A firsthand trip report flying American's new A321XLR Flagship Suite from JFK to LAX, plus connecting flights, lounges, and crew service.
Nicely done, @Espresso_Frankfurt! That's quite the routing you completed (talk about, 'take the long way home!') Wow, that ride with Santa Monica Flyers! (And great 'VIP' siting at LAX!)
At JFK T8, by 'Flagship Lounge' I presume you mean Greenwich as opposed to Soho/Chelsea (curious about access, if say, oneworld Emeralds on the transcon can still go to Soho, or are they excluding it?) I'm scheduled on XLR between LAX-JFK later this year. Looking forward to trying it.
Also, as far as 'standard device charging' you mean that there was no USB-C? (Or, literally no outlet whatsoever?) The lack of USB-C is odd for a new aircraft. Apologies that the US apparently hasn't adopted USB-C enough (but really should).
Thank you! It was a rare treat- really a mileage redemption of the caliber from the 'good ole' days' when OMAAT was just getting fired up! Yes, it was the Greenwich lounge. Not sure about access to Soho. The last picture over the Pacific was actually taken from the takeoff towards DFW. Still, that's not a huge problem. It was so funny, my CFI said that the school had 2 customers there just on layovers that very morning, but that it almost never happened in general! The taxi ride over was not bad at all. Especially after a week in the even more terrible traffic of NYC, the pleasant ride from LAX to Santa Monica Airport was a breeze.
For the charging cord, there wasn't a place to plug my base into. Not sure what was going on there.
Hope you enjoy your A321XLR trip too! The espresso option really made me happy.
Great shots, either way! Yes, we are indeed known for our traffic in NYC; consider yourself sorta lucky in August, because it's even worse in September, during UN Week(s).
As for the on-board espresso, especially given your namesake, that is fantastic! (I think jetBlue, ironically, may have been the first US carrier to install machines when they launched Mint. I've always liked that, too, and glad to hear AA implemented it as well! Their cold-brew is excellent as well.)
That is good to know on the charging ports; XLR is supposed to have a universal AC power outlet (which should work with most non-US adapters), a USB-C port, and wireless charging at each suite. I'm gonna 'inspect' when I fly it. I'll see about Soho in a few weeks, too.
Great, sounds good. I don't know how that happened with the charging cord, but I showed the thoughtful FA my ending, and she gave me her adapter. Very nice of her to be willing to do that! Someone who wouldn't care would obviously just be like "oh well, don't do that again." Like Ben has said, there's terrific AA employees, mediocre I don't give a **** ones, and downright hostile ones. Thankfully everyone on this trip was on the upper end, except for a couple of the ground crew.
Not sure what plug you needed, but AA's seat on the XLR had the only wireless charger that has ever worked for me on a plane.
My family flew the 321XLR back in January. While I enjoyed that the produce was new, I feel like the herringbone config is outdated. If you need to get up while your food tray is in front of you (like to help your toddler open a bag of goldfish) you need to get an FA to help because it’s blocking your aisle access. I remember the one bathroom’s sink wasn’t working so they filled it with individual alcohol wipes, gross! Not sure I’d fly this aircraft transcon again due to the layout.
Yeah, on the herringbone, AA, B6, and UA, each messed up on that. Thankfully, Alaska seems to have gotten the message, and appears to be installing it's new lie-flat suites facing the windows (reverse herringbone); though, we may have to wait a few more years for those 737max10.
It wasn't my preference, but... eh, didn't bother me as much as I thought it would. Just annoying to turn when you wanted to look out the window. Despite the contortion, I still enjoyed staring at the Grand Canyon for 20 minutes when we flew over it (and took some great pictures).
Yeah, it could be better, but there's enough room that nobody's feet should be gracing the aisles, haha. I thought it was still pretty comfortable, but you're definitely looking straight on at people while they board.
Not that you should have to, but if it’s been more than a few minutes, ring the F/A. The tell would be whether he/she hopped to it or was surly.
Yes, I could have done that. I didn't necessarily need a refill, but it would have been nice to be asked, and which point I definitely would have gotten something else.
The Bradley Terminal has an Admiral’s Club? Where is it?
It's a temporary lounge while Terminal 4 construction continues. As mentioned above its in the space that Gate 151/153 would be.