LAST TIME on American Airlines Flagship FIRST CLASS

American Airlines made headlines when they announced the end of first class and that's why we'll be traveling in this most luxurious way of crossing the country one last time to show you exactly what the end of first class is all about but first we need to clear one thing up what is first class here in the United States on most domestic flights the top level of service on board many airlines has called first class but it's not what you may imagine we made a whole video about this I'll link to it below but here at American Airlines on certain domestic and international routes they've always offered what they call Flagship first or at least they have until now let's get into it hello jet Setters I'm Jeff Brooks from greenergrest.com right now I'm in Los Angeles about to head to New York City on the last true first class here in the United States join me let's go get checked in and get this trip started the flagship first experience starts with a dedicated check-in area we actually struggle to find it and once we did our names were cross-referenced with a list and we were in it felt more like an exclusive La Club than an airport all of this luxury will end sometime in 2024 but can be had for as little as 200 more than business class keep watching to decide for yourself whether it's worth it that was the easiest TSA experience I've ever had we had an escort all the way to the front of the line straight through easy as pie but for now it's time to head to the flagship first Lounge so let's check it out hate to be brutal about it but this is just not as nice as the other terminals here at JFK no we're not at JFK hate to be brutal about it but this is just not quite as nice as the other terminals here at LAX track of where we are is harder than it looks now the good news about this terminal is it looks like it's getting ready to undergo a renovation can't wait to see what it looks like after they finish this [Music] once we got into the lounge we were given special passes to access the airline's nicest Lounge within a lounge the flagship Lounge the most impressive aspect of this place has to be the sweeping views of the ramp including of this special a321 boarding up for JFK it's the flight just before ours you see American chose to configure 16 of their a321s in a premium heavy layout with four classes of service they call this the a321tt for transcontinental they Reserve these aircraft for the most exclusive cross-country routes usually between New York or Boston and the west coast and maintaining this Fleet within a fleet of special airplanes is a major cost to the airline that's one reason American is getting rid of first class but don't worry international business class is not going anywhere in fact it's going to get even better but more about that in a minute there's a champagne as soon as we walked in we got a glass of champagne this is believable unfortunately the flagship dining is closed uh you know when it's here before that was a really nice feature but the buffet looks amazing [Music] [Applause] this is some of the best buffet food I've ever had the lounge is massive with plenty of seating [Music] unfortunately the plugs don't see me working I'd be happy to playing spot here all day thank you and here's the only reminder of the former a la carte restaurant called Flagship first dining with this restaurant shuttered there's no longer really any distinction in Lounge offerings between a flagship first and Flagship business ticket Flagship first Roots have included trips between the Northeast and West Coast cities also trips to places like Hong Kong and London have offered this elevated experience on certain Triple 7 aircraft it's time to hop on this bird let's go [Music] oh there's our plane unfortunately you can't see it very well which is too bad I hate these Gates where you can't see the plane you know what I mean despite that first world setback our first class tickets meant we were in group one and that meant we were among the first to board once we were on the plane it was clear what makes this experience so special there are not too many narrow body airplanes with seating arranged in a 1-1 configuration this means we're gonna have plenty of room to spread out this seat truly has it all American is the last U.S airline offering a true first-class experience United phased out in 2018 and Delta never offered true first class product at all we push back right on time for our four hour and 49 minute flight it was not hard to sit back relax and enjoy this trip LAX has to be one of the most exciting airports in the world so much Aviation action here and with those three Windows it was easy to drink it all in it was our turn with the runway [Music] the seat has a massive screen I've been fortunate enough to travel in Flagship first on this airplane three times and unfortunately I've had the same problem each time the touch screen feature just does not work and I can kind of understand why they're old the airline is dumping first class so there's no real reason to fix it but it was still frustrating even the handset proved challenging but with some effort I was able to get it to work and this movement map is great my favorite feature of just about any first class experience is the sheer amount of space you get this tray table was massive and thanks to the additional space up to the right I was able to watch a movie get work done and eat all at the same time it was great the noise canceling headphones to borrow while on board were okay but for better ones head to greenergrass.com headphones and the Wi-Fi which cost 29 for the whole flight was fast and reliable [Music] the amenity kit made in partnership with Shinola was also a nice touch and had more than enough in it to make this trip a little more comfortable service began with a warm towel along with nuts olives and a gin and tonic now rooting today was spectacular as we passed by Canyonlands National Park in Utah we also had stunning views of Arches National Park which we visited on the Rockies to Red Rocks train last year I'll link to that video below I pulled my eyes away from the window long enough to check out the menu if you'd like to see it in more detail head to greenergass.com menus I started with a beer cheese soup in the salmon now the salmon was Practically Perfect Suzanne started with the Harissa carrots which she liked we passed Grand Mesa a spot that's eluded me nearly every time I've passed near it if you've seen our Rockies to Red Rocks video or California Zephyr video you'll know what I mean for the main course we both had the lamb cutlets the mustard and pistachio pesto crust was a bit much by the time dessert arrived we'd reach the Great Plains I had the butter cake and Suzanne had the ice cream sundae after such a massive meal it was time for a walk as I mentioned there are four cabins on board both main cabin and main cabin extra are arranged in a 3-3 configuration business class is set up as 2-2 and of course first class you're not familiar with it is configured in a 1-1 setup there were always snacks available at the front of the cabin Suzanne decided to take a nap so she put the seat into bed mode and with all of the Casper branded bedding American Airlines provides it's easy to get comfortable even though the footwell is a little narrow so if first class really is this fabulous why is it going away well first of all there just isn't too much of a distinction between first and business class anymore lie flat business class is becoming the norm there's just not too much room for differentiation of a first class product anymore even on this flight if we booked business class we would have gained access to the same Lounge had a lay flat seated similar onboard food offerings all for a lower ticket price so while it was fun to splurge on first class one last time it wasn't really necessary for a daytime cross-country flight under five hours in other words it's the massive improvements in business class offerings that have killed off true first class but it's not all bad news with the announcement that first class would be discontinued American has announced a new business class product coming to their airplanes it's called Flagship Suites and to be honest it looks like an improvement over their current Flagship first hard product it should also be noted that American is still going to sell first class on domestic flights it's just not the first class you typically think of as the sun sets on this day and on Flagship first it's time to rate the experience using the Jeb score first the lounge it's truly spectacular not quite as impressive as United's Polaris it was disappointing with the flagship dining room is not reopened it it's still extremely nice four stars here the seat itself is nicer than just about anything you'll find on any other us carrier accepting possibly JetBlue's mint Studio Suite American earns 5 stars for their seat food was remarkable I've heard it's the same food they offer in business class on these routes but plated differently whether that's true I'm not sure but regardless they earned five stars for the execution here the IFA is a real Downer on this flight I could eventually get it to work but it was way harder than it should have been despite the massive screen loads of choices and fast Wi-Fi the frustration it induced drags the score down to three stars the service was as you'd expect great that's really what sets a first class experience apart from anything else and the flight attendants were available in downright joyful at every interaction five stars for them and before we total that up I've got to say how sorry I am that this special experience is nearly gone while they haven't announced a final date for it it's coming fast and that really is too bad stepping on board this true first class is almost like a flashback to a bygone era and I for one I'm sorry it's going away in any event American Airlines Flagship first from LAX to JFK earns 22 out of a possible 25 Stars between now and the next time see in the sky

Channel: Jeb Brooks

Views: 308,269

Keywords: american airlines first class, first class, american airlines, flagship first, american airlines a321t, a321, american airlines a321, flagship first american airlines, flagship first lounge, airbus a321, american first class, domestic first class, american airlines flagship first, flight review, trip report, Los Angeles to New York, LAX to NYC, LAX to JFK, new york, los angeles, travel vlog, american airlines review, flight review first class

Id: s3Q9rNlSopM

Length: 11min 48sec (708 seconds)

Published: Sat Feb 18 2023