First Class on Flight #1 - The A321T Farewell Tour - American Airlines from New York to Los Angeles

New York to Los Angeles may be a domestic route, but it has long received special attention from the full service US carriers. Ever since United introduced its dedicated "P.S." (premium service) 757s in 2004, we've seen American and Delta up their game to win over high value corporate travelers between two of the country's largest business hubs. Fast forward to 2024, and domestic "first class" from NYC to LA looks a lot more like international business class - with lie flat seats, amenity kits, upgraded food/bev and airport lounge access. And the major carriers have branded their transcontinental premium products accordingly - Delta with Delta One, United with Polaris, and American with "Flagship."

However, American is currently the only US full service airline with dedicated planes for premium transcontinental routes. It flies a 102-seat A321T (T for transcon) with three classes of service - main cabin, flagship biz and flagship first. These planes are some of the nicest in American's fleet, but their days are numbered as American is eliminating its Flagship First product and bringing in A321XLRs to serve the NYC-LA route. Now I'm sure those planes will be nice, but there's a certain aura of exclusivity to the "T" models that many travelers will miss.

I'm no business traveler, but I DO have a brother in Seattle we need to go visit. And I'd rather take a detour through New York to experience American's special plane before it goes away later this year. So come along and let's fly coast-to-coast on the A321T!

Flight Details:
Airline / Flight No: American Airlines (AA) 1
Aircraft Type: Airbus A321-200 (N107NN)
From: New York, New York (JFK)
To: Los Angeles, CA (LAX)
Departure Time: 27 June 2024 6:00am ET
Arrival Time: 27 June 2024 8:59am ET

TIMESTAMPS
00:00 Intro
02:17 TWA Hotel and Journey to JFK Terminal 8
06:06 Post-Security and Chelsea/Soho Lounges
09:52 Boarding the A321T
11:54 Pushback, Taxi and Takeoff
14:31 First Inflight Meal Service
17:53 Lavatory Tour, Espresso and Inflight Wifi / Work
19:22 Seat Tour, Bed Mode, Headphones
20:46 Approach and Landing into LAX
22:06 Final Thoughts (including Ticket Cost)