Trip Report: American Airlines Transcontinental First Class Review

After a nice breakfast at the Flagship lounge; it was time to board our American Airlines transcontinental first class flight. This is a very cool airplane configured with only 102 seats. First class has 10 flat-bed seats in a 1×1 configuration which is unique to a narrow-body plane. Business class has 20 flat-bed seats arranges in a 2×2 configuration. Then there’s 36 seats in Main Cabin Extra and 36 seats in economy spread in a 3×3 configuration.

Flight Details:

American Airlines AA1
New York (JFK) – Los Angeles (LAX)
Depart: 9:00am
Arrive: 12:10PM
Duration: 6hrs 10mins
Aircraft: Airbus A321

Boarding started on time and I had a short walk since I was seated in seat 1A. The cabin has a nice cozy feeling; the color scheme and the wood trims are pretty nice. American Airlines transcontinental first class seats are very similar to the business class seats on Cathay Pacific B777-300.

There’s a ton of leg room between the seat and the ottoman which becomes part of the bed when the seat is in a lie flat position.

All the controls were to my left- entertainment controls, seat controls, reading light and a USB port.

There’s also a power outlet located in the storage area.

The entertainment screen folds out with a push of a button.

Waiting at my seat was a nice amenity kit.

Shortly after settling down I was offered a pre-departure drink. I chose to have a mimosa at 9am, cause why not? 🙂

The menus were distributed along with the pre-departure drink.

After that, I was offered a set of Bose noise cancelling headphones which is nice.

Once all passengers settled in, we started our pushback and the safety video started playing. After that the captain came on the PA to give some information about the flight including the expectation of some turbulence on our way out of New York. He wasn’t lying, that take off was pretty bumpy. Once we reached cruising altitude tho it smoothed out for the rest of the flight.

Food service started with a nice hot towel. I also asked for a glass of champagne which was served with a couple of biscottis.

I ordered the smoked salmon with bagel as my breakfast and it was delicious.

My wife ordered the turkey bacon quiche, which was equally delicious and I had the pleasure of finishing half of it 🙂

For dessert, I got the parfait and some fresh fruit.

After the food service, I checked the entertainment system for a while then opted to take a nap since it was going to be a long way until we reach our final destination of Hawaii.

The seat is very comfortable in the lie-flat position.

Upon waking up from my nap, I was offered a small snack that consisted of some pastries and a strawberry. And I also grabbed an apple from a fruit basket that was on the “counter” area in-front of my seat.

Before we know it, we were already starting our decent into LAX.

American Airlines Transcontinental First Class Bottom Line:

American Airlines first class hard product on their A321 aircraft is great. Reverse herringbone seats are comfortable and offer plenty of space and privacy. The soft product was good, nothing over the top in terms of service. The food was good in quantity and quality, I found the breakfast options pretty flavorful and done well. Overall, I had a great experience and would definitely fly this product again. American Airlines transcontinental first class is one of the best domestic first class options out there.

Have you flown in American Airlines Transcontinental First Class before? What was your experience like?

If you have any questions please comment below, tweet me @pointspointers or email me at pointspointers@gmail.com