A few weeks ago I took a trip out to San Francisco with my girlfriend. When we began planning the trip I looked at several flight options, but none seem that appealing. As I reviewed all of my options I realized the only way to get to San Francisco at a reasonable time was to take time off work. Once I made that decision I decided to take an entire day off to finally try out American Airlines lie-flat business class on their Airbus A321T (Transcontinental) aircraft.
While American offers lie-flat business class seats on this route that doesn’t mean they are affordable. One-way business class flights on the A321T typically go for at least $1,000. As I wasn’t prepared to spend that on a one-way flight I needed to find an economy ticket on a flight with a wide open business class cabin. My goal, was to pick a flight where I’d have a good chance of getting upgraded thanks to my AAdvantage Executive Platinum elite status.
Other airlines treat transcon flights with lie-flat seats like typical international flights. That means you normally have to use an international upgrade certificate to receive an upgrade. American on the other hand treats these transcon flights just like every other domestic flight. As long as you maintain some status with American you could in theory get upgrades. However, your chances of receiving an upgrade increase substantially if you maintain top-tier Executive Platinum status.
Finding The Best Chance For An Upgrade To Business Class
Finding the perfect flight is more of an art than a science, but if you’re hoping to get upgraded on any flight, it’s best to think differently from a typical business traveler. Therefore, any flight that departed at or after 5PM was out. Likewise, any flight that departed in the morning wasn’t an option. Usually business travelers don’t have the luxury of traveling in the middle of the workday.
Another thing I considered when making this decision was how full the First Class cabin was on each flight. An empty First Class cabin meant there was a good chance American would upgrade a few business class passengers. Finally, I zoomed into each week of travel leading up to my flight. I looked at each flight on the day of departure to see how empty the premium cabins were before American began processing upgrades.
Eventually I decided that AA2305 which departed JFK at 4:10PM EST was my best bet. Historically the 4PM departure had several empty premium cabin seats and that theory held up when booking. At that point, I booked an economy class ticket and began patiently waiting for my upgrade to clear.
Visiting The American Airlines Flagship Bridge
Well, if you’ve looked at the tile of this post you already know I was upgraded. In fact, about 72 hours before my scheduled departure I received an email from American which notified me that my upgrade cleared! Thankfully, I would be flying across the country in a lie-flat bed rather than in a regular economy seat.
Because my upgrade cleared I had access to the American Airlines Admirals Club / Flagship Lounge in New York before my departure. Passengers traveling in business class or first class on A321T flights have access to either lounge.
What’s unique about New York JFK is that there is actually a third lounge that many don’t know about. At York JFK there is a special area which American calls the Flagship Bridge. This lounge resides in the area just above the hallway which leads to the departure gates as seen below.
When you head upstairs to access either the Admirals Club or Flagship Lounge you have to ask for access to the Flagship Bridge by name. For one reason or another lounge agents don’t recommend this option to all passengers. That’s great news because the result is a quiet oasis that is much more enjoyable than the often overcrowded Flagship Lounge.
American Airline Flagship Bridge JFK
If I ever get to spend more time the Flagship Lounge / Flagship Bridge I will get around to writing a proper review of both spaces. For now though, I’ll provide a brief overview of the space as I only had about 30 minutes to visit the lounge before my departure.
As I mentioned, when I arrived upstairs I specifically asked to visit the Flagship Bridge. At that point I was directed through a door where a greeter at a podium welcomed me to the lounge. I have to admit, having a dedicated greeter unclip a rope for you as you enter the lounge is a nice touch. It sets the tone for the exclusive lounge that you’re about to visit.
Once inside you’ll find an airy lounge which more resembles a rooftop bar than a airport lounge.
The lounge is filled with hanging paper lamps of various shapes which are purely there for ascetics given the natural light which floods the lounge otherwise.
The Flagship Bridge is essentially just that, it’s a bridge to/from either side of the terminal. The result is a long narrow lounge with several seating areas lined up along the exterior windows of the terminal.
The Flagship Bridge features a full-service bar. The bartenders working during my visit were by the friendliest airline lounge bartenders I’ve ever encountered. You could tell when they talked about the space that they were quite proud of the lounge.
Finally, at the far end of the lounge is the obligatory lounge television which of course featured CNN.
I have to say, I can’t think of a more attractive American Airlines lounge in the current network of lounges.
American Airlines Flagship Bridge Dining
After exploring the lounge for a few minutes I took a seat. Immediately after taking my seat the bartender stopped by to offer up a glass of Champagne and a bottle of either sparkling or still water.
While the bartender took my initial order a separate waiter was the one who actually brought over the drink. He was also the one who dropped off a menu which was missing from the table I chose to sit.
Inside the menu were a few “New York Inspired” options, but overall the menu was quite limited. When browsing the menu the waiter informed me that each item was quite small and that it’s best to order at least two options. I was happy for that recommendation because I couldn’t decide between the Tuna and the Short Rib Tacos.
As I waited for my food I browsed the beverage menu which read as follows.
One thing I appreciate about American’s Flagship Lounge concept is that the beverage options in each lounge are inspired by the city in which it resides. Flagship Lounges typically feature craft beers brewed in that city in addition to the typical domestic macro-brews.
About 5 minutes after I ordered the waiter returned with both the tacos and the tuna. First, I tried to Short Rib Tacos. I have to say this was the best dish I’ve ever had in an airline lounge. I realize that is a bold claim, but trust me the tacos were incredible.
After sampling the incredible tacos I sampled the tuna which wasn’t quite as amazing. In fact, I didn’t really care for the tuna, but I guess that’s my mistake for ordering raw tuna in an airport.
One thing I didn’t see on the menu was dessert. So when I finished eating my small plates I left the lounge to stop by the regular Flagship Lounge for some dessert. Yes, I just said that, I’m sorry.
Stopping By The American Airlines Flagship Lounge JFK
When I walked into the Flagship Lounge the first thing I noticed was how completely overcrowded it was. There was hardly any open seats and there were just people everywhere. When I stopped by the buffet lines food would disappear within moments of being dropped off. After exploring the lounge for a few minutes I couldn’t wait to get out of there.
Just like the buffet line the dessert buffet was completely barren when I arrived. Given the lack of options I ended up snagging a tiny cupcake and a chocolate brownie before stopping by the coffee machine for a cappuccino.
Overall neither dessert was particularly good and the cappuccino was extremely bland. Given the lackluster food and beverage and the overcrowding of the lounge I decided to leave and head for my departure gate.
Boarding American Airlines A321T Business Class From New York To San Francisco
The flight to San Francisco departed from gate 5 which proved to be a fairly decent walk from the Flagship Lounge. When I arrived at the gate (10 minutes early) I found a line of Premium Cabin passengers waiting to board. I assumed, incorrectly, that most Premium Cabin passengers would opt to board toward the end of the boarding process. Instead, it seemed most were eager to take their seats for the 6 hour flight across the country.
Prior to boarding I spotted American A321T sporting the special Stand Up To Cancer livery. Sadly that would not the be aircraft taking us to San Francisco.
The boarding process began on time and after a few moments I was finally on board the American Airlines A321T. All passengers boarded through the L1 boarding door which meant that economy passengers had to pass through the First Class and Business Class cabins before taking their seats. The First Class cabin features a 1-1 seating arrangement which utilizes seats nearly identical to the business class seats offered on American’s long-haul fleet.
After passing through the First Class cabin I arrived in the Business Class cabin which features a 2-2 seating arrangement. The seats offered in the business class cabin are nearly identical to those offered in Qatar Airways’ A330 Business Class cabin.
Given the small seating capacity of the aircraft (~100) the boarding process ended quite quickly. Before long all passengers were in their seats and the cabin crew closed the boarding door.
American Airlines A321T Business Class Cabin
As I settled into my seat I finally had a chance to look around the American Airlines Airbus A321T business class cabin. As I mentioned the cabin consists of a 2-2 layout of lie-flat seats. Toward the front of the cabin a is the galley and premium cabin lavatory.
Each seat features a large in-flight entertainment monitor with a small storage shelf below. Beneath the shelf is the footwell which is surprisingly spacious compared to similar business class seats.
On thing I appreciate about this particular design is that seat in front separates the two footwells. This ensures there is no involuntary leg/foot contact with the passenger next to you when trying to sleep.
In between the two seats is a small table which is used by both passengers. At the back of this table are the seat controls which are extremely intuitive.
Toward the rear of the seat (by the headrest) is another storage shelf which housed a bottle of water and the American Airlines provided amenity kit, more on that in a moment.
This storage area also featured a power outlet, the headphone jack(s), and a USB outlet. While it was nice having access all of these outlets, I found their position a bit annoying with the seat in the upright position. I felt as though I was constantly tugging at the wires with every movement I made. On several occasions I inadvertently unplugged either my headphones or USB charging cable.
One nice thing about this particular cabin was that each seat featured an air vent. While most people take air vents for granted, I’ve found that when trying to sleep on a warm airplane they are essential to remain comfortable.
American Airlines A321T Business Class Amenity Kit
As I mentioned when I took my seat I found an Cole Haan amenity kit. This particular amenity kit was essentially a nylon pencil bag filled with a few items. Affixed to the zipper of the amenity kit was the $100 Cole Haan coupon found in most Cole Haan amenity kits found in American’s premium cabins.
Inside the amenity kit was a small bag of C.O. Bigelow products, an eye mask, a pair of airplane socks, earplugs, a dental kit, and a coupon for any Casper purchase. American recently partnered with Casper for their in-flight bedding.
Overall, the amenity kit wasn’t quite as nice as those found on international long-haul flights, but was still a nice surprise to find on a domestic flight.
American Airlines A321T Business Class Departure
As the boarding door closed the flight attendants stopped by each business class passengers’ seat to offer a pre-departure beverage of either water, sparking wine, or orange juice.
A few minutes later we pushed back from the gate and began the long taxi toward the runway. As it was a particularly busy day at JFK it took about 30 minutes to finally get airborne. While we taxied the infamous American Airlines safety video played.
Sure enough toward the end of the video the sound abruptly ended as the camera panned out.
Once the video ended we once again had access to the vast catalog of content offered by the in-flight entertainment console.
A few minutes after taking off the cabin crew again circulated the cabin, this time they dropped off a hot towel along with the menu for our flight.
Shortly thereafter the cabin crew again returned to offer post-departure beverages and warm nuts.
It was around this same time the crew took passenger orders for the in-flight meal service.
American Airlines A321T Business Class Menu
As with all American Airlines flights, premium cabin passengers can pre-select meal options online up to 24 hours before departure. I browsed the online menu days before the flight departed and the options offered online mirrored those offered in the in-flight menu. However, it is worth noting that “special” meals are available for those with dietary restrictions.
Inside the menu was a welcome message from American Airlines’ chief chef Sam Choy followed by the in-flight dining options. On our flight all passengers would get a beef carpaccio and a spring mix salad before the main course. For the main course passengers could choose before cumin braised pan roasted chicken, grilled halibut, or a vegetarian bolognese. For dessert passengers could choose between an ice cream sundae or a cheese plate (tough choice…).
On the right hand side of the menu was a listing of in-flight refreshments which could be requested throughout the flight. Lower on the page was a listing of alcohol options offered on our flight. Finally, on the reverse side of the menu was a listing of wine on offer.
Overall, I wasn’t that impressed by the meal options offered on our flight. Nothing really jumped off the page so I opted to the chicken as neither option sounded especially appealing.
American Airlines A321T Business Class Dining
About 15 minutes after placing my order the cabin crew began distributing the in-flight meals. At that time a few passengers deferred their meals to later in the flight without issue. The food arrived on the standard American Airlines business class white clothed trays filled with various plates.
Typically I’m not a big fan of American’s food, but the side salad was actually quite fresh and edible. The beef carpaccio was also good enough. However, the entrée I chose, was below average at best.
After picking at my entrée for a few minutes I decided to move on as it just simply was not good. The fight attendant seemed surprised that I didn’t want any more of my entrée and made sure to verify that I was in fact finished. It was at that time when she removed the half-eaten entrée that I ordered the highlight of the meal; the ice cream sundae.
While I’m not a huge fan of ice cream (sacrilege I know) the sundae on American features so much chocolate fudge sauce, fruit glaze, and cream that you can hardly taste the ice cream. I personally quite enjoyed the sundae for that reason alone.
American Airlines A321T Business Class WiFi
Shortly after reaching our cruising altitude the WiFi on the aircraft became active. I usually don’t purchase the WiFi on flights, but decided to give it a try for this flight. Rates were fairly reasonable, $12 for 1 hour or $16 for the whole flight. Considering the flight totaled over 6 hours, I’d say the $16 flight pass is reasonable. Our flight ended up lasting just over 7 hours due to unfavorable winds and ATC clearance.
After selecting the WiFi plan you first have to sign your life away to American and GoGo.
Next, you must verify your order and enter a promo code if applicable. I personally wish American gave premium cabin customers WiFi vouchers.
When you hit continue you’ll reach a payment page. On that page you’ll enter your credit card information, once submitted, you’ll reach a confirmation page.
Once you confirm you’re purchase you are all set to start using the in-flight WiFi.
Purchasing WiFi on the flight seemed a bit more cumbersome than I’d think necessary. I’m not sure why you have to confirm what you’re doing so many times. It’s shocking that you can purchase a flight with fewer steps which cost considerably more money.
American Airlines A321T Business Class In-Flight Entertainment
As I mentioned earlier, each business class seat features a large in-flight entertainment monitor. The in-flight entertainment system houses hundreds of movies, tv shows, music, and games similar to those offered on American’s long-haul flights. The screen is touch sensitive, but I found it easier to use the retractable in-flight entertainment hand-held remote.
The remote isn’t perfect and sometimes it get’s confused, but overall operating the IFE monitor with the remote works best.
Finding content is fairly intuitive, but it always surprises me how American sorts their entertainment. Often movies that I find “funny” won’t be included in the comedy section. Then, when you visit “all movies” you’ll find something you didn’t know was on there.
American does a pretty good job with the amount of content offered on their flight, but it seemed this domestic flight lacked when compared to its international counterparts. There was enough material on the IFE device to keep me occupied for the 7 hour flight, but if I took this route regularly I would run out of content quickly.
American Airlines A321T Business Class Lavatory
The lavatory on the A321T is located between the First and Business Class cabins. Given it’s location it is only to be used by those sitting in either cabin. This is nice because in general it leads to a tidier lavatory throughout the flight. That being said, the lavatory was not that much different from the standard economy bathrooms.
Yep, sure looks like your standard airplane bathroom to me.
Happily, the lavatory remained in this condition throughout the flight.
American Airlines A321T Business Class Bed
After visiting the lavatory for a few moments it was time to take a short nap before landing in San Francisco. When arriving at our seats during the boarding process all passengers found Casper branded bedding on their seats. The plastic wrapped bedding featured a large fluffy pillow and a fairly thick comforter. Surprisingly, the bedding offered on this flight was as good as any I’ve found in a business class cabin.
When in lie-flat bed mode you’ll find additional seat controls near where the headrest resides in the upright position. These controls all you to move the seat down into bed mode or up into the upright position. There is also a small reading lamp available when the seat is reclined.
While trying the sleep the cabin wasn’t completely dark, but was dark enough to take a short nap. If your plan in so sleep throughout the flight I’d recommend making use of the eye mask included in the amenity kit. Also if trying to sleep, try to select a window seat. This will prevent anyone from having to wake you up or climb over you while you sleep.
Overall, I had a very nice nap on this flight. The cabin was quite warm at first, but I was able to open the air vent above me which cooled down my seat significantly. With the air vent open I had no problem sleeping at all.
American Airlines A321T Business Class Arrival
With about an hour left in the flight the cabin crew turned on the cabin lights and began the arrival procedures. This included passing out warm cookies to all business class passengers.
The cabin crew also circulated the cabin at this time with glasses of sparkling water for all passengers.
Before long we finally made it onto the ground in San Francisco. Our flight ended up landing about 30 minutes behind schedule due to a poor ATC routing and unfavorable winds. Given the additional flight time I was extremely happy my upgrade cleared and I had the luxury of sitting in a lie-flat bed.
Final Thoughts
Summing this flight up is rather difficult. I say that because on the one hand, it’s far superior than flight economy of even traditional domestic flight class across the country. Also, this isn’t a one-off flight with a larger aircraft. The A321T flight are standard from JFK to SFO/LAX daily! While other airlines offer similar transcontinental premium cabin products, American allows you to upgrade to the premium cabin just like on any other domestic flight. For all of those reasons I absolutely love this flight and the A321T business class product.
Likewise, the seat chosen for this particular flight is a winner. The seat doesn’t feel as confined herringbone and reverse herringbone seats offered on larger aircraft. Often times those seats feel quite restrictive around the shoulders and feet when in the lie-flat position, but I didn’t notice that at all with this seat.
While all of this feels extremely positive (and it is), the elephant in the room is the catering and service. At the end of the day, this is an American Airlines operated domestic flight. The food was fine, but as with international flights, I’m going to make sure to eat beforehand in the Flagship Lounge. The service was again fine, but on a few occasions the crew missed the mark. This included forgetting a drink order and just overall slow service.
So, if you’re an American Airlines loyal customer and need to fly across the country on a budge, this is absolutely the way to go. However, if you’re paying for this flight our of your own pocket, I’d suggest looking into other options such as JetBlue Mint or possibly Cathay Pacific JFK – Vancouver as alternatives.
