seeing as I had a view of gate 41 (the usual gate), I didn't go downstairs until I saw it pulling in.
Boarding ended up commencing at 10:55 for a 10:59 pm departure. It was an absolute zoo.
Oh look at how beautiful this little baby bird is.
Even as group 2, it was blocked up.
We were warmly greeted at the door by the purser, who, you will find out later, was AMAZING!
Quickly, I found my seat 15A, the last row in the business class cabin on the left side.
the seat/cabin
American Airlines 777-300 business class is laid out with 52 seats in a 1-2-1 configuration. The seats are reverse Herringbone, meaning if you are by yourself, try to opt for a window. If traveling with family, opt for the two center seats (or if you don't like them, leave them in Business and upgrade to First🙃).
My seat, 15A.
Each seat comes with a very spacious footwell. These aren't constrictive at all and will allow you a very pleasant flight.
Each seat came with a small cubby. Perfect if you need to store a pair of shoes or something like a laptop.
Lastly, there is a small armrest that can go up and down when needed to maximize sleeping space.
Very similar overall to CX.
Amenities/ife
For a flight of under 4 hours, wheels up to wheels down, there were plenty of amenities provided. Waiting upon my seat was a basic amenity kit.
A plush duvet and pillow were provided in a package as well. This made for a good solid hour of napito time later.
Lastly, we had the Flagship B & O headphones. I rant and rave about these nonstop but these truly are fantastic.
In terms of IFE, I have reviewed the movie and TV show selection countless times, so I will leave it out this time. As always, plenty of options were provided.
If you are a wifi user, these jets are equipped with Panasonic. Uh oh, this means upwards of 25$ for a full flight pass! Ridiculous😒.
departure
At 11:23 pm, a wonderful flight attendant came around to offer a pre-departure beverage consisting of juice, champagne, or water. I opted for a glass of Ferrari. Yes yes, it's plastic.
The captain came on at 11:30 pm, apologizing for the delay. He also informed us that our flight time was 3 hours and 59 minutes to Miami this evening.
Pushback was approved at 11:35 pm, and we made our way out to the runway.
At precisely 11:57, just under an hour late, we were airborne out of LAX. Apologies for the bad photos from the departure.
meal service
With the shortest flight time I had ever seen on this route, the crew snapped into action to service all 52 taken seats in the Business Class cabin as soon as we hit 10,000 feet.
Hot towels were distributed about 15 minutes after departure.
The obligatory nuts came around 30 minutes after takeoff. Keep in mind I was in the last row of the cabin.
A couple of moments later, my champagne and sparkling water were provided. Nothing like having a bit of acid reflux from all the bubbles😒.
The menu for tonight read as follows:
Naturally, there was only one choice to make: the short rib.
The cabin crew also found one of the last AHAs around. They have stopped making these, sadly, and I will dearly miss them🙂.
The short rib was divine. Since I'm still just a little kid inside, I didn't want to eat the veggies😳.
Of course, there is only one way to finish off the meal on American Airlines: with an ice cream sundae! Although the reason why it is so small is because I need to watch my weight a little bit🤨. I always say "calories don't count on a plane", but then I've spent more time on a plane than at home this year😂 (the plan is 150 flights this year😒).
The meal service was wrapped up 75 minutes after departure. This is quite impressive for nuts, an entree, and dessert across a 52-seat cabin. Overall, everything was delectable.
service
Where can you begin on service for this flight? It was nothing short of remarkable in every aspect. Another shining crew by American Airlines once again. During the whole flight, I got into conversation and informed them about my dream of being the youngest man to visit every country in the world. Even though they were slammed busy, I ended up talking to a male FA for 15 minutes, the purser for 10 minutes, and another FA for about 10 more minutes.
Then this happened, and I have never even heard about something like this happening to someone with no status (no, I am not a celebrity or known).
They gave me one of the cards (usually for elites), and, wait for it, brought back champagne from First Class for me!!🥰 WOW!
The champagne is perfectly okay for domestic use, but the thought behind it truly made way for the trip to come!
I would like to personally give a huge thanks to the crew onboard this flight, as you made it ever so special❤️. It would be a sincere pleasure to fly with you all again❤️.
On the way out, when disembarking, high fives were thrown around by the purser and me. Usually, I tend to find flight crews a little tired upon landing after a red-eye, but all of the crew were upbeat and friendly.
arrival
About 2.5 hours into the flight, I managed to dose off for a quick snooze. Well, I was woken up kindly by an FA when we were on the final approach, kind of confused about where I was after sleeping for an hour😂.
We ended up making up some serious time and touched down at 6:55 am (EST). This equates to only 8 minutes after schedule! Captain, you are hired!
The 777 pulled into Gate D30 at 7:04 am, 9 minutes after schedule. High fives were thrown around, and I headed out to Miami airport for a short layover.
Due to my inbound ticket, I headed up to the Flagship Lounge just in time for a champoffee. They ID me every time, even though they remember me😅.
Seeing as I just reviewed it, and nothing much has changed, I'll add a couple of pics in the next report to Guyana!
tourism bonus waldorf astoria
During my short stint in California between trips, I was invited to stay at the Waldorf Astoria in Monarch Beach. Needless to say it is a beautiful property wow!
Summary of hotel:
Whether you are looking for a staycation in Orange County or a vacation to warmer weather in California, the Waldorf Astoria offers a great option for high-end spenders. The property is chic and modern, with a beautiful pool along with countless amenities. The rooms are spacious, filled with comfortable beds, and deep soaking bathtubs will make sure you are in for a great night's rest.
A couple of additional details to note:
Compared with the Ritz, Montage, and Pelican Hill, I would definitely put the Waldorf Astoria over the Ritz and the Montage. Especially since it is quite a significantly cheaper chunk with larger rooms. The other properties have direct beach access, which Waldorf doesn't have. Pelican Hill, on the other hand, has a more rustic and old charm but is simply breathtaking.
Anyways thanks for reading, and have a fabulous day!
I was relieved the other day when I saw AA add back a few widebodies on LAX-MIA for the winter season. I just couldn't believe they would leave this transcon hub-to-hub route flagship-less!
Speaking of Flagship...I guess I never thought about the fact that there's no Flagship First check-in in LAX. Now that I think about it, I think JFK is the only one that has one...and it's technically not even a "Flagship First" check-in anymore since the BA co-location.
Beautiful indeed! Those look like they were taken from the Flagship Lounge no?
Yeah with everyone in Group 1 or 2 it's always a mess--when everyone's Elite...No one is
That and the usual clueless gate-lice, and also the fact that there's very little room at the widebody gates at T4.
They are amazing, but I hAAte that they tAAke them AAway a friggin hour before arrival every damn time!
Yeah and for crappy slow, almost unusable speeds. The Viasat WiFi on the narrowbodies is WAAAAAY better.
Yeah I can def say from experience it catches up to you if you're not careful, haha. Airplane food isn't the healthiest in general...but what really gets you is all the bubbles hahaha so many empty calories ...it's all fun and games when you're in your 20s and them bam...30 hits and metabolism goes to hell 😅
Man, you get really lucky with these outstanding crews. I've had some good ones, but never a personalised card and a bottle of bubbles! Not on AA anyway...on BA yes. And I was Exec Plat or Plat Pro for the past decade (still am, and simultaneously BA Gold too now). Good on you...it must be because "you're a delight" 😋
Seriously though that's awesome.
How's the Ferrari bubbly? I wasn't happy when I heard there wouldn't always be champagne on every flight, but I've heard the Ferrari's pretty decent.
HAH most people would say that's statistically impossible on AA 😂
Fantastic report as always, thanks for sharing!
Hi Kevin, thanks for your comments!
Yeah, this whole thing by AA is so backwards. I understand it during the summer, but during the winters it makes no sense apart from that they are undergoing their refurbs on the 77W’s from what I’ve heard and therefore need the widebodies. Would be a big loss if they went back again and removed them all.
They sure were! Always fantastic views out onto gate 41 from that lounge. I sometimes wave at the captains and they wave back😂.
Come to think of it, LAX is too small for multiple widebodies at each terminal. I was flying United last week and it was a mess as they were boarding widebodies to Asia, Oceania etc. Same thing with AA, apart from AA has barely any international network😅.
I’ve decided that I don’t want to grow up😂. Or I need to take up more physical exercise, either one.
Yeah honestly, I’m still unsure. Even when you were exec plat for almost 10 years, no card or anything? It’s such a small gesture that I wish AA would do more to their loyal members.
It’s acceptable for a domestic flight. I personally don’t mind it at all but of course, champagne taste is different from person to person.
Thanks again Kevin, have a great day!
Nope! I've gotten thank you cards on BA (with a bottle of champers), AS (multiple times), IB, and even B6 who I barely ever fly! I even got a bottle of champers on DL sitting in Y one time after hitting it off with the cabin crew on a TPAC flight years ago, but never anything on AA. I don't feel entitled to anything like that on any airlines of course, because I'm not a Karen (as similar as my name is!), but yeah AA just never gave me the warm & fuzzies like BA and AS do on occasion.