Category: Oneworld

The Details

• Flight: AA2077
• Aircraft: B737-800
• Class: Main Cabin Extra
• Seat: 17F
• Route: Chicago O’Hare International (ORD)-San Diego International (SAN)
• Distance: 1,812miles
• Flight Time: 3hrs 52min
• Departure: 7:06PM
• Arrival: 9:13PM

The Preflight

I arrived at Chicago O’Hare Terminal 3 at 6:00PM just a little bit more than an hour before the scheduled boarding time for my flight down to San Diego. Surprisingly, the terminal was packed with enormous lines at TSA check points. The spring break crowd was in full force.

Even the line for TSA Precheck wrapped through the terminal and it took about 10 minutes for me to get through security.

The terminal itself was also jam packed with people with most of the seats taken in the gate area. With just 20 minutes until boarding, I managed to find a seat near the window to get a shot at our B737-800 taking us down to San Diego today. Registration N954NN, she was delivered brand new to American Airlines in 2014.

Boarding began exactly at 6:40PM.

The Seat

American Airlines has undergone a densification plan on their entire fleet of B737-800s dubbed “Project Oasis” and each aircraft now features 16 First, 30 Main Cabin Extra, and 126 Main Cabin seats for a total of 172 seats. Economy seats are arranged in a standard 3-3 configuration with rows 8-10 and rows 16-17 designated extra legroom seats.

American Airlines chose the Rockwell Collins Meridian ultra-slim line seats as their new generation economy offering which I find very uncomfortable. I was seated in row 17 which was the second exit row designated as Main Cabin Extra. Width was approximately 16.6″ and pitch was more than 33″.

Row 17 is probably my favorite on the B737-800s because it offers the most pitch out of any row in the aircraft. In addition, the seats in front (row 16) cannot recline while the seats in 17 can. This offers an immense amount of unobstructed space to stretch out.

While American Airlines (along with United) has decided to remove seatback entertainment screens, they have installed a personal device holder and USB port which I appreciated.

There was also a generic tray table which was sturdy.

Since this was an exit row, the legroom was very generous. There was also an individual power outlet at the seat.

The Flight

The boarding doors were closed at 7:02PM and we pushed back four minutes later. Our taxi to runway 9C took just 14 minutes and at 7:20PM we took off for San Diego.

Once in the air, I turned on my tablet and loaded the American inflight app. My tablet fit perfectly into the seatback mount.

Snack bags were distributed 30 minutes after takeoff.

Contents included a small bottle of water, pretzels, and a sanitizing wipe.

The lavatory onboard was basic but clean.

There was a CO Bigelow branded soap.

I watched a few movies on the inflight app and the rest of the flight passed uneventfully. At 9:13PM local time we landed in San Diego on runway 27.

We taxied directly to the gate and took just three minutes. Thanks for the ride!

The Details

• Flight: AA2058
• Aircraft: B737-800
• Class: Main Cabin Extra
• Seat: 17A and 17C
• Route: San Diego International (SAN)-Chicago O’Hare International (ORD)
• Distance: 1,840miles
• Flight time: 3hrs 11min
• Departure: 9:26AM
• Arrival: 2:47PM

The Preflight

After spending a few wonderful days in sunny San Diego, it was time for my significant other and I to head home to freezing Chicago. Unfortunately, our upgrades did not clear and we were seated in the second exit row on the B737. We arrived at San Diego International Airport about an hour before the scheduled boarding time of 8:55AM. American Airlines and Alaska Airlines both operate from Terminal 2 East at SAN which is the old portion of Terminal 2. There were self check-in kiosks available for use and we printed our bag tags.

The PreCheck lane was open and had just a few passengers ahead of us in line. We were airside in about five minutes after dropping our bags off.

Turning left after the TSA area, we headed toward the Airspace Lounge. Thanks to my AMEX Platinum card, I was able to bring my significant other in for free without a guest charge. We were each given a $10 voucher to use on food and drinks in the lounge.

The lounge had a great amount of socially distanced seating.

Due to COVID-19, the self-serve snacks were placed behind the bar and were handed out by the bartender.

The food menu had a small variety of hot and cold options.

I had my usual breakfast sandwich with bacon and sausage while my significant other had the chicken Caesar wrap. Espresso drinks were available for free and were brought to our table by the lounge staff.

With five minutes until boarding was scheduled to begin, we made our way to the gate area. Our B737-800, registration N862NN, was delivered brand new to American Airlines in November 2010.

Boarding began exactly on time at 8:55AM and was done by groups. Unlike other airlines who changed the boarding process due to COVID-19, American continues to board via groups.

The Flight

This B737-800 was recently retrofitted to have American’s newest economy seat and cabin dubbed “Oasis”. The “Oasis” cabin densified the B737-800s and added 12 more economy seats in the same space at the expense of pitch. In total, there are 16 first class, 30 Main Cabin Extra, and 126 Main Cabin seats.

The new economy seats are Collins Aerospace Meridian slimline seats which offer 17″ of width. Main Cabin Extra offers 33″ of pitch while standard economy offers 30″. My SO and I were both seated in row 17 which is the last exit row and marked as MCE. This row probably had up to 38″ of pitch.

The benefit of row 17 is that row 16 in front cannot recline into your space. In addition, this seat features 4″ of recline while standard economy only has 2″.

The new slimline seatbacks have a tablet holder for personal devices as well as a conveniently placed USB port.

The tray table was basic but was large enough for my laptop.

The legroom in the exit row was very generous and unobstructed. Each seat in MCE also has individual 110V outlets.

17A was directly adjacent to the emergency exit and the armrest was split in half. This did get uncomfortable during the flight since I could not really rest my arm on it.

The middle armrest was very narrow and had the recline button.

Unlike all of my previous flights with American Airlines during the COVID-19 pandemic, this time we were not given sanitizing wipes on boarding. The boarding process was completed within 30 minutes and we pushed back five minutes later at 9:26AM.

It was a very brief taxi to runway 27 and soon we were off bound for Chicago.

I inserted my tablet into the device mount and loaded the AA inflight entertainment system. While there is no longer an inflight map, there is still a bar with how much longer is remaining in flight.

Due to COVID-19, American Airlines has greatly reduced their inflight service.

Flight attendants came down the aisle once with snack bags and that was it for the main cabin service.

Each bag contained a water bottle, pretzel bag, and sanitizing wipe.

I watched a few episodes of the new AppleTV show For All Mankind which were great as we cruised over the Rockies.

I also checked out the rear economy class lavatories which are the new Collins Aerospace “Spacewall” design. It was incredibly narrow and definitely felt claustrophobic.

The sink itself was tiny and the water sprayed all over the wall when I went to wash my hands. Interestingly, there was C.O. Bigelow branded soap which I thought was reserved for first class only…

On our initial descent into the Chicago area we passed over the beautiful Lake Michigan and had some clear views of downtown Chicago on our final approach for the runway. We touched down at 2:47PM local time and had a 20 minutes taxi to Terminal 3.

Thanks for the ride!

The Details

• Flight: AA1543
• Aircraft: B737-800
• Class: Domestic First
• Seat: 4D and 4F
• Route: Chicago O’Hare International (ORD)-San Diego International (SAN)
• Distance: 1,763miles
• Flight time: 3hrs 49min
• Departure: 4:40PM
• Landed: 6:53PM

The Preflight

This flight was the first time that my significant other was flying since the COVID-19 pandemic began almost a year ago. We had both just gotten fully vaccinated and felt much safer flying together again.

After parking in the self-park lot, we took the shuttle over to Terminal 3 at O’Hare which was relatively empty. The first class check-in was empty and no one was ahead of us in the TSA PreCheck line.

We made our way to the Admirals Club which was open.

There were at most 20 people scattered throughout the lounge.

There was self-serve beverages available including the soda machine and coffee machine.

All of the food choices were individually packaged.

Behind the bar there was potato cheddar soup and snack towers.

At around 3:30PM, more hot food was brought out. There was a staff-served roasted tomato soup and build your own mac & cheese bowl.

In addition, there was made-to-order guacamole.

We had great views from the lounge as the afternoon bank of flights arrived.

With 10 minutes until boarding was scheduled to begin, we made our way to the gate area. Along the way, we passed by a B777 which were a rarity prior to COVID-19 at O’Hare.

Our B737-800 today, registration N920NN, was delivered brand new to American Airlines in March 2013 making her just eight years old.

While this was a relatively full flight, most passengers remained socially distanced in the gate area. Boarding began exactly on time at 4:10PM and was done by groups. Unlike United and Delta Airlines which began boarding back to front, American has continued to use their pre-pandemic boarding process.

The Flight

This aircraft featured American’s newest first class seat dubbed “Kodiak”. There were a total of 16 first class seats across rows 1-4. In addition, there were 30 Main Cabin Extra and 126 Main Cabin seats for a total of 172 seats.

The new first class seats are Collins Aerospace MiQ seats with 37 inches of pitch with 21 inches of width.

While American had decided to forgo seatback entertainment screens, they did install a device holder for streaming on personal devices.

Next to the device holder was a conveniently placed USB port.

There was a small literature pocket which did not impact the legroom at all. I appreciated how there was no obstacles underneath the seat restricting legroom.

In between the seatbacks was a small cocktail tray.

The right hand armrest was non-adjustable and was where the tray table was stowed.

The large bi-fold tray table was very sturdy and had a built in tablet stand.

The center armrest also featured a small tabletop for drinks.

The recline button was located beneath.

Under the center armrest was a large storage bin as well as 110V outlet.

While the older B737-800s featured an actual wall between the first and economy class cabin, the newest cabin has a board instead.

The boarding doors were closed a 4:38PM, 28 minutes after boarding began. Unfortunately, the flight attendants had to remind more than a few passengers during the boarding process to keep their masks on properly. Push back commenced at 4:45PM.

After about a 10 minute taxi to runway 9C we took off.

Once in the air, I connected to the inflight entertainment system on my phone. Unlike Alaska, Delta, or United Airlines, American does not offer an inflight map on their inflight streaming service.

Service began with a round of drinks served front to back of the cabin. The lovely flight attendant served my Bloody Mary as a double with a slice of lime.

Due to COVID-19, American Airlines has limited their food offerings on board. On flights more than 900 miles, they provide either a turkey sandwich or fruit and cheese plate.

I went with the turkey sandwich which came with a chocolate chip cookie. The sandwich itself is pretty good and much better than the sandwiches United Airlines offers.

My significant other went with the fruit and cheese plate that also came with some cold nuts and a piece of chocolate. Compared to the Alaska Airlines fruit and cheese plate, this one was average at best.

Once we had finished our food, the flight attendant came through the cabin and offered another round of drinks. I switched to a Gin&Tonic which was also served double.

There was a beautiful sunset as we cruised westwards above the clouds.

I also browsed the inflight entertainment on my laptop.

As we neared San Diego, I went to use the first class cabin lavatory. It was unremarkable but at least was semi-clean.

There was C.O. Bigelow branded soap but no other amenities.

The rest of the flight was uneventful and we had a very smooth approach into San Diego coming in from the east. We landed on runway 27 at 6:52PM local time.

The taxi was short and direct to gate 30 in Terminal 2. Thanks for the ride!

The Details

• Flight: AA1925
• Aircraft: B737-800
• Class: Domestic First
• Seat: 3A
• Route: Chicago O’Hare International (ORD)-San Diego International (SAN)
• Distance: 1,738 miles
• Duration: 3hrs 54min
• Departure: 8:13AM
• Arrival: 10:07AM

The Preflight

My flight was scheduled to depart from O’Hare at 8:17AM so I arrived about an hour prior to boarding at 6:40AM. There were a surprising amount of people checking in on this cold December morning. There was no one in the TSA PreCheck lane so I was through to airside within 10 minutes of being dropped off.

Terminal 3, home to American Airlines, was fully decorated and ready for Christmas.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic only one Admirals Club was open at T3, the one between the H/K concourses. The Flagship Lounge below has remained closed since the pandemic started.

The food offerings remained unchanged from my previous visit. There was individually packaged hard-boiled eggs, fresh fruit, yogurt and milk.

Additional options included cereal, bananas, and oranges.

There was also cookies and bagels. Condiments included peanut butter, jam, cream cheese, and butter.

From 7:00-10:00AM, there is also a made-to-order avocado toast and scrambled eggs station. I had an avocado toast topped with smoked salmon, egg, onions, and crumbled cheese. The scrambled egg toppings included bacon and cheddar cheese.

There was a beautiful red sunrise over Chicago which I tried to capture on my phone…

The views in the Admirals Club over the apron are amazing. My flight was departing from Gate K6 front and center.

Boarding began at 7:44AM and was relatively socially distanced.

Our beautiful B737-800 registration N926NN was delivered to American Airlines back in May 2013.

The Flight

This plane featured American Airlines’ newest Domestic First product – “Project Kodiak”. These seats are an upgrade from the original “Project Oasis” seats with slightly more padding and seat features. The cabin featured 16 seats in a 2-2 configuration with four rows.

Each seat had 37 inches of pitch with 21 inches of width. I actually found the padding on these seats to be more comfortable than the previous 737 Domestic First class seats.

Improvements to the original Oasis seats included a new seatback tablet holder and USB port.

I do miss the old seatback IFE screens.

There are 37 inches of pitch and I had more than enough room to stretch out my legs. There was also a small literature pocket.

In the shared center armrest was a large storage space.

The armrest itself folded up for better access to the space.

The 110V outlet under the armrest.

The seat recline button was in the center armrest as well. Unfortunately, the seats themselves barely reclined.

The tray table was located in the window side armrest.

A panel could be folded out to create a device stand.

The fully folded out tray table was large.

A nice addition to the Kodiak seats that is missing from Oasis seats is the small shared drink holder.

Upon boarding all passengers in both First and Economy were given a plastic bag containing a mini-bottle of water, Biscoff, and sanitizing wipe.

We pushed back five minutes early and had a very short taxi to the runway. There were quite a few international widebodies at Terminal 5, including an Air India 777-300ER, Korean Air 777-300ER, and JAL 787-9.

The take-off was smooth and we had great views of the Chicagoland suburbs.

I connected my tablet to the AA inflight Wi-Fi and browsed some of the movies and shows.

Service began with a round of drinks. I had a Bloody Mary and was served a double! A COVID-19 cutback was the ramekin of warmed mixed nuts and proper glassware.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, American Airlines has modified their inflight food offerings. For flights between 900 and 2,199 miles they offer a selection of snacks in addition to the open bar. Since this was a morning flight, the snacks were breakfast choices.

Breakfast was served from a basket. Options included a turkey croissant, yogurt and berries, or a fruit and cheese plate.

I went with the turkey croissant that was served with a small packet of mustard. The croissant was moist but the turkey itself was very dry.

My companion decided to go with the fruit and cheese plate. She said it was reasonable.

It was served with a small amount of mixed nuts and a chocolate.

The flight attendants were very personable and made multiple passes through the cabin offering drinks. I moved onto a G&T. Throughout the flight the flight attendants also were very strict with the mask requirements. The passenger in front of me fell asleep with his mask off and was awoken with a reminder to put it over his mouth and nose.

We passed over Colorado and had views of some beautiful snow capped mountains.

The lavatory up front was fairly well kept and had C.O Bigelow hand soap.

We had great views of the Salton Sea while approaching San Diego.

And some amazing views of Anza-Borrego Desert State Park.

As usual there were great views of downtown San Diego on the landing approach.

And some great harbor views with the US Navy in the background.

We had a very short taxi to the gate. Thanks for the ride!

As always we passed under a replica of Spirit of St. Louis, which Charles Lindbergh flew solo across the Atlantic in 1927, on our way to the baggage claim area.

I must say I don’t hate the new “Kodiak” Domestic First class seats. They are comfortable, have an excellent amount of storage, and have multiple mounts for personal devices. In my opinion, these seats are much better than United’s newest generation of slimline Domestic First class seats.

The Details

• Flight: AA956
• Aircraft: B737-800
• Class: Main Cabin
• Seat: 22A
• Route: San Diego International (SAN)-Chicago O’Hare International (ORD)
• Distance: 1,738 miles
• Duration: 3hrs 22min
• Departure: 8:06AM
• Arrival: 1:27PM

The Preflight

I was dropped off at San Diego Terminal 2 East about 90 minutes before my scheduled departure time at 8AM. All economy passengers were directed to use the self-serve kiosks to check-in.

Once I printed my boarding pass, I made my way to the TSA PreCheck lane. There was no one in line ahead of my and I was airside within ten minute of being dropped off.

I made my way to my favorite lounge at SAN, the Airspace Lounge, located between the old and new parts of T2. Access was afforded to me thanks to my AMEX Platinum card.

Due to local COVID-19 restrictions, seating was spaced out and there was no longer self-serve food. I was the only passenger this morning.

Thanks to my AMEX Platinum card I also had a $10 food voucher. The menu was available online by scanning a QR code and then staff brought the food and drinks directly to the table.

To start, I ordered a Bloody Mary which was absolutely amazing. The friendly lounge staff also brought me an Americano to go. Snacks were available from behind the bar and included packaged chips and cookies.

I used my $10 food voucher to order a vegetarian Mediterranean wrap.

With ten minutes to boarding, I made my way to Gate 34. There was a dense fog over San Diego this morning which made for a very atypical view from the window.

Boarding began promptly at 7:25AM and was very orderly. Most passengers stayed socially distanced to the best of their abilities. The plane was boarded from back to front and done by rows.

Our bird, N849NN, was a B737-800 that was delivered to American Airlines in 2010. She was recently retrofitted with American’s new “Oasis” interior with slimline seats in both first and economy.

I was seated in 22A, a window seat on the left hand side of the aircraft. Each seat had 30″ of pitch and was roughly 17″ wide.

The Flight

American Airlines has significantly cut back on inflight service due to the COVID-19 pandemic. For economy passengers on flights between 900-2,199 miles, flight attendants hand out a snack bag during boarding including a bottle of water, Biscoff, and sanitizing wipe. No snacks, alcohol, or food is for purchase. In addition, other canned drinks are by request only.

We pushed back exactly on time at 8AM and had a very brief taxi to runway 27. Enjoy!

The new “Oasis” interiors on board the B737s were introduced by AA back in September of 2017. With “Oasis” each 737 would get an additional 12 Main Cabin seats for a total of 172 seats. Pitch was reduced to 30″. The IFE screens were also be removed in favor of a personal device holder with a USB port.

In addition, AA also added in seat power in Main Cabin.

The rest of the flight was unremarkable. Flight attendants made a few passes through the cabin to collect trash but that was it.

There were some great views of Grand Canyon National Park.

We also passed over the deserts of eastern Colorado.

It was a cold and wet day in Chicago as usual which blocked out the views of the city. We approached O’Hare from the east and landed on runway 28C. Enjoy!

Our taxi lasted for about 15 minutes before arriving at the gate.

Thanks for the ride N849NN!

This was a perfectly mundane flight from San Diego to Chicago during the COVID-19 pandemic. I was grateful for the chance to fly again and enjoyed the time I spent in San Diego. Until next time American!

The Details

• Flight: AA2680
• Aircraft: B737-800
• Class: Main Cabin
• Seat: 22A
• Route: Chicago O’Hare International (ORD)-San Diego International (SAN)
• Distance: 1,738 miles
• Duration: 4hrs 18min
• Departure: 10:06AM
• Arrival: 12:24PM

The Preflight

After taking my last flight in February 2020, COVID-19 grounded me for eight months. I finally had the chance to fly again with this economy trip to San Diego.

Armed with my surgical mask and hand sanitizer I arrived at Chicago O’Hare’s Terminal 3 two hours before the 10:10AM departure time.

While there were quite a few travelers in the terminal, it was nothing compared to the pre-pandemic madness at the check-in counters.

Every passenger had their masks on and most tried to stay socially distanced from one another.

I made my way to the Admirals Club between the H/K Concourses. While COVID-19 had forced American Airlines to close all Flagship Lounges and a majority of the Admirals Club’s, there was one Club open for flyers at ORD.

Gone are the buffet style large bowls of breakfast foods in the Admirals Club. Instead, the food was individually packaged. Breakfast options included hard boiled eggs, fresh fruit cups, yogurt, and milk.

There was also cereal, bananas, and oranges.

Carbs included granola and bagels. Toppings on offer included cream cheese, butter, peanut butter, and jelly.

Between 7-10AM the Admirals Club also offers made-to-order avocado toast. A masked and gloved attendant would help create it. Toppings included hard boiled eggs, salmon, prosciutto, onion, tomato, crumbled blue cheese, and feta cheese.

The self-serve espresso machine was still in operation and I had an Americano.

One reason I love the O’Hare H/K Admirals Club is the amazing views of the apron.

Still feeling peckish, I went back for a second serving of the avocado toast as well as a cream cheese bagel.

With five minutes to boarding I made my way to Gate H10. Right next to our plane was the special “Piedmont Airlines” livery on a A319, registration N744P.

Our bird for today was a B737-800, registration N806NN. She was delivered to American Airlines in March 2009.

As I checked ExpertFlyer before boarding, it was showing that this flight would be 100% full. Unlike Delta or Alaska, American Airlines is not blocking middle seats during the pandemic.

Boarding began on time at 9:35AM and the gate area was extremely crowded. Social distancing was near impossible.

The Flight

Upon boarding, each passenger was handed a small plastic bag with a water bottle, Biscoff, and sanitizing wipe. Due to COVID-19, American Airlines has cut back on inflight service. They no longer offer food or alcohol for purchase in the main cabin. In addition, water and canned beverages are not served for economy passengers.

This B737-800 featured American’s newest economy seat offering, dubbed “Project Oasis.” There are a total of 16 first class seats, 30 Main Cabin Extra seats, and 126 Main Cabin seats. Each Main Cabin seat offers 30″ of pitch and is 17″ wide.

American Airlines decided to remove IFE entertainment screens and instead installed a personal device holder in the seatback. Next to the device mount was a USB port.

In between the seats was a 110V outlet.

We pushed back on time at 10:10AM and had a fairly long taxi to the runway. The morning bank of departures was well underway.

Enjoy takeoff!

Once in the air I connected my tablet to the American Airlines Wi-Fi. Unfortunately, American decided to remove the inflight map and fleet details from their online interface.

We had clear skies cruising westwards towards California.

The rest of the flight was uneventful. There was no service on the flight but the flight attendants did make two passes through the cabin collecting trash.

As always we had a beautiful view of downtown San Diego on approach to runway 27.

We taxied directly to the terminal and passed by the Alaska Airlines “More to Love” livery B737-800.

Flight attendants asked all passengers to remain seated and deplaning was done row by row.

Thanks for the ride N806NN!