Avis du vol entre Los Angeles et New York en classe Affaires avec American Airlines

Intro

A couple of days after arriving from an epic Belize trip, I got the travel bug (it's become an unhealthy addiction; I love being on a plane). A thought came across my mind of heading to Ecuador for a little bit to see another country, but on the way, I would route through New York to surprise my mum. She was landing on the Delhi flight at 6 am (which I got her upgraded to F on), and I would surprise her once she landed. And with the fare I got (more on that below), it was a no-brainer. 

routing

The routing for this trip is as follows:

Business Class on the A321T is a well-rounded product that can be purchased from coast to coast. While privacy is lacking, the soft product makes up for it onboard. 

Before we get into it, I have reviewed this flight in more depth; this is more of a follow-along journey instead of an inherent review. 

how i Booked

Before summer, American Airlines offered a fantastic multi-city fare consisting of Los Angeles-New York-Miami-Northern South America for 424$, and I jumped on that when I saw it. 424$ for three American Airlines flights and 220 tier points in a lie-flat seat transcon???

Well, I don't see Quito in the report, Mr Jettoajet… This is because I legally skipped the ticket since my mum asked me to stay and spend some time together. The agents at the Chelsea Lounge canceled the remaining part of my ticket for credit (this was not intended; do not try this at home 😉)

check in

My best friend supports me in travels and tries to drive me to the airport when he's not working. Thankfully, on that Friday morning, he wasn't, as we left around 11 am for LAX. 

The compromise is, though, that he drops me at terminal 5 as he hates going to terminal 4. If I don't have to pay for an Uber, I'll take it in a heartbeat. 

After strolling by the Flagship First Check-In (sigh, not today, amigo), I arrived at the premium check-in counters for business-class customers. Even if I had a mobile boarding pass, I always get one printed to hang on my wall at home! 

the lounge

Being 12 pm and having Flagship Lounge access, it was only right that I decided to check out the offerings!

Okay, I might have enjoyed one too many glasses of champagne (hehe) until 3 pm hit, and I realized I had to board this flight over to New York!

boarding

As this seems to be an ongoing trend, I ran into a bit of traffic on the jetbridge. No HOV lane today? What is this, California, for crying out loud 🥴😂 (okay I'm joking btw incase someone doesn't get me sense of humor).

Upon entering, I was warmly greeted by the flight attendants and found my seat in no time (seriously, I already knew this was going to be another stellar American Airlines flight). Okay, it's not like the First Class on this plane, but the seats are completely more than adequate. 

The wonderful FA came around to offer a PDB 10 minutes after boarding. As obligatory on a plane, I went with a glass of Ferrari (even if I am team LH44 (maybe I can see into the future😳)).

At this point, the cabin doors were closed, and I started chatting with my seatmate. I won't get into who he is, but he was a stellar guy, really standup. 

departure

Oops, I almost forgot the amenities! Business Class passengers were given a small amenity kit with all of the basics. It did the trick for a flight of this length, but it isn't one that I would carry with me overseas. 

And the classic B & O headphones, which they also have in First!

Doors were promptly closed at 3:20, and we ended up pushing back 8 minutes early!

Not that was a good thing since all-nighter was incoming at JFK 😒.

On the way out to takeoff, the lovely FA came around and asked about my meal order (this is important). I decided on the beef. 

We were airborne by 3:40, right on schedule.

the flight

Usually, on a transcon flight, you eat and then either work, go to sleep, or watch a movie. Well, I happened to be so tired from my travels that I went to bed straight after takeoff.

I arose with about 2.5 hours to New York out of my slumber like a crocodile in Florida when a man enters its swamp.

I digress, for those wondering; this is what the menu looked like for today. 

Within moments of waking up, the lovely FA came over and told me, "Mr XXX, I've saved your food, and since you like pretzel bread, 2 of them as well". Quite frankly, I was blown away.

Not only that, she asked if I would like another glass of champagne with the meal. Talk about some service, wow!

If I'm being honest, the food was mediocre, but that's partially my fault. 

At this point, I was monitoring my mum's inbound flight. She's still a long way away…

To finish off the meal, I went with an ice cream sundae (for some reason, the pics aren't loading; it's weird). Now that was delicious!

Hopping over my seat, neighbor, I went for a stroll around the cabin and chatted with the FAs (gosh, I am such a people person, I need to chill sometimes). 

Upon re-entering my little cocoon like a butterfly, I was just in time to watch the beautiful sunset. 

Slowly, slowly, making our way across the US…

Aha, I told you I knicked a Biscoff😅. The FA kept my champagne topped off all flight. Truly sublime service. 

arrival

25 minutes later, we had cookies! These are simply some of the most delicious snacks I've had on a plane, mhm. 

Enough champagne for me at this point; I had a long night in store. The rest of the flight I just stared at the map on rotation. It's almost like a form of meditation.

We ended up landing at about 23:35 local time (20 minutes early) and had a quick taxi to the gate. ( I think it was a 13L landing)

In a way, it was a good thing that we landed early because I managed (with a touch of English Charm) to gain access to the Flagship Lounge.

The suprise

Well, very kindly I was somehow allowed to stay in the Flagship Lounge until 3 am (I am so grateful to the people that let me). 

But after that, they had to kick me out since the staff would have wondered what I was doing there when they arrived. So I decided to get some fresh air and go for a stroll around JFK at 3:30 am (gotta hit those steps somehow)😂.

I tried Terminal 7 first, but everything was still closed… what a shame. 

Eventually, I made it back to the AA counters and asked the Flagship First counter if I could have breakfast with her in the Chelsea Lounge. They were just as excited as I was for the surprise! 

After heading back to the lounge, I was getting quite tired, but I was on a mission. 

OOOO the 777 is on descent. That's a long one with russian airspace closed…

I ran down to watch her plane pull in to the gate. I could see her through the window!

Then it was time to head back to baggage claim to actually suprise her (I think TSA was sick of me by this point). 

Well, after about an half hour… she finally exited the doors and she almost had a heart attack😅. It was one of the most wholesome moments I've ever experienced and I knew it made her month after she had been back to back working in Asia. Someone ended up recording it and we still sometimes rewatch the video. 

We headed to the Chelsea Lounge (due to her First Class inbound) and enjoyed a lovely breakfast together thanks to everyone at AA. Moments like these make me happy, even more so when I combine aviation with family ❤️. 

Maybe a cheeky mimosa Krug was had as well

After some conversation, my mum begged me to stay so I complied. AA agents cancelled the remainder of my flight and that was that. Thank you AA for being so helpful during this whole process, truly incredible service start to finish. 

Not for long though because I would be back at the Chelsea Lounge the very next day, less than 24 hours later. Running on no sleep, it was time for a nap. 

That means one thing though, now I have to go to Ecuador! 

Also, I'm sorry for the all the American Airlines reports, there will be 3 more and then onto some more exotic stuff. Thanks for reading!