While I fly American quite a bit, I’ve almost never knowingly flown with the same flight attendant more than once, given how many there are (26,000+). Earlier this year I wrote about how I had an amazing flight attendant, and as luck would have it, I had him again today. He’s an absolute delight, and I just can’t help but give him a shout out.
In this post:
I had a great business class flight with Arthur earlier this year
One of the issues with flying US airlines on long haul flights is that service is consistently inconsistent. Some flight attendants are awesome, while others don’t really put in the effort. Back in March 2024, I flew American’s 777 business class from London to Miami, and what made the flight so great was Arthur, the flight attendant working my section.
Let me just copy and paste what I wrote about him in my review:
His service was simply perfect, and exactly what I hope for when flying with a US airline. He was efficient, genuinely friendly, and informal. Just to give some examples:
- He greeted each passenger in his section at the beginning of the flight — “my name is Arthur, and if there’s anything I can do to make you comfortable, please let me know”
- I appreciated the polite tone with which he communicated — “have you had a chance to decide which entree you’d like today?”
- He performed the entire meal service so efficiently, all while not making anyone feel rushed; I asked if I could wait about five minutes to have dessert, to which he responded “your schedule is my schedule”
- During the meal service, he never let a glass get anywhere close to empty, and the question was always phrased as something along the lines of “what else can I get you?” (in other words, “you’re not inconveniencing me by asking for anything”)
- Throughout the entire nine hour flight, he must have checked on passengers every 10 minutes to see if they wanted anything; when he was on his break, his colleagues did the same thing in his absence
Arthur is an absolute rockstar, and I hope I get to fly with him again. If all American crews were as good as he is, I’d fly American all the time on long haul flights. What a breath of fresh air.
I had Arthur on my flight again today, on the same route!
I’m currently flying American’s 777 first class from London to Miami (I wasn’t supposed to be on this flight and booked it just hours before departure… I’ll explain in a separate post). The crew working first class is nice, in a Waffle House kind of way.
Toward the end of the first meal service, a flight attendant from business class came up to first class, and noticed the guy across from me was going to rest, and asked him “can I make your bed for you?” A proactive offer of turndown service on American?! Since he seemed so happy to do it, I asked if he didn’t mind making mine my bed as well. His response? “Absolutely, I’d be delighted to.”
I’m running on basically no sleep over the past week, so at first I just thought the guy seemed awfully nice, but didn’t think much more of it. But a few moments later, it clicked. “Wait a second, this guy is really nice, and I had a really nice flight attendant on the same route months ago… could it be the same guy?”
I’ve gotta be honest, I’m awful with faces and names when I only meet someone once — I’ll always remember how they made me feel, but I won’t remember what they looked like. Since I had forgotten his name, I pulled up the trip report I had written, and saw that his name was Arthur.
I went back to business class (where he was initially working), and said “you’re Arthur, aren’t you?” He was indeed! It was nice to be able to chat with him briefly, and tell him how his kindness left a lasting impression (and he also thanked me, and mentioned that my review had been brought to his attention).
He explained that he basically exclusively flies the Miami to London route nowadays, and does it about half a dozen times per month. So if you fly between Miami and London on American in business class, cross your fingers that you get Arthur, because you’ll be in for a great experience. It’s not just carriers like Singapore Airlines that can provide great service.
People like Arthur, who provide hospitality from the heart, and put their best foot forward every day, leave a lasting impression with the people they interact with. What an asset to the airline.
Bottom line
It’s a small world. Earlier this year I had a great American flight attendant on a London to Miami flight, and as I wrote about in my review, I hoped I’d get to fly with him again. Well, on my very next long haul American flight, the same flight attendant was onboard, and just as lovely. If you fly between Miami and London in business class, keep an eye out for Arthur.
Let me of course also acknowledge that there are lots of other great flight attendants out there, so my praise of Arthur isn’t intended to take away from the effort of other flight attendants, as I’ve heard some pretty awesome service stories about other crew members as well.
I agree it’s a treat to have great FAs. My 3 LongHaul Polaris flights have been outstanding due to senior FAs (former PanAm on at least 1 flight :-; )
I had a similar experience last month on a flight from LHR-DFW in J. Tim was amazing, checking in every 10-20 minutes. Offering to setup your bed or get you ready for lunch. During my conversation with him, he revealed that he had been flying with AA for 53 years! Amazing service that truly made lasting impression. Many of AAs younger staff could learn quite a bit from him.
Awesome! Great job Arthur!
I've also had amazing frequent AA FA experiences. Christian, MIA based, but somehow always flew with him LAX-SYD in J. A smile and service that is always amazing. I think he mainly works MIA-GRU, a route that I only take maybe twice a year. He's a joy.
Peter, what a story. When AA flew LAX-YYZ nonstop, was on the flight about once a week, and he was always the F...
Awesome! Great job Arthur!
I've also had amazing frequent AA FA experiences. Christian, MIA based, but somehow always flew with him LAX-SYD in J. A smile and service that is always amazing. I think he mainly works MIA-GRU, a route that I only take maybe twice a year. He's a joy.
Peter, what a story. When AA flew LAX-YYZ nonstop, was on the flight about once a week, and he was always the F FA. Hilarious and kind guy....every time I stepped off the plane he gave me a bag of all the little liquor bottles still left on the plane, even though I never drank on the plane (my local YYZ friends enjoyed the love). He did try to get "fresh" one time inflight, but that was no offense to me...by that time, after all of our flights together, we were friends.
Linda from ATH last year. What a joy. Paxs actually clapped for her after we arrived and exited. A bright star.
Are you reviewing American Airlines International First class one last time ?
The over under is 2 1/2 out of 5 stars .
AA MIA ground crew ... probably the worst airline employees I've ever met. I used to fly out of there at least once a week. There was one in particular who seemed to delight in being unpleasant.
Ben, do you remember Janesis/Wong Chin from Singapore Airlines back in 2012-ish? IIRC you were the only passenger in SQ F on a flight between Singapore and Tokyo, and were absolutely mesmerised by her service. It feels like Arthur left a similar impression to her - I know you ended up having a couple of flights with Janesis serving you. Were you thinking of Janesis when you directly mentioned Singapore Airlines in this article? I...
Ben, do you remember Janesis/Wong Chin from Singapore Airlines back in 2012-ish? IIRC you were the only passenger in SQ F on a flight between Singapore and Tokyo, and were absolutely mesmerised by her service. It feels like Arthur left a similar impression to her - I know you ended up having a couple of flights with Janesis serving you. Were you thinking of Janesis when you directly mentioned Singapore Airlines in this article? I know you wrote a post a few days back detailing memorable experiences in the distant past, so I wonder if anyone remembers the review of that flight. I believe it was from the "Singapore For The Weekend" trip report.
https://onemileatatime.com/singapore-for-the-weekend-singapore-airlines-first-class-singapore-to-tokyo-narita/
Google is a lot better for searching for old trip reviews
What a great acknowledgement for one of the 'great" flight attendants! We fly American often....and recently had them in First on our return flight from LHR to LAX......part of a BA ticket. No one even bothered to ask about making up the beds...and I kept wondering if this was due to us flying east to west? As we do always fly First Class but only Los Angeles to Europe 2-3 times per year. As I...
What a great acknowledgement for one of the 'great" flight attendants! We fly American often....and recently had them in First on our return flight from LHR to LAX......part of a BA ticket. No one even bothered to ask about making up the beds...and I kept wondering if this was due to us flying east to west? As we do always fly First Class but only Los Angeles to Europe 2-3 times per year. As I was wondering if since you are flying into "earlier" time zones....does this make it less likely that flight attendants think that you may want to sleep for a few hours? Forgive my ignorance please......but back to the topic! WELL done ARTHUR! Hope to fly with you one day soon....
Wouldn’t happen on Delta
I had a similar experience on AA27 LAX-HND thanks to Elaine last year. She had 39 years of experience and it would be 40 years now.
She was the most cheerful, attentive and proactive flight attendant I've ever seen. The flight was delayed by 4 hours but she never lost smile on her face until deplaning. She addressed each passenger with their name, everything she did was on point and catered to each one....
I had a similar experience on AA27 LAX-HND thanks to Elaine last year. She had 39 years of experience and it would be 40 years now.
She was the most cheerful, attentive and proactive flight attendant I've ever seen. The flight was delayed by 4 hours but she never lost smile on her face until deplaning. She addressed each passenger with their name, everything she did was on point and catered to each one. It felt like she was reading my mind. When she saw me walking along the aisle, she even checked which one was vacant and opened the door for me.
I've flown many Asian and Middle Eastern carriers but no flight was as good as this one.
With FAs like Elaine and Arthur, I think AA has the potential to be a "premium" airline if only the management really try, but it's hard to imagine with their current leadership..
That’s because you haven’t had me as a flight attendant yet But, I’m glad Arthur made such an impression. I wish more people took being a flight attendant as seriously as Arthur and I do.
Believe me - we all wish that too!! :-)
I am so happy for you, Ben. I clearly remember the March article. Back in the day....LONG ago at Pan Am we tended to have regular pax in First & Clipper (the world was much smaller 40 years ago) and it was a delight to get to really know these guests and their preferences and provide an exceptional service for them.
Good flight attendant and make a trip so much better. It's a vibe, and seeing professionalism is inspiring.
Pre pandemic there was an AA male flight attendant (on the shorter side, Caucasian, short hair) that would service business/first on flights from LAS or possibly SFO to CLT, maybe DCA. His name may have been Jeff or Geoffrey. I had the pleasure of flying with him twice years a part. He'd fill your drink before...
Good flight attendant and make a trip so much better. It's a vibe, and seeing professionalism is inspiring.
Pre pandemic there was an AA male flight attendant (on the shorter side, Caucasian, short hair) that would service business/first on flights from LAS or possibly SFO to CLT, maybe DCA. His name may have been Jeff or Geoffrey. I had the pleasure of flying with him twice years a part. He'd fill your drink before it was empty, and grab the glass before one dozed off. Any thoughts on who this was? I seem recall a post on here that may have identified him. It was not Arthur or I don't think it was.
I was a flight attendant for AA based in Miami for 8 years. Without needing to read all the details I knew immediately which Arthur Ben was writing about. He is truly a gem, and as wonderful as he is with the passengers he’s an even more amazing colleague to have. Never a dull moment and so full of laugh and light. Congrats on your shout out, Arthur! This one is well-deserved.
I’m a flight attendant for nearly 35 years….i wish I had the honor of working with him….it reminds me of when I was first flying at Northwest Orient….it was common to work with great crew….all onthe same page…kudos to Arthur….he sounds like a class act…..!
I fly AA MIA-CDG a lot when it’s operating and I always get the same FAs! The LAA MIA FAs tend to be really nice and do a proper service. AA if you read this Gilles is awesome!
Glad to hear it. Nice uplifting story!
Wholesome content!
Most AA flight attendants are half decent. (The top 5% are really good.) Where AA really comes up short is ground staff, including gate agents. They can be ill mannered. AA obviously knows this is a problem but has not taken steps to address. To the contrary, AA has exacerbated the problem by adding stress to ground crew (making D0 a topline goal) and increasing opportunities for confrontation (the beep when somebody is boarding out of order).
I don't find this to be the case but I tend to fly American in the hub cities and in the south. At LAX with so many other things going wrong it's kind of a refuge.
I'd hate to be a gate agent. One needs a little Gefängnislagerleiter in them to cope with that role. Passengers can be absolute pigs.
Zero sympathy for rude gate agents. There are plenty of nice ones. They all get the same passengers. If you are rude while others can be nice, you are the asshole and should die of cancer.
That's always a great surprise when you see the same amazing crew members again. My favorite AA flight attendant is ex-US, based out of BOS and I have actually been on her flights 4 times (same route- BOS-LAX), and it's always a delight.
There really are some gems in the former-US/Cactus crews. I’ve had the same lovely FA on PHX-MCI several times. I think most AA FAs are well intentioned. It’s been a long while since I’ve had anyone outright gruff or rude, but Arthur sounds like a star!
What an uplifting story , I enjoyed reading every word.
“The crew working First is nice, in a Waffle House kind of way.”
I love it!! Thanks for the chuckle!
I'm absolutely stealing that line hahaha
Not being an American, I am mystified at the Waffle House reference.
Anyone care to explain?
As an Australian who lived in the US I have to say that Waffle House is like Balinese tap water. If you didn’t grow up with it, there are going to be consequences.
Waffle House is chain 24/7 diner in the South USA. Known southern hospitality but sometimes the friendliness can come off forced instead of genuine. I imagine Ben is conveying the FAs were nice in an end of a 12hr shift kind of perfunctory way.