Flight 3 of 10, AA 10, LAX-JFK #NMCLaborDay

Third Flight, Airbus A321-200

When I said that we had a “quick” bite in the LAX lounge I wasn’t joking.  Since we were slightly delayed on the way in from SFO we had enough time to grab some lentil soup, crackers and a water.  We knew that we wanted to get a good 4 hours of sleep at least on the transcon flight, so I guess this was our dinner!

The lounge was undergoing renovations so everything was a bit scattered.

Nope, not this elevator

Nope, not this elevator

But the views from the lounge are always the best!

Plane View from the Admiral's Club

Plane View from the Admiral’s Club

We got on to the plane kind of late, because we wanted to get the food first.  So the pictures as we entered the plane are a little rushed, and combined with the dark cabin, they aren’t the best.  We’ll do better when we head back from JFK-SFO, we promise!

You’re teased as you enter by looking at the first class cabin.  First class on a domestic transcon narrow body.  How cool.

First Class, such a tease

First Class, such a tease

As we headed back into the business class cabin, at our seats a blanket and pillow were waiting for us.

A321 Business Class Seat and Pillow

A321 Business Class Seat and Pillow

Bose headphones and an amenity kit

Bose Headphones

Bose Headphones

The seat itself was comfortable and modern, with a great headrest and plenty of cushion in the seat.

A321 Seat

A321 Seat

The one part of the seat that truly sucks is the foot cubby.  It’s angled in a V shape, so while it’s wide at the mouth, it’s narrow as you go in.  Forget about lying on your back if you’re tall… it’s gonna be side sleeping fetal position for you!  If you’re shorter however, you should be OK.

Lack of Leg Room A321

Lack of Leg Room A321

Leg Room for Shorter People

Leg Room for Shorter People

The tray table has a wood grain design and folds out from the inner arm rest

A321 Tray Table

A321 Tray Table

The seat controls are pretty basic but I do very much appreciate the lumbar support

Lumbar Support, yes please

Lumbar Support, yes please

There’s also a nifty video remote control that is right about mid thigh and retracts.  You can control the video screen from here.

Remote Control

Remote Control

At this point we figured we’d pop a sleeping pill and get ready to nod off into sleepy time land, but then the menus were distributed.  Now, we had a true dilemma.  Take a look at the menu below and tell us what you think.

Food Menu, overnight flight

Food Menu, overnight flight

Grilled LOBSTER sandwich?  Wagyu Beef meatloaf?  And all this in business class? No way, this couldn’t be happening.  I actually thought we got delivered the first class menus!  I called the flight attendant over and asked “Seriously?  Lobster on this flight?”  She responded “I know, right? Should be a good meal!”  Well, I did some more searching and I read the fine print… take a look.

3 class FIRST Dine and Rest

3 class FIRST Dine and Rest

WE DID get the first class menu.  So once again, I called her over and said, I think we got the wrong menu, so I don’t want to be disappointed later when you tell me “just kidding, you’ve got chicken over bowtie pasta.”  She laughed, and went to go check the first class cabin to see if they switched the catering by mistake.  Turns out that they catered the entire flight with first class food.  BONUS!  Even though we just popped a sleeping pill, we didn’t want to let this opportunity pass us by.  Seriously, when was the last time that you had lobster and wagyu beef on a flight, and especially on a DOMESTIC flight.

She brought us over a glass of orange juice and champagne (which was really bad, by the way…) before take off.

Welcome Drinks A321 American AIrlines

Welcome Drinks A321 American Airlines

And shortly after takeoff, the meals were distributed in a very quick fashion.  First Ben’s lobster sandwich

Grilled Lobster and Cheese Sandwich

Grilled Lobster and Cheese Sandwich

And my Wagyu Beef Meatloaf

Wagyu Beef Meatloaf

Wagyu Beef Meatloaf

Without a doubt, the best food I’ve ever eaten in a plane domestically.  Ever.  And that’s saying a lot considering we fly upwards of 100,000 miles domestically each and every year.  American’s catering has really stepped up their game and I’m impressed.

With the food, the meds, and the late hour all mixing around in my body, I just reclined my seat and passed out.  I don’t remember what I was watching on TV, or what happened to my food tray, but I leaned back and woke up when we were 10 minutes to landing.  I missed breakfast.  Oops.  Sorry.

We were one of the first to deplane and headed to the Admiral’s Club just three gates down from us.  Now, off for a much needed shower and breakfast.  Miami is next up!

Author: Jon Nickel-D'Andrea

Share This Post On

1 Comment

  1. That’s the normal J food and J menus. If it was F, there’d have been a fourth choice.

    Post a Reply

Trackbacks/Pingbacks

  1. Flight 4 of 10, AA 200, JFK-MIA, #NMCLaborDay | No Mas Coach! - […] tray table follows the same motif as the A321 with the wood grain.  Again, I’m really liking these superficial…
  2. Flight 5 of 10, AA 4344, Miami to Panama, #NMCLaborDay | No Mas Coach! - […] have been blown away with American’s catering so far.  From lobster and wagyu beef to tasty on point meals,…
  3. SEA-SFO-LAX-JFK-MIA-PTY, PTY-MIA-ORD-JFK-SFO-SEA. PHEW! | No Mas Coach! - […] on a bunch of aircraft, including 737-900, 737-800, 777-200, 767-300, ERJ-190, ERJ-175, and and A321 (twice).  We’ll get to…

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *