The Details

• Flight: AA2570
• Aircraft: B767-300ER
• Class: Domestic First/Business
• Seat: 8G
• Route: Miami International (MIA)-Philadelphia International (PHL)
• Distance: 1,017 miles
• Duration: 2hrs 40min
• Departure: 1:49PM
• Arrival: 4:09PM

The Preflight

I had originally booked an itinerary MIA-DFW on the B777-200ER and then DFW-ORD aboard the B787-8, but in true AA fashion, the inbound B777-200ER was delayed by four hours (mechanical?) causing me to miss my connection onto O’Hare. Hoping to at least snag a lie-flat seat home, I was able to get the last seat aboard the evening MIA-PHL flight and then onward aboard an A321 PHL-ORD.

American Airlines had two Admiral’s Clubs at Miami International Airport, both in Terminal D. One is near Gate D-15 and the other near D-30. I went to check out the D-30 Admiral’s Club which had amazing views of a B777.

The original boarding time of my MIA-DFW flight was supposed to be at 11:25AM. Since I was re-routed MIA-PHL, my new boarding time was 1:06PM. This gave me an additional hour and a half to explore MIA. I decided to check-out the AMEX Centurion Lounge near in Concourse D near gate D-12.

There were even better views of the apron in the AMEX lounge with views of the runway as well.

With 10 minutes until boarding, I made my way to Gate D40. I passed by some American heavies including this gorgeous B777.

Our B767-300ER today, registration N397AN, was delivered to American Airlines in March 1999. American Airlines currently has a fleet of 20 B767-300ERs which are scheduled to be retired by the end of 2020 next year. I had never flown up front on this aircraft type and I was glad to give them a try.

Boarding began on time at 1:06PM and gate agents announced that this was a completely full flight. I boarded after Concierge Key members in Group 1.

The Flight

American Airlines offers a total of 28 business class seats onboard their B767s in a staggered 1-2-1 configuration. The seats are Thompson Vantage seats which are similar to the business class seats aboard Austrian Airlines’ B777-200ERs.

I was seated in 8G, the last row in the center section of the business class cabin. Each seat was 20.6″ wide with 45″ of pitch.

The business cabin was one large cabin between doors 1 and 2. The entire cabin was full for this hub to hub flight today. The 767 also offers 21 Main Cabin Extra and 160 Main Cabin seats in a 2-3-2 configuration.

There was a small tray table that folded down from the seatback as well as a standard sized literature pocket adjacent to the table.

Unfortunately, AA decided to defer installing IFE screens on their B767s. Instead, they installed a 110V power outlet which was supposed to power personal entertainment devices.

Below the personal device table was a tapered footwell which was about 14″ wide at the opening.

There was very limited storage space at the seat itself. A small pocket for shoes was located on the floor below the literature pocket.

There was another small storage area on the console next to the seat. It was just large enough to hold a pair of headphones. The 110V at this location was not working (or not turned on?) for this flight.

The primary seat control was in the main console top next to the seat. There was a small remote while turned on the overhead light and mood lighting in the footwell. The leaf table was released by pressing the metal button.

Since AA decided to go with BYOD streaming I realized that the AA app did not have a live in flight map tracker. Instead the map was shown on the ancient overhead TV.

There were no pre-departure beverages served today because “the flight was still being catered” during the boarding process. We had a quick pushback and taxi to the runway and were airborne without delay.

Once in the air, I popped out the two-fold leaf table and put my laptop on the small tray table for IFE devices. The free entertainment included live TV and I was able to watch the Bears vs. Raiders game in London (Bears lost 21-24…) Video quality was good and the streaming speed had infrequent pauses.

Service began with a warm towel 15 minutes after take off. Flight attendants took drink and lunch orders back to front so I was first to place my order.

I had a Bloody Mary and was given an extra bottle of Tito’s vodka. The warmed nuts were excellent as usual.

Lunch options were either Spinach and Ricotta cheese raviolini or a chopped salad.

I opted for the chopped salad with grilled chicken. The salad was actually quiet flavorful with blue cheese crumbles. I had both a sourdough roll (excellent) and a whole grain roll. The grilled chicken was nothing special and a bit bland.

After the meal flight attendants came by with a tray of gooey chocolate chip cookies. I asked for another ramekin of warmed nuts which was served promptly.

All passengers were also provided a standard blanket. AA does not provide pillows in domestic business class. The bed itself was 78″ long was average but the foot well was very restrictive for my feet as I was unable to keep them upright if I were lying supine.

Halfway through the flight, flight attendants came by again and I request a warm cup of Joe.

As we began our descent I watched the Bears snatch defect from the jaws of victory. Mints were distributed at this time.

The approach into PHL was smooth and in no time we arrived at our gate. I had an hour layover in Philadelphia before my final flight back home to Chicago. Thanks for the ride!

Flying hub-to-hub aboard AA is always a treat if onboard a widebody aircraft. Nothing can beat having a lie-flat bed on these short two hour flights. I found the flight attendants to be friendly on this flight as well despite the lack of predeparture beverages. The catering was exactly what I was expecting and I always appreciate the warmed cookies. All in all a great first time upfront on the B767.