Yesterday evening I took a trip to Saint Louis, Missouri.
Route: DCA-STL
Distance: 719 miles (2 hours)
Airline: American Airlines
Fare: 25,000 AAdvantage
miles
I’ve flown this flight plenty of times, as my girlfriend is in Saint
Louis and American has three direct flights a day. But yesterday was the first
time I got to experience American’s Main Cabin Extra, which it has apparently
added to some of its MD-80 fleet.
American Airlines
Booking
Website Speed: B
Website Useability: A-
I used the American site to find and book my ticket. American has a
fantastic award-booking engine, presenting first all of the days that flights
are available at a given award level, and then showing all the available flights, nonstop and direct,
that fit your criteria. I give the useability an A- because it does not let you
sort flights from late to early, only early to late. Some other sortable metrics
only go one way, but I imagine this is something that’s easily fixable.
Pre-Flight
Gate Agent Friendliness: N/A
Gate Agent Announcements: F
Boarding Process: A
I didn’t speak to a gate agent for this flight, as I already had my
seat assignment and didn’t need to confirm anything else. However our inbound
flight was delayed by 15 minutes or so, and we did not get an update when our
boarding time had come and gone. We did end up getting out on time and landing
early, but that was mostly because the flight wasn’t very full. I find with
nearly all airlines, and American in this case was no exception, that more
information could be given more often at the gate and on the tarmac. There is
very little point in not updating people with why things are not going
according to the schedule they have set.
Flight
Pilot Friendliness: A
Pilot Announcements: A
Flight Attendant Friendliness: A
Coach Legroom: A
Coach Seat: A
Coach Food: N/A
In-Flight Entertainment: N/A
In-Flight Wifi: A
The pilots and flight attendants were all very friendly, as is almost
always the case with American. I actually find American’s flight crews to
consistently be some of the best. The pilot came on the horn to let us know we’d
be having a few bumps here and there, and that we’d be number two for takeoff.
There was no delay getting to the runway, so again the pilots were not put to
the full test of having to update us on a tarmac delay.
Main Cabin Extra was AWESOME. I’ve had it on American’s Boeing 737s,
but never before on an MD-80. It’s way
better on an MD-80. I felt like I had at least 8 inches of extra legroom, which
was nice. What was really nice though was that the seat reclined probably twice
as far as an average coach seat. I was able to sleep for almost the entire flight,
something I’ve never been able to do on this route.
Because I was Platinum, I was able to choose the Main Cabin Extra seat
free of charge. Given how comfortable it was, I absolutely would recommend
paying for it if you do not get it free.
Wenneker Stamps of Approval
American: Yes
I am a little biased because I have a ton of experience with American
and I love their product, but I give the airline two thumbs up. Their planes
are very comfortable, and as they add more Main Cabin Extra seating they will
only become more so. One thing to note is I do not recommend checking a bag
with American as, at least at the STL and DCA baggage claims, I have
consistently waited far longer to get my checked luggage than I wait on any
other airline. Other than bag checking though, great airline and great product.
If you have questions about choosing airlines and flights, consult our
WenneTravel experts at WenneCorp. We’d be happy to help, for absolutely no
cost. Just head over to www.wennecorp.com.
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