My family and I recently flew Los Angeles – Sydney on American Airlines in first class. We were able to redeem points for four tickets, which is half the cabin.
American Airlines is eliminating Flagship First Class in favor of more business and premium economy seats on its fleet of Boeing 777-300ER aircraft. The end of first class on the last U.S. carrier to offer it internationally is sad to me, but the project has been pushed back. At one point I wondered whether my trip to Sydney and back two years ago would be my last in first class on the aircraft. In fact, I’m planning to fly it again next month, too.
As American has planned to wind down the offering, they’ve really let the product slide.
- They no longer differentiate meal service. First class meals are the same as business class, plus the addition of a soup course.
- Amenity kits are essentially the same contents as in business class – and premium economy.
- Flight attendants no longer even set your table. Everything is just served on a tray, and utensils come wrapped in the napkin on the tray.
There’s nothing first class (or even business class) about the wine program. There’s no Australian wines on Australia routes, even departing Sydney. I don’t remember the last time a flight attendant offered turndown service. And with these planes slated to go in for retrofit, it seems like the airline is letting cabin maintenance slip.
In spite of all of that, I still really like American’s Flagship First Class and will miss it.
- It offers first class lounge access – so American’s Flagship First Dining in Dallas and Miami, and Chelsea lounge at New York JFK. And it means use of the Qantas first class lounge in Los Angeles and Sydney (and Cathay Pacific first class lounge at London Heathrow). oneworld Emerald access provides that but only for the member and one guest. I was traveling as a group of four passengers.
- The bedding is quite good, and far more substantive than in business class! They still offer pajamas in first class, while they’ve eliminated them in business class on even the longest routes.
- The physical footprint of the seat is just so much larger than in business class. The seat was antiquated even when it was launched a dozen years ago and even more so now. And there’s virtually no storage to speak of. But the personal space is still a real luxury and not feeling cramped is more relaxing.
- The smaller cabin of just eight seats – not being surrounded by a sea of people – is absolutely key to tranquility. We were four of the seats and so half the cabin! It’s not flying private, but much closer to private than being ‘crammed in’ (first world problems to many, I suppose) in business class.
Since American was offering first class at just a 10,000 mile premium over business class, it was a no-brainer for me. I’d take that on a flight that’s over 13 hours every single time (even times four, and in both directions, I do have a lot of miles).
The American Airlines Cabin In Disrepair
About four hours before our flight from Los Angeles to Sydney, my wife’s seat was changed. I thought, either someone important had her moved or the seat is broken. The Occam’s American Airlines Razor version said this had to be a broken seat.
Fortunately the cabin was booked to seven of the eight seats, and in fact it was blocked at seven. Since the cabin wasn’t yet full, my wife was moved to a seat that was supposed to work.
Of course it didn’t totally work, even in the new seat. Her inflight entertainment system – both the screen and the controller – were broken. My controller and my daughter’s would both fritz, too, but would start working again (my system would freeze from time to time).
The Flight To Sydney Was Fine
We boarded from gate 155 out of the Tom Bradley International Terminal, which made the Qantas lounge convenient. We’d checked in at Flagship (which no longer has a direct door outside the terminal but requires walking inside the main terminal and approaching staff there). We had a walk over, then, but the Qantas lounge is ‘on the way’ into TBIT when you do that.
On boarding there was an amenity kit at my seat. Pajamas and menus were distributed. Predeparture champagne, orange juice and water was offered. Considering that we board early for a long haul departure (and we weren’t running late), that there are only 8 seats in the cabin, and that this is international first class it seems silly to do a limited predeparture beverage service.
The pajamas that American provides – now only in first class and not business on this route – are fine but not nearly the quality of 2012. Those I still use and bring with me on long haul flights in business class. And is it really too much to ask for pockets? That’s something many carriers get wrong in their pajamas.
Once in the air, water bottles were distributed after the nut and olive canape.
The meals remain undifferentiated from business class, and fine business class meals compared to (say) United but not meals you’d be happy with on the ground. Here’s the menu:
The bedding American Airlines uses is surprisingly good and robust. That’s one of the real benefits of their first class product. Service was generally friendly and helpful (though they don’t proactively offer to set up the bed).
I actually fell asleep as they were preparing the meal. When I woke up I decided to have just starter, main and dessert, or at least barely nibble on each of those.
Here’s the midflight snack setup in the galley (it’s more extensive in the bar area) and the sliders which – while not as good as Delta’s Shake Shack burger – weren’t terrible.
Breakfast, though, was largely inedible. It boggles my mind how cheap this is even for business class. Low quality bacon, some kind of egg substance, and unripe fruit plus a packaged croissant of some sort. The potatoes were mostly flavorless, which was their best attribute. At least American still has an espresso machine onboard and I can have a double espresso in lieu of coffee.
Return Flight From Sydney To Los Angeles
We boarded our return flight, and all the seats in the cabin appeared to be functional – a plus!
Flight attendants were handing out pajamas but most passengers declined, because they only had the “small/medium” onboard. Lucky I’ve lost so much weight, they fit!
The amenity kit was the same as on the outbound. I was actually a bit disappointed, since they’d announced a new limited-edition kit a few days prior. I have another American Airlines Flagship First Class flight next month, so hopefully I’ll see it then.
The meal – while the business class meal! – was actually quite tasty. I was happy with the steak.
The midflight prepared snack was fine, and breakfast was a little bit better than on the outbound (you could actually eat it this time).
It’s remarkable how cheap American Airlines is with the product. One thing when you spend so little on wine, I suppose customers drink less. So you don’t just have a lower cost per bottle, you buy fewer bottles too. I can’t imagine they save that much money doing the same amenity kit contents in first class as in premium economy though. That’s just lazy.
Still, this is one of the best ways to do a Pacific crossing between the U.S. and Australia. I’d gladly fly Flagship First over business class on Qantas, United or Delta. And I’m sad that this option will go away, even if I’m equally sad the depths to which the airline has allowed their offering to sink.
I don’t know. Those pictures just look kinda sad…..
Nice report. Thanks for it. Such a fun seat. Good memories but looking forward to the retrofits.
I don’t think anyone disagrees that the product has fallen far, but it’s not technically correct that the meals are the same as business (at least for the main meal service). The menu in flagship first is actually different from flagship business on the same flight, the entree choices are not the same. Also, you get a choice of 2 appetizers in FF, unlike biz. Also, the FA plates the entrees onboard after heating the items in aluminum tins, as opposed to business class where everything is pre-plated and heated directly in the dish. I’ve found the FF food marginally better than biz. I personally will miss FF and wish American had instead decided to differentiate itself with a new better product.
Having flown this same route r/t in J 3 different times since 2022 the product has deteriorated, especially the food. The 300-ER needs a drastic interior overall too. “Long in the tooth” doesn’t say enough.
Gary, you missed your calling to be a food critic! Enjoyed the review.
I agree with Thing 1. The images of American Airlines’ first-class service appear quite disappointing. Instead of labeling it as American Airlines Business Class, why not introduce a new passenger option between business and premium economy? American Airlines could name it “American Airlines Second Class.”
Is it any wonder somemofnUS flyers will go to some lengths to avoid domestic carriers? Consistently trending incorrectly in the premium product class.
I flew First Class from Lima to Miami on an A321neo. That is a very degraded First Class experience.
Epic Humblebrag
Great review, Gary. Not sure why American has opted to abandon the international FlagShip First onboard product; not even saving the brand for Row 1 on its 777 fleet.
There’s still a decent demand for long haul international passengers who simply want the larger seat/suite and premium bedding vs standard business class and are willing to pay for it. I guess the smaller “FlagShip Suite Preferred” on row one on the new 787P is supposed to do that, will be interesting to see the comparative RASM is for these seats.
I could swear that steak–and I’ve had it 3 times (once it was inedible half-fat), is actually a sirloin, not a tenderloin. I only eat tenderloin at home, so I should know the difference.
The last 3 times I flew FF to/from Australia I went to extreme lengths to prepare all my own food and bring it with me.
“Can you please take this bag of oats, and add some boiling water?
was met with the FA grabbing it out of my hand and marching off.
The mid-flight snack was, literally raw cruciferous vegetables. Have you ever eaten raw broccoli?
Disrepair and egg substance fake eggs? Says it all
AMERICAN please do better in any class 🙁
The whining and entitlement reminds me why I usually skip this blog.
Stop whining. With everything that’s going wrong with the world you sound like a narcissistic selfish 3 year old. Just shut up and either take your trips with the new policies or not but the rest of the world is more concerned with real problems.
I sometimes think Gary logs off then logs back in as @Leo or @Stephen J Newhouse and makes a comment about whining just to generate clicks.
In any case, I wonder why we endure entitled FA’s and crappy food. I deal with it by bringing my own and being glad the seat is good.
That doesn’t mean I won’t complain.
@KPR — Know your aircraft. Your international “Business Class” (or domestic First) recliner on an a321neo is pretty lame, compared to actual Flagship First on 773.
@Stephen J Newhouse — Sir, this is a Wendy’s… but, seriously, this is VFTW, Gary’s blog, and he’s a thot leader.
I too recently flew (in March) AA from SYD-LAX in 1st and if I had to pay cash, would have chosen QF. We had flown AA LAX-AKL on the 2 class plane and the bed was quite comfortable and the service very good. Since the SYD return was only 10K more miles from bsns to 1st we chose that option – however the cost difference had we paid case was tremendous and definitely not worth the cost. While I like the fact that there’s only 8 seats up front the bed was extremely uncomfortable – we slept much better on the 78 to AKL – overall, a mediocre experience at best. Sadly, we were unable to use miles on the QF flights until near the time of our flight and the only thing available was coach so not an option for us rather large people, but having taken the QF flights many times between LAX-SYD & MEL on both the 747 & 380, there is just no comparison between comfort, service and overall product.
OOO… I’m actually going to the Stellenbach winery in a few days, if our ship ever makes it to Cape Town (boo) – presently on the Crown Princess World Cruise. Amazingly I don’t think I’ve ever had South African wine before.
@ Gary – Thanks, you just ruined my upcoming FF DFW-LHR in 2 weeks. Actually, as long as they have good bedding, ice cream and the seat operates properly, I’m good.
Thanks for the well-written article, Gary. I’m always amused by the people who rush to tell frequent flyers or travel content creators to “stop whining” when they share thoughtful critiques of premium airline products that cost thousands, sometimes tens of thousands, of dollars. It’s almost always clear they’ve never actually paid for such experiences themselves. If they had, they might understand that when you’re paying that much, reasonable standards of quality aren’t entitlement — they’re common sense.
@Gene — Bah, don’t let Gary take Flagship First away from you, sir. It’s still a good time on the 773 while it lasts. Enjoy that one-of-its-kind swivel! Pajamas, maybe. Yes, to the sundae!
@Mike Hunt — That was actually a good take! See, we can get along, sometimes… *wink*
“When I woke up I decided to have just starter, main and dessert, or at least barely nibble on each of those.”
I highly doubt that …: put down the sundae
Exact what you would expect from the airline that is consistently rated as the worst of the US3 and doesn’t even make the top 80 global airlines.
You really make terrible decisions when choosing airlines to fly on. It would have been far better for the reader if you had reviewed Qantas or United; we already know that AA has to be avoided.
Poor, poor baby!
@Mary: But United doesn’t hand out miles like candy, so it’s much harder to fly a family of 4 in points, and United doen’t offer an F cabin on anything international anymore, so there’s no F product to review.
@KPR
There is no FC on a 321 its Business Class !
@Tim ja — As I tried to describe above, it’s actually more nuanced than that, but it probably doesn’t matter much to the typical passenger who doesn’t care about these distinctions.
So, it depends on specific type of a321 and the particular route. With American Airlines aircraft, if it’s any a321 that isn’t the a321T, then it’s only 2 class and it’s got ‘recliners’ up front (no lie-flat). Then, depending on the route, such as to international destinations in North America, that forward, ‘premium’ cabin will likely be called “Business” class, while if it were a domestic route, the same seats, would be called “First” class. The remaining nuance with American is whether it’s ‘Flagship’ First, which is often ‘lie-flat’ (not recliner) on a321T transcontinental domestic routes, or the 773, which was the actual focus of Gary’s post above, 3-or-4 class, Flagship First (lie-flat suite with the swivel chair), Flagship Business (lie-flat), Premium Economy (recliners), then Economy.
@Mike Hunt — Please do read my description above (from experience) and tell me again that I’m a Basic (b*tch) Economy flyer who never leaves his basement. Bah!
One has to wonder what American’s executives are thinking. Are they trying to compete with Spirit or Frontier in a race to the bottom? They were once a proud company with good management, semi-happy employees and loyal customers. Now, they are just mediocre at best. Is it the union mentality? Management vs the unions? “This is what we want to do.” “That’s not in our contract.” Well, United is heavily unionized and, while they have some issues, they are nothing compared to American. Meanwhile, Delta pays their employees well, treats them well and seems to have a “happy bunch of campers” treating the customers with the reminder in their heads, “This person is paying my salary” attitude.
The only issue I have here is kids in First, especially using miles (discounts?) for child’s tickets. Just because you can doesn’t mean you should.
@Gary I think your assessment is fairly accurate. I have spent hours and hours (HKG and LHR) in these seats and love the real estate they provide. The service has just been a race to the bottom since Mr. Isom became CEO. Both my wife and I agree and she’s disappointed since she used to teach his children. AA has become untenable for me thanks to the constant reduction in service quality. After Decades as CK, EXP and on this blog, a defender of AA I am d-o-n-e. They can have their CITI cr card back before it renews. I am switching to Flying Blue. Sadly that means Delta in the US but I am not a domestic flyer really.
AA Flagship First was once quite OK — and depending on the price in $$ or miles may still be if you understand you are buying real estate — but I now look forward to AF A350 business instead. At least AF doesn’t try to fob me off with Dry Sack as a dessert wine, an egregious error I see AA is trying to correct with a cheap Tawny port.
I don’t understand why so many travelers are obsessed with amenity kits, I invariably leave mine behind when the plane lands. What do people do with them when they take them home?
I flew this route back a week ago from Sydney in First. Jane Fonda was sitting across from my wife and was dealing with a major cold. The food was ok and definitely better than anything I ever get from any United long haul flight for example. My outbound was on Qantas. Their seats are also goign to get an upgrade. I was in business. Food better on Qantas. But the service was very attentive on American and I have to say I have nailed some good crews on SYD-LAX and MIA-LHR. in First or business. American also semes to release last min space and the amount of miles can change constantly. In the middle of the night (I had jetlag) I saw a great deal to change my return flight and add a few days in First. With no reasoning the miles can change back and forth by the day. If flying American always check your return flights to see changes.
@ElliottS I have not flown Qantas F in yrs, but lately a number of flights in business. I am always impressed with the Qantas crew and they go out of their way. The reddit Qantas board seems to have people complaining, but I have no idea why. I like the seats and everything always works at least my experiences.
I have only flown the 777-300ER once and it was a month ago. Booked into J; my systemwide cleared into F for MAD-JFK. I had a good crew and they did do a lot of the little things such as set up the table and bring the courses one at a time. My trip into MAD was a 787-8 so only J. The FA there said they would serve all at once by default because we left after 10pm, but did offer alternatives if wanted.
I guess it depends on the crew. I definitely saw some of the tiredness of the hard product not being maintained well, but the Wi-Fi worked and I got things done. Seat was comfy and spacious.
And yes, the Chelsea lounge at JFK was fantastic given a fairly long layover.
@Makfan — Chelsea at JFK T8 is indeed excellent. Glad your trip went well! Did you get pajamas on MAD-JFK in Flagship First, or was it ‘too short?’ Flew DEL-JFK in First and got ’em. Not bad.
@1990 meh I’ve been to Chelsea several times it’s good because there are less people but after I went to the D1 lounge it is night and day difference. Everything in the D1 lounge from the food and facilites is just nicer. Couldn’t believe the difference since the Chelsea is only a few years older than the D1 lounge. I do love the fire place in Chelsea especially during Christmas months.
@UnitedEF — Oh, you’re making @Tim Dunn’s day.
I suppose the relative ‘quiet’ and extra ‘exclusivity’ of Chelsea is its strength. Ah, the fireplace. Yes, it was around before DeltaOne, so for a few years, it was really the ‘best’ at JFK. However, it is tucked away, no view, which is kind of surprising that AA/BA decided to give Soho the windows. Tiny restrooms, shower. Not really much more amenities. So, point taken.
As for DeltaOne, I’ve been them at JFK and LAX, so far. They’ve got it all; the views, the special dining facilities, spas, etc. Delta really went above and beyond with this. Long-overdue. Looking forward to trying BOS, and can’t wait to see more of them soon (SLC, SEA, ATL, etc.)
It’s interesting to see what people are willing to pay more for. All I want is the extra space. I don’t need pj’s or alcohol to dehydrate me more on long flights. I don’t look to flights for great food (although some foreign airlines manage it for all passengers). This is one more demerit for AA, which continues to expand their routes in a time of less travel, instead of fixing their problems.