Jen and I recently had a whirlwind of a trip going from San Francisco to Philadelphia and onward to Montreal to catch an international flight to Uganda via London and Brussels. To start our trip, we were flying with American Airlines from SFO to PHL on their Airbus A321-Neo. Here’s the full review.
Booking
Jen and I originally booked a red eye flight to Montreal via Philly in economy but thanks to my American Airlines Executive Platinum Status and the fact that almost no ones travels to Philly on a Monday Red Eye, we were upgraded as soon as the 100 hour window opened. For our trip, we selected seats in row 1. This is one of the best perks of being a top tier Elite with American Airlines in a Star Alliance dominated hub. My upgrade rate flying out of SFO has been amazing with only 1 flight (SFO-MIA) not getting upgraded in the last two years.
Seats
Jen and I were seated in row 1 in a standard domestic first class seat. The seat had extra recline, improved legroom, and ample leg space but was otherwise solid but unspectacular. For a red-eye flight, the seats were spacious and provided enough comfort for the evening. The extra leg room in row 1 of first class was nice.
Amenities
Domestic Red Eye flights from American tend to be pretty barebones. Other than transcontinental flights, most Domestic red eye flights come with 0 amenities and limited service. This flight was no different as a light beverage service commenced upon takeoff and that was pretty much it for the entire 5 plus hour flight. For premium class passengers, it would have been nice to get a thin blanket and pillow to make the experience more premium.
Service
Service was just normal and nothing noteworthy. Boarding was pretty fast and the plane was fairly empty. The flight attendants commenced service quickly, which I appreciated as I was able to catch some sleep once we got to cruising altitude.
Final Thoughts
I think the flight was solid for a red-eye. The addition of a few more amenities for premium class would have certainly been nice, but overall everything went as expected. For those of you who want to splurge on an upgrade, it is definitely not worth the price.
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