Enroute to Europe, Jen and I had an early morning flight from SFO to JFK to catch our Brussels Airline’s flight. This morning, we had an early morning flight from SFO on American Airlines Flagship Business Class. This flight was originally scheduled to depart at 7AM, but about two weeks ahead of the flight, there was a schedule change and we would now be departing at 6AM. Here’s how things went!
Table of Contents
Booking
On my journey to earning top tier American Airlines Status, I was able to snag a nice sum of American Miles. I used 50,000 points per person for this flight which was an overpay, but I wanted to arrive in New York for our connection feeling refreshed. Alternatively, as a top tier Elite, I could have booked the flight in coach and hoped to receive a complimentary upgrade.
Pre Departure
We arrived at SFO’s terminal 1 at around 4:30am. The airport was bustling on this Saturday morning. We quickly checked our bags in and made our way to security. Jen and I both have Global Entry and were able to get TSA pre. We cleared security in under 15 minutes and made our way to the American Airlines Admirals Club. In contrast to many clubs run by Airlines, I find American Admirals Clubs to be a bit more exclusive due to its requirements. As travelers on a Transcon flight, we were granted access, otherwise even top tier elites would need to purchase a pass or have a club membership.
After a quick morning snack and coffee, we made our way to our flight and at 6AM sharp, we were on our way to New York. Upon boarding the plane, we were offered pre-departure drinks and Jen and I both had bubbly.
Cabin
This transcontinental flight was operated by American Airlines narrow body Airbus A321. This plane has a special premium configuration with 10 Flagship First Seats, 20 Flagship Business Seats, and 72 Economy seats. This narrow body plane has a whopping 30% of its seats in lie-flat!
The cabin was a bit dated with IFEs looking like they were at least a decade old. Other than that, the cabin was nice and clean. Nothing beats lie-flat seating on flights of 5 hours plus! Our business class cabin was about 75% full and arranged in a 2-2 configuration. Since Jen and I were sitting together, the lack of direct aisle access was not a problem, but this could be an issue for solo travelers.
Food
You can preorder breakfast up to 30 days in advance. Jen and I both had the American breakfast which consisted of scrambled eggs, potatoes, and Canadian Bacon. In terms of airplane food, the meal was solid and everything tasted fine. I enjoyed the creaminess of the scrambled eggs.
Jen and I also had an orange juice with our meal. On longer flights, I tend to order espresso but stay away from traditional drip coffee as those pots have been in use for who knows how long.
Final Thoughts
While not the best use of my hard earned American Miles, this was an excellent way to position ourselves for a Belgium and Italy. With very few award flights available from San Francisco to Italy, this was the best way to start a trip. Overall, everything went as expected. American staff did a good job serving premium class passengers and the food was pleasantly
