American Airlines' CONTROVERSIAL 737 MAX

well we're back in the u.s and if there's anything us americans love it's controversy the airline you choose is controversial the airplane you choose is controversial and even the seat you choose is controversial let's put all those together then and fly one of the most criticized and moaned about airlines on the world's most questionable and scrutinized plane in their new ultra cost cutting cabin that has frequent flyers all over the us complaining can it really be that bad let's find out shall we i'm nonstop dan a half sweden half american who's been obsessed with airplanes for as long as i can remember over the past seven years i've been lucky to call reviewing flights my job and in that time i've flown 150 different airlines virtually all self-funded because i'm really into this honesty thing nonstop dan is all about trying to get as much value as possible with my miles or when those are running low my money and then spreading the word so you guys get optimal value and can enjoy your travels to the max and hopefully enjoy my geeky videos along the way the thing to know about us airlines and their so-called first class cabins is that in comparison to airlines around the world the price premium is actually pretty reasonable that's not to say the upgrade is worth it for most people but if you need to work or know you'll want to sleep spending 50 to 60 extra dollars per hour of flight time could absolutely be worth it in this case my flight was pretty expensive in both cabins so i chose to redeem american airlines miles at just 10 000 points extra per person for first class each direction this was a no-brainer over choosing economy in my opinion in total we paid 50 000 miles and 182 dollars for two one-way tickets with points that i earned through the city a advantage platinum select world elite mastercard that's a mouthful now welcome to jamaica after a whirlwind four days traveling from kingston to montego bay it was time to wrap things up and after a freaky flat tire on the way to the airport fixed with some help at a nearby gas station we made it to the airport with 20 minutes to spare until check-in closed if big crowds still give you anxiety in a coveted world or a monkey pokes world woo hoo then look away i haven't seen an airport this busy in years luckily the priority check-in lines at american airlines moved quickly and our bags were checked in less than five minutes we then headed through security use priority pass to enter the lounge and have a quick drink and then headed to our gate american airlines operates a massive fleet of 737s including a lot of 737 max i assume you haven't been living under a rock and know what's been going on with this airplane but after around 2 years back in operation i don't feel too concerned about flying it anymore so one of the biggest ironies of flying in the us is that they always fill first class because they upgrade people for free so in the end our flight is completely sold out in first class and almost empty and economy so if you're elite especially where you get to choose extra legroom seats for me on a flight like this i'd much rather be in an mt economy cabin than a sold out first class cabin so with no hesitation we got on board as priority boarding started 30 minutes before departure the american airlines 737 max has four rows of first-class recliners in a 2-2 configuration the last row is always my preference in these types of cabins since you have the most privacy and the cabinet's slightly wider in the fourth row than in the first two oscar and i were seated in seat 4d and 4f now as someone spends at least a third of every year in europe mostly in sweden i find it hard to complain about these types of seats since inter-european business class is the biggest joke in aviation in the context of us first class seats though this one is as people have said not great of course it's strange to install seats in the 2020s without in-flight entertainment screens more on that shortly i'll get into some of the other problems too once we've taken off for now let's leave beautiful jamaica and go spend some quality family time with my grandma in new york are you guys coming with me let's go as you saw there was no pre-departure service which is a shame but the flight attendant did come around taking meal orders as we pushed back there were no menus but there was a choice between a chicken frittata or a butternut squash risotto for whatever reason american airlines doesn't offer special meals on this flight even though they serve a full hot dish but to be fair food on us airlines isn't usually something you want to eat voluntarily anyway speaking of something you should or shouldn't do are you diversifying your investments did you know that virtually every wealthy person invests in contemporary art i mean of course they do it's outpaced the s p 500 by 164 in the past 26 years but dan i ain't rich how am i supposed to buy a 15 million dollar painting well you don't have to buy the whole painting instead how about we cut it up into a bunch of pieces and split it okay maybe not literally but today's video sponsor masterworks makes it possible for you and me to invest in a piece of a contemporary artwork and reap the potential rewards when that piece is sold masterworks has sold three paintings since 2017 each yielding over 30 net internal rate of return for investors 400 000 people are already investing with masterwork so it's quite difficult to get a spot on the platform but luckily my subscribers can jump the line and set up a call immediately with a masterworks advisor to get started by following the link at the top of the description no commitments necessary a quick congrats to this subscriber who's the latest to win a 100 gift card with an airline of their choice by subscribing you could be next [Music] once we were in the sky the meal service started with a beverage service where you got a whole can of whatever you wanted to drink it was nice to have a beverage menu even though there wasn't a food menu although the selection was as unhealthy as you'd expect on an airline carrying the name american i randomly chose a dr pepper i have one a year and i love it every time the actual meal arrived about an hour and a half into the flight the risotto was like a mac and cheese with added squash and peas where the mac is subbed for rice it was basically cheesy rice clearly made with high quality american cheese the side dishes were definitely nicer with a salad a beet and carrot mix and this brownie although i only ate the salad don't come for me this wasn't a terrible meal for a three and a half hour flight the portion was good the salads were sort of fresh but the main course was definitely to be avoided that's not to say that frittata was better though because i saw it from a distance and that thing looked radioactive in my opinion the best way to eat on american airlines is to indulge in some biscoff and some pretzels they both hit the spot every time and are probably just as unhealthy as the dishes that american airlines serves [Music] so let's talk about the more controversial aspect of this aircraft i really don't think this seat is as bad as it's made out to be it's still wide has decent recline a huge adjustable headrest and fulfills your charging needs there's also plenty of storage both beside you and in the seat pocket for the price i think this is not an uncomfortable way to fly that said this is without a doubt the most uncomfortable first class seat in the united states i don't get a sore back really ever but after four hours sitting here from boarding until we reached the gate in new york my lower back was honestly a little in pain which must be a sign of bad seat design [Music] i'd say the biggest drawback is clear there's barely any cushioning it would really help if they provided a pillow for back support and why not throw in a blanket while they're at it most noticeable though is the lack of an entertainment screen this is supposedly remedied by the tablet holder which obviously doesn't make up for the lack of a screen the airline provides free streaming entertainment with quite a good selection so it's good to know that's an option unless it doesn't work on your flight like it wasn't working on hours if you want guaranteed entertainment or productivity you can always connect to the onboard wi-fi for twenty dollars for a full flight pass if you have an itinerary with more than two flights a monthly pass will immediately pay off at fifty dollars thankfully no forms of entertainment were needed though since the views when flying over the caribbean are among the most breathtaking in the world the colors and the islands it's all so so pretty [Music] it was also fun cruising up the u.s starting in florida and flying all the way up to new york [Music] another very controversial aspect of the 737 max is the lavatories i gotta say these are just the same as on the a320 neo which is to say they are horrible still this will be the new standard for narrow body airplane lavatories going forward so we don't have much of a choice but to embrace it on a real positive note the massive 737 windows help you enjoy what's outside the a320 windows must be almost half the size so every time i board a 737 i'm blown away and i think wow someone in a middle seat or even an aisle seat can actually see what's outside here before i knew it we were approaching new york so in conclusion the american airlines 737 max is not a bad plane of course it might be bad if you compare it to the alternatives which makes it less than preferable but in the grand scheme of things controversial opinion alert i honestly think the 737 max cabin is nicer than the a320 neo between the larger windows and the beautiful boeing interiors despite all the issues with this aircraft i think it makes for quite a good flying experience nowadays thanks for coming along today guys until i see you all for the next video fly safe

Channel: Nonstop Dan

Views: 410,516

Keywords: american airlines, nonstop dan

Id: s7myuYiYZMY

Length: 11min 49sec (709 seconds)

Published: Tue May 31 2022