Review: American Airlines First Class 777-200 Chicago To Beijing

My one question is how AA isn't embarrassed to be charging thousands for that First Class product? Embarrassing.

Ben do people actually pay for US airlines intl F? Is there any need to have it? Surely anyone who is willing to pay for it would at some stage fly a foreign F flight, realise how much better it is, and never pay for US F ever again?
With a dreadful soft product why would anyone pay a premium over a decent J hard product?

You seemed to have had some luck getting 'couples' as FA in AA F. I almost thought that you had the same crew as you did on this trip: https://onemileatatime.com/weekend-in-paris-american-flagship-lounge-london-american-first-class-london-to-miami/

The translator of the menu must be over-qualified... Mr. Chase = 大通先生

I'm glad I'm not the only who appreciates pens in amenity kits, haha.

Dasani water in First Class!!!! That is so much US airlines!!! That is not even mineral water but tap water with a brand.

What does it mean that "be was more junior than Scott but was a language speaker"? Isn't everyone a language speaker?

Are Ben and Tiffany just friends or friends with benefits?:-)

Flying that cabin to China sounds not ideal, but for 67.5k when you can find it, I think those are the best seats to Europe. I'm 6'3". When I fly to Europe, I want a snack and sleep. That massive cabin and those large seats are the best and I'll miss them. For day flights or flights when I want to experience first class amenities the old AA flagship product is embarrassing. But especially from DFW or LAX flying east at night, there is no product that gets me to Europe more ready to go without burning a day or two to jet lag. 67.5k is now what you pay for biz with many programs. A comfortable bed, a decent champagne and desert, to Europe for that price is still pretty good.

Another honest review. Lucky: Do you know if AA provides 'full' F service on their shorter, e.g. ORD-LHR, intl. flights? I read that it's moe like 'business plus', e.g. no pajyamas, reduced meal service.

Last year, I flew in F from ICN to DFW and the FA Scott and his wife were working that flight as well. I could not agree more that Scott is top notch and takes pride in his job and it shows. How nice that they are able to work/fly together. Pretty cool!

@Lucky, You should have gone back in Business Class, as we got the retro Amenity Kits. And since business was 30% full going, and 70% full coming back, I snagged a few extras. I got Allegheny going to PEK and Reno coming back.

Trip reports like this give me hope for the airlines in the US. I am a firm believer that service is what ultimately keeps customers coming back, and while the fleet is slowly getting upgraded its nice to know some of the FAs are going out of their way to make it a positive experience for customers.

I'll take Delta One over this any day. Good food, Westin Heavenly bedding, and friendly crews. Fully flat seats on all international flights, proper outlets and entertainment systems.

I know you like AA miles but this just looks miserable.

@02nz -- "language speaker" typically means that they're qualified in the language of the destination, in this case Mandarin.

@Neil S: +1!!! I hate Delta and what they've been doing with their loyalty program. However, I just flew their Delta One last week to and from Europe and in comparison with other US airlines it was by far the best business class option you can have. Of course it does not come close to Asian, ME and some of the European carriers but there is no doubt Delta offers the best business class product among US airlines. Seat was very modern and comfortable, pillow and comforter were very good quality, entertainment technology was pretty good and food and wine selections were pretty decent.

A lot of people say that Delta does not offer international "first class." Functionally, how is this different than Delta business class long haul? Looks the same to me (food may be better).

I hope you sent in an applause cert for Scott.

@Damon - On the Asian routes that will eventually be converted to 2-class 772's, AA often sells F for not much more than J.

@Anthony: That is probably one of the right things Delta has done lately. They know they cannot compete with the first class service and quality other international carriers offer so they just do not offer that. In the meantime, AA and United still keep an outdated class of service that they keep calling first class. And there are people that pay $15k plus to travel on that "first class" product.

didnt' American for a while early on in the 777's lives have two first class configurations- an Atlantic and a Pacific one? One of them had the swivel seats, others did not.

The product does look dated, indeed, but if it's being phased out there's not much more to complain about.

Great, balanced review Ben. Nine hours of sleep? What chemical inducement enabled that?

"I like me some sass!" Oops, there is an extraneous s preceding the last word. 🙂

@Mark: Really? How long have you been reading this blog?

@Santastico @Anthony: (Obviously) I agree Delta offers the best international premium product on a U.S. airline, and it's ironic that its Delta One / BusinessElite / whatever is quantifiably superior to first class on United and American. By cutting out a "first class," Delta can afford to focus on a singular premium cabin and provide an experience that is very much a hybrid of business class (with respect to seating and cabin size) and first (with respect to food/beverage, bedding and service). I think UA and AA are spread too thin with their cabins and honestly have no idea how to differentiate them other than to remove amenities from business class. (Best UA experience I ever had was flying BusinessFirst on a 2-cabin longhaul without "Global First"- I'm convinced 2 cabin service is better than 3 cabin service on American carriers.)

@Lucky - What kind of bag was visible in the early picture of 1D? Was that a Defy Bag? I'm not associated with them, so it's not a plug, but I was thinking of getting one.

Greg

It's hard to see in the pic, but my favorite part of the China immigration card is the "settle down" option under "purpose of visit."

Great report, Lucky! One point I noticed: at the top of the trip report it lists this flight duration as 10:35, rather than the 13:50 (I think) block time.

I'm not surprised the wine wasn't that great. I'd never heard of Wild South but apparently you can get a bottle of their 2014 Sav Blanc for less than US$10 locally 🙂

@ Greg -- Typo on my part, thanks! Fixed!

@ greg99 -- Nope, the bag is actually from a local place in LA. Will have a post about my carry-on situation soon.

@ Peter -- ROFL! No meds for me.

@ Adi-T -- Hmmmm, that must go back a really long while, as it pre-dates my time flying with them.

@ Anthony -- Soft product in Delta business class is probably better than in American first class. That being said, there's still something to be said for the added personal space of first class over business class.

@ Paul M. -- Grrr, color me jealous!

@ Casey -- Too funny. Small world!

@ Steve N. -- Yep, they provide full international first class service on flights to Europe as well.

@ 02nz -- "Language speaker" meant he spoke the language of the destination we were flying to (Mandarin), which gives them preferential bidding.

@ Jonathan -- Good memory!

@ Ben S -- Presumably not many. Keep in mind some companies have corporate contracts whereby they're getting huge discounts for first class on American, so they're paying business class prices for first class. For the most part it's filled with people upgrading from business class, though. Given how sub-par their business class is as well, I guess that's one way to incentivize people to pay for business class on American.

I flew with Scott R. on that same ORD-PEK flight back in mid-April when we had a 17hr delay. I cannot stress enough what an incredible purser he is - friendly, attentive... old school service and one who truly takes pride in his work. Demanded the same of his crew. I felt compelled to write to AA to tell them what a gem he is and that I wish every other FA at AA would follow his lead.

If you've ever wondered this is why I still return to your blog. I'm done with perpetually devalued points chasing and over hyped credit cards but even a revenue traveler can benefit from a proper trip report. It is my hope that you'll bring the routine trip reports back to the forefront and maybe find a better way to backup your work.

You always say "I love that American offers these in both first and business class on longhaul flights." in every single American trip report. Nevermind, covers up all the other non-first class aspects of American 'flagship' first class.

@ Planesandtrains -- Right, just as I mention the food sucks in just about every report. Just trying to be consistent. 😉

If you caught a smoggy sunset does that mean you were flying in sunlight the whole way?

@ Adi-T -- ewww, the old "coffin" F hard product. *Shudder* Thanks (not!) for the memories...

@damon. No. As long as US airlines keep their age old legacy programs SWU programs, absolutely no incentive to upgrade their product. I can't think of any other airline that does this.

I had the Boursin crusted beef filet on DFW-PEK (in F) and it was solid. My friend in biz who joined me for dinner had the chicken and he regretted it. The duck mid-flight snack is actually pretty tasty and considerably better than the pre arrival meal.

My return flight, I went with the sweet and sour chicken and that was good too. Try those options on your next trip. The lava cake with ice cream was good.

I've flown this plane LHR-DFW a few times, longest I've ever slept on a plane each time, perhaps the abysmal entertainment and fear of ingesting Americans food is why I decided just to sleep.

@ CM -- Got dark for a bit overnight, though not for long.

Lol at strawberries in a salad, how weird!!

Great TR though, thanks ad always!

Had the same crew today PEK-ORD. Scott was just as described; nice to see an AA FA who really cares about customers having a great experience. Eliot, on the other hand, was kind of a dick. He made some inappropriate comments to us, and fell down on some aspects of service (e.g., offering dessert by saying "can I get you a sundae?", when in fact there were 4 dessert choices).

Food was hit-or-miss. The scallops appetizer was good; wonton soup was bland; feta/onion salad was excellent; the sweet and sour chicken was gross, Panda Express quality soggy fried chicken chunks.

Yikes! With so many bad reports about AA's food I don't know what I'm in for. Flying JFK-LHR in the new 777-300ER 1st cabin. I only hope that this being my first time out of economy will help me ignore the negative aspects of AA food and service I've been reading so much about.

@ Ross -- If it's your first time flying anything other than economy I think you'll probably by pleasantly surprised. Enjoy the trip!

Does AA offer "full F" service on red eye flights between DFW and South America?
I am flying on a B772 in first between DFW and SCL and would like to know how is the service and what amenities do they offer on these flights.

Thanks for the report. There's currently a 600 USD price difference between F and J on a FRA-DFW-SCL roundtrip ticket, and I'm not sure if it's worth the money. After years of LAN I'm new to AA. Thanks for your help 🙂

FRA-DFW-FRA, would be on J class.
DFW-SCL-FRA, would be on F
If I were you, I would fly American, for me, the service is way better than LAN. The downside would be their aircraft, they are showing a little bit their age, but very well maintained (better than LATAM Airlines Group)

FRA-DFW flights are on B763.
For me, at least I would pay the extra USD600 for flying in a TRUE Lie-flat seat

Thanks for your review. We're looking at DFW to MAD next September. Right now it's showing the 777-200 V1. Any idea when/if the aircraft will be upgraded for this route?

Thank you Ben. This article was written in a respectful manner. Considering how much first class you have flown this must have been a bigger disappointment than was let on . American is taking the 777-200 off the ORD PEK route on March 4th. Between now and then except one day around the Chinese New Year the load factor in First Class is 1 / 15 almost everyday for the most part . I'm considering using a "buddy pass" to fly this route and go see the great wall. I also have the option of returning from PEK thru DFW on the 787 there is usually 10 -15 seats open in business class and no upgrade cue. Leaving DFW is a different story with a full cabin up front always but leaving PEK theres not much competition in the premium cabins. Or I can just fly first on the 777 both ways . For a blue collar guy I think it would be a great experience but not the experience of a lifetime that I would get from Cathay Pacific first class. There is almost always award availability on the LAX-HKG route 48 hours prior to departure and I am 100% flexible at the present time but I just don't see the 50K bonus miles from the Citi Aadvantage Card posting to my account in time before the March 21 deadline. I should be hitting the $3000 spend requirement in about a week . Next account statement close is about 2/17. I am new to the miles game . Going for a visa at the Chinese consulate tomorrow . Thanks for this website and all the free information you provide.

thought I would give AA FC a try from JFK to FCO this October using my miles, after reading this I'm not sure, seem the business class might be good enough but wanted to experience FC, maybe not on AA. Any experience on retrofit B777-200 on this route? Anyone

@ Paul -- If you can find a plane which is retrofitted then I think that's probably a good option in business class. Much fresher feeling cabin.

Just have say someone should lodge a class action against AA for false advertising NRT-DFW 777200 1st Class as first class. Its as described in your review. Hopping off singapore first into AA was just an embarassing contrast in what really is first class and what is not and highlights the USA vs. Asia pac carrier differences. At best its "lie flat discount business" and then compares poorly with say AirNZ Virgin or Singapore business. Its still worth the points i used to fly it ($2000usd return) and night and day vs economy and its All Goodman for me but if id bought it with hard earned tax paid dollars retail id cry. However at the end of the day its really a first world problem of little real consequence and it was flat and comfy, though not private, nor luxurious, nor stunning with no first class food or drink. Should have read the fineprint. I thought it was the dreamliner service - turns out thats the JAL AA codeshare for same route. AA know their product is sub par and are refitting this as bc and I suspect "outsourcing" their first class to JAL who probably do it right

Did you give Scott one of your EXP "recognition of excellent service" slips?