November 20, 2016
American Airlines 1425 Dallas (DFW) - Miami (MIA) Departure: 2010 Arrival: 2103 Duration: 2:09 Aircraft: Boeing B777-323(ER)
Registration: N736AT Seat: 1J (First Class)
American Airlines had a amazing promotion using its flagship aircraft , the Boeing B777-300ER. Routes on this promotional flights were all domestic short-haul or transcontinental. It was an opportunity for me to experience the Flagship First and Business class cabins as the company sold business class as Main Cabin Extra and if you hold tiers with Oneworld® or AAdvantage, you can select free business class seats without paying extra. I have never tried wide-body American Airlines flight so when this fare came out, it was so tempting and I immediately went to the website and booked.
The B777-300ER is divided into 4 cabins: First, Business, Main Cabin Extra and Main Cabin. The first and business class is configured in 1-2-1, main cabin extra in 3-3-3 and main cabin in 3-4-3 configurations. First class seats have huge 82 inches of pitch and 30 inches of width with drop down armrests while business class seating going up to 78 inches and 26 inches. Main cabin extra seats are 9 abreast seats compared to 10 abreast main cabin so MCE seats are much wider and have more legroom.
The Cabin:
There are 8 open suite seats with wide aisles in the first class cabin and also a walk-up bar behind the mini business class cabin which can be accessed to both first and business class passengers. This aircraft is only one year old so the cabin was clean and there was no visible aging in the cabin. The combination of silver edging around the seat partitions and wood finishings on each seat made the cabin luxurious and flagship.
A crew bunk is located on the overhead of seats 1D and 1G so there was no overhead compartment. Also seat (1A,J & 2A,J), which are window seats, are positioned halfway behind the middle seats due the the position of the lavatory and the locker. Even though the first class is open suite, this staggered position provides more privacy.
American Airlines B77W First Class Cabin.
American Airlines B77W First Class Cabin.
American Airlines B77W First Class Cabin.
American Airlines B77W First Class Walk-Up Bar.
American Airlines B77W First Class Galley.
The Seat:
American Airlines has a very interesting seats on its Flagship First Class. While most of the other airlines' first class seats are permanently attached in the same position, Flagship First seats can rotate 90 degrees in two selections: Towards the footrest and the window. To rotate the seat, there is a round metal button by the armrest which makes clicking sound when pressed. When the seat turns to desired position, anther clicking sound will be made to notify you that the seat is locked in position. As you can see from the photos below, there are two tables on every seat. One of them is the tray table for dining which is located forward and the other one is the workstation table, which can be flipped towards you.
Seats are adjusted using a tablet controller which is docked beside the seat. Except the space under the footrest, there are not a lot of storage spaces in the seat itself: Most of the spaces are for small items such as your headset or your mobile devices. A small compartment, with a mirror attached inside has full of electronic sockets. Overhead reading lights as well as a seat lamp beside the seat will brighten the seat when the cabin lights dim.
One thing I was unhappy with my seat was the wood laminate scratched off and hence there was white smudges. Though it is not visible when flipping it but when stowed, it is clearly visible and ruins the beautiful seat.
American Airlines B77W First Class Seat 1J.
American Airlines B77W First Class Seat 1J.
American Airlines B77W First Class Seat 1J.
American Airlines B77W First Class Seat 1J.
American Airlines B77W First Class Seat Controller and the Mess on the Wood.
American Airlines B77W First Class Seat 1J.
American Airlines B77W First Class Seat 1J.
American Airlines B77W First Class Seat 1J.
American Airlines B77W First Class Seat 1J.
American Airlines B77W First Class Seat 1J.
American Airlines B77W First Class Seat 1J.
American Airlines B77W First Class Seat 1J.
American Airlines B77W First Class Seat 1J.
American Airlines B77W First Class Seat 1J.
American Airlines B77W First Class Seat 1J.
In-Flight Meals:
It was only two hours flight so a simple meal and a dessert were served. Both on international and domestic routes, welcome drinks are served on "plastic cups". I wouldn't care if the welcome drink is served on a plastic cup on domestic first classes but on international first class?
Before take-off, the crew came over to me to ask which menu I would like to have and prepared it as soon as the aircraft reached cruising altitude. Mixed nuts were served as a snack followed by the main and a warm chocolate cookie for dessert. You can see similar first class services and menus on most of the AA flights on domestic routes.
American Airlines B77W First Class Welcome Drink.
American Airlines B77W First Class Mixed Nuts.
American Airlines B77W First Class Dining.
American Airlines B77W First Class Cookie.
American Airlines B77W First Class Beverages.
In-Flight Entertainments:
American Airlines uses Panasonic Avionic on B77Ws which is my favorite IFE system. With 17 inch touch screen monitor and remote controller, there are more than 1000 available contents to enjoy throughout the flight. Also Wi-fi is available but I think on a short flight like this, rates are quite expensive unless you have a subscription with the internet provider.
Another thing that caught my attention was the number of different sockets that were inside the mini compartment(Pictured below). There are two AC power sockets, an AV sockets, a headphone socket and a USB. I have no idea what the power supply connector(Marked yellow) is. Also, one more USB port is available beside the seat adjustment controller; an area where you can place your small electronic devices. First class passengers on domestic routes receive an earbud which is not noise cancelling.
American Airlines B77W First Class Seat IFE and Power Sockets.
American Airlines B77W First Class Seat Touch Screen Controller.
American Airlines B77W First Class Seat IFE monitor.
Lavatory:
There are two spacious lavatories in the first class cabin that is shared between the flight crew and passengers. Both lavatories had lotions and hydrating spray on the wooden rack. The tap is a sensor type and water temperature is adjusted by pressing either the red or blue buttons.
American Airlines First Class Lavatory.
Summary:
The flight was scheduled to leave at 1625 but it got delayed to 2010 angering some passengers who needs transit but I had some opportunities to visit Admiral Clubs and International First Class Lounge at Dallas Fort Worth Airport. I can see from many other reviewers that they are unhappy with American Airlines cabin crews but I had a fascinating flight. Before pushback and after take-off, one of the cabin crew took me around the cabin explaining the aircraft and its features and visiting the flight deck and the crew bunk prior to pushback.
I did not have full first class experience on this flight, so it triggered me to try out some long haul flights with AA soon. The first class cabin was comfortable and felt private even tough the seats were full, the work station and rotating seat were really notable. I understand if the wood laminate that scratched off occurred on the previous flight and there was no time to fix but if that happened way before it's a huge disappointment.
I had a return flight the following morning in the business class which was sold as main cabin extra seats. You can view the review here.