Flight 4 of 10, AA 200, JFK-MIA, #NMCLaborDay

Posted By Jon Nickel-D'Andrea on Sep 3, 2016 | 0 comments

heirFourth Flight, 777-200

We grabbed a shower, a snack, and some juice and headed out towards the gate. As boarding had already commenced we didn’t want to waste too much time.

Our 777 waiting for us!

American does some positioning with their big planes, and this JFK-MIA flight is no exception. American recently did some changes to their long-haul aircraft, and this 2 cabin airplane has the new AA interior. It’s clear that American has put some design $$ into making the planes look spectacular. #TheNewAmerican.

We boarded via the 2nd door and headed to our left to the front cabin. American has these seats set up in a front/back configuration, where 1 row faces forward and the other faces rear. We chose the two rear facing seats in the middle because the way they’re set up you can actually have a conversation with the person next to you. The sensation of taking off in reverse does take some getting used to however. You think you’re being pulled and you’re being pushed, or vice versa. But everything started rolling off the tables in the wrong directions at take off!

Sittin backwards

At each seat there was a blanket in place.

Blanket waiting for me

Two power outlets are located at each seat with a place to store your phone for charging.

Power outlets AA 777

The large HD screen folds out with the click of a button (and must be stowed for take off and landing).

Screen is still kinda visible

The tray table follows the same motif as the A321 with the wood grain. Again, I’m really liking these superficial design changes.

Seat movements are controlled by an iPhone size panel over your shoulder. Notice they call them “suite lights…” Not quite like the suite we’re used to flying…

AA 777 Seat Controls

The single seats on either side are actually pretty nice if you’re travvling alone, since they offer great views out the window and some pretty good privacy.

AA Side Seat Forward Facing

And sitting backwards is kinda fun ☺ If you haven’t done it yet, you should.

AA Side Seat Rear Facing

I stuck my head in to say hello to the pilots before the flight and was surprised how large the cockpit was. He said “well you know we’re about three stories off the ground… I hope it would be pretty big!” Good point.

777 Cockpit

Leg room was actually really good, as I could stretch out all the way and didn’t have to sleep on my side.

777 Legroom Stretch

As is with most new retrofits of the Boeings, the new “mood lighting” has been installed for a more subdued flight experience. I really don’t notice them unless they’re changing the colors. Does anyone prefer these over what there was before? Does it make a huge change in your flight?

Boeing Lighting Experience

It should be noted however that the 777 are international planes, and they do NOT operate with gogo wifi. They have their own Wifi serviced by Panasonic, and you can’t use your American day passes. When I tried to log on, something was going on with the wifi and it wasn’t working. Joy.

Wifi Broken on the 777, hooray

We took off and I decided to recline my seat to relax and enjoy a movie. Turns out this was a big mistake because as soon as I reclined, the controls over my shoulder shorted out and my seat got stuck in a half reclined state. The entire seat shorted out just after that, and even a full reset didn’t work. Then, Ben’s side stopped working. We had to move seats closer to the galley, and with the noise from the kitchen it wasn’t easy to get any rest.

We opted instead to have some breakfast and try and get a nap in a bit later. On offer was a French toast and a bruschetta omelette, we both chose the omelette because the French toast looked soggy and overcooked at the same time.

Omelette

The bathroom in the forward part of the plane was a standard bathroom with not a lot of room, but in the mid cabin there was a doublesized bathroom with a sliding door, and plenty of space. You could easily fit 2 people in there. The same woodgrain/design was present in the bathroom as well. As a big dude, I can appreciate having a little extra room to… ya know… do the needful.

Bathroom Sink with plenty of space

Just afterwards I reclined to take a nap only to realize that I needed a pillow or an extra blanket, something to prop my head up. I pushed the flight attendant call button. No answer. I turned it off and pushed again. No answer. I did it a third time, no answer. It took 5 minutes and 8 call button rings to finally get someone. When someone did walk by the last time I said Hey! My light is on. I just don’t understand what it is about US airlines that they abhor the call button. The same thing happened on our delta flight a few weeks back.

Just before landing the mood lighting turned once again to a different shade, this time the red, white, and blue!