Round The World and other travel

Flight Log: AA101

London Heathrow (LHR) - New York Kennedy (JFK)



American Airlines Premium Check-In at Heathrow T3, and British Airways Galleries First at the same terminal

The lion's share of the travelling on this trip was being done using a fairly spectacular ex-Dublin 'flash sale' fare from American Airlines. At the time of booking I thought that the quoted fare might even have been a mistake, but similar deals have been offered on several occasions since then. The fare was valid for transatlantic crossings on either AA or British Airways, and I had quite deliberately arranged things so that I would fly the outbound ocean crossing with the former. Previous experience had clearly demonstrated that American's new Business Class 'hard product', in a 1+2+1 seat formation, was a step-change improvement on BA's ageing 2+4+2 layout on the same aircraft type.

After checking in at American's premium counters at Heathrow Terminal 3 and passing through Security, however, my next calling point was in fact BA. Again based on previous experience, I knew that BA's Galleries lounge offering was streets ahead of its dire AA counterpart at T3. It was fun being able to pick the better offering both on the ground and in the air!

When the time came to board, I took my pre-selected seat (4J) in the two-row 'mini-cabin' situated directly behind First Class. This cabin section filled up quickly and it seemed that my travel companions were a nice enough crowd. I knew immediately that I really liked 4J; while it was obviously closer to the galley than the seat in front - not usually a desirable feature - it had two windows compared to 3J's one and had a particularly private feel. I was offered a choice of 'champagne' (Prosecco, actually) or water in plastic glasses and selected the former. Newspapers were offered from a trolley that had continued through from First Class. As I accepted the offer of a top-up, I was intrigued to note that the temperature in New York was already showing as 70F (21C) at 5am local time.

RIGHT: Settling into the Business Class 'mini-cabin' situated directly behind First Class. In common with the main part of Business Class, the seats were arranged in a 1+2+1 layout, providing a sense of space and privacy to rival many an airline's First Class offering.

We pushed back from stand a few minutes ahead of schedule and the usual flight deck announcement gave our expected flying time as an improbably precise 6hrs 49mins. After joining the queue for Runway 27R in fifth place, we finally took our leave of Heathrow at 1034.

Taxiing out to Runway 27R brought the chance to have a look at the empty hulk of the old Terminal 1 (right)

As cabin service got underway with a round of hot towels and the distribution of tablecloths, I started up the 1988 Harrison Ford movie Frantic. As we levelled out at 32,000ft, the captain announced that he was expecting a choppy flight and was leaving the seat belt signs on for the time being. I had pre-ordered my meals on this flight, but for completeness, the lunch menu was as follows:

LUNCH		WINES
Starter		Sparkling
Prosciutto and Mozzarella with melon		Treviso Vignetti Zanatta Prosecco, Italy

Salad		White wine
Spinach and Frisée with strawberries, walnuts and blue		Dry Creek Vineyard Fumé Blanc, Sonoma, California
cheese, with your choice of lime yogurt dressing or
balsamic vinaigrette		Tresolmos Lias Verdejo, Rueda, Spain

Entrées		Red wines
Beef Tenderloin with peppercorn sauce, potato croquettes		Maggio Family Vineyards Petite Sirah, Lodi, California
and creamed spinach with carrots
		GD Vajra, Barbero d'Alba, Italy
Marinated Chicken Breast with Indian butter sauce, cumin
rice, sautéed spinach and turmeric-scented cauliflower		Dessert wine
		Bodegas Lustau Sherry, Jerez, Spain
Roasted Cod with coconut chili sauce, basmati rice, sugar
snap peas and grilled pineapple		Senhora do Convento Vintage Port, Portugal

Pasta Rustica with sun-dried tomatoes, black olives and
pesto cream sauce

Express Meal
For more time to work, relax or sleep, request this single-
course meal, served with a seasonal salad, your choice of
entrée and a fruit and cheese plate for dessert.

Dessert
Traditional Ice Cream Sundae - vanilla ice cream with your
choice of hot fudge, butterscotch or seasonal berry
toppings, whipped cream and pecans

Gourmet Cheese Plate - Red Cheddar, blue cheese stick
and Montero farmer white

Cannoli

After I had enjoyed some more Prosecco along with the customary warmed nuts, the starter and salad were served together and I chose to switch to the Californian white. While there were no specific 'howlers' on this occasion, I nevertheless detected the familiar level of discomfort in the flight attendant when it came to dealing with wine. At a time in its history when American had raised its transatlantic game so significantly, I found it strange that cabin crew continued to display this evident sense of unease, which surely must point to a lack of proper training. My fish main course was outstanding, featuring beautifully moist and succulent flesh. My selection of the cheese plate to follow, on the other hand, proved to be a mistake: the cheese itself was poorly presented and decidedly minimalist, while the accompanying port had a disappointing, clinical taste.

I rounded off the main meal of the flight with a mug of coffee, noting that we had initially flown across Ireland towards Shannon and were now passing well to the south of Iceland. When my first movie had run its course, I decided to treat myself to a second showing of my favourite new film of 2015, Woman in Gold, starring Helen Mirren and Ryan Reynolds.

In due course, as we approached our destination, it was time for a light snack:

LIGHT MEAL offered prior to arrival

Entrées

Croque Monsieur with Greek salad

Thai Beef Salad with mixed greens, cucumbers, scallions, chili peppers, glass noodles and chili-lime dressing

Dessert

Border's Oat Crumble Cookies

I had the 'croque' and colourful Greek salad, washing the food down with a beer. Headsets were collected with a full hour left to run; it was explained that the captain was expecting a bumpy approach and wanted all procedures completed well in advance. The message was later reiterated, with heavy rain showers reported to be building close to the airport. In the event, we touched down without incident at 1229 local time and had a short taxi to Gate 47 at Terminal 8, arriving comfortably ahead of schedule.

Overall, this flight once again demonstrated the superiority of American's Business Class 'hard product', as implemented on the Boeing 777-300ER. It also offered further confirmation of two previously identified 'soft product' trends:
	-	contrasting with multiple previous experiences on both British Airways and Lufthansa, the tendency for American's main course to be the highlight of the meal; and
	-	the continuing corporate 'blind spot' with regard to wine.