Comparing American Airlines Best Business Class Products

If you fly first class on any domestic airline in the USA it is pretty much easy to say that it is very bland and nothing out of the ordinary. I went out of my way on 2 trips to fly on the planes American Airlines uses to fly international, to test a "real" business class product.
I was pleasantly shocked by the service and the difference in the culinary product they offer. I will be comparing AA's Boeing 767-300 and AA's 777-300W Business class products. These planes are usually flown on daily routes to Europe, Asia and Australia. Once a day they will offer non stop services from MIA-LAX and LAX-MIA. I had the benefit on flying on each one of these planes for 6 hours.

Boeing 767-300

I have flow on this plane several times, mostly on short flights from Orlando to Dallas or Orlando to Charlotte so I have never fully experienced everything they offer on long haul flights. I boarded the plane and went straight to my seat, the first thing that caught my attention was the pillow and blanket. They are significantly different than the rag blanket you usually get on AA's regular planes. The seats on this plane have a beautiful slick design, they are all fully lay flat and offer decent privacy.

Once I sat in my seat I started digging around to see what else they had to offer. On the picture above you can see a little cubby to the left of the seat, inside there is a male amenity kit. American has a partnership with Cole Han, it was a nice Cole Han bag filled with goodies (Toothbrush, mouthwash, chapstick, comfortable socks, lotion, a sleep mask and some other little things).

Shortly after sitting down the flight attendants came around with the breakfast menu. This has been the first time I have been offered a full menu to order from. Normally on domestic flights you are given 2 verbal food choices to choose from.

I put in my order for the Turkey Bacon Quiche, I was then offered a pre departure beverage. It was way too early in the morning for alcohol so I settled for some water. There is even a difference in the pre departure plastic cups.

After takeoff the flight attendants came around with a cart, I wasn't sure what they where offering at first but it ended up being a pretty cool surprise. American Airlines offers noise cancelling headphones during the flight for their first and business class costumers on this plane. This is significantly better than what a lot of other airlines use. These headphones are so good that they threw my equilibrium off, It completely removes all noise around you and you feel a little funky for a while.

After handing out the headphones they provide you with an Android Tablet loaded with movies and tv shows.

I watched "Daddy's Home" for a while (which is actually a pretty funny movie) up until they started their breakfast service. On top of my order they came around with a bread basket filled with biscuits, whole grain bread, bagels and pretzel bread. They also served the quiche with melon, oranges and blackberries. I couldn't resist being on such a nice plane and not having a mimosa so I went ahead and ordered one with breakfast :)

After breakfast they set up a snack area in the business class galley for the business class passengers, it is filled with a variation of whole fruits, desserts and different chips.

I felt like it would be too much of a waste to fall asleep and not enjoy this flight so I ordered some coffee, laid my seat back and enjoyed some movies for a few hours until the arrival in Los Angeles.

Overall I was very impressed with the overall product that American is offering on these planes. Since the merger with US Airways I have seen them slowly improving to compete with the high end business class products that airlines like Qatar, Etihad and Emirates are offering. I can't wait to see what they have in store in the future. Even though this experience was cool I was even more blown away with their 777-300W product.

Boeing 777-300W

Even before my flight I was extremely excited to fly on this plane considering it was my first time. It's a lot harder to find these planes flying inside the US, the only route you will find for the most part is LAX-MIA and vice versa. On this specific flight the plane had previously arrived from Sydney, Australia so I had to depart from the international terminal at LAX which is complete chaos. You will see 777-200's once in a while but they are old and outdated planes. The (W) at the end of the 300 indicated the plane is retrofitted. When I walked inside the plane I was overwhelmed with excitement, the cabin is just outstanding.

I got settled in my seat and started digging around again.

These seats offer A LOT more privacy than the previous plane, having a window makes you feel like you are on your own private plane.

(Excuse my language in the clip below, I got a bit excited on snapchat showing my love for American Airlines)

This was an afternoon flight and I was done with work for the week so I decided to have a few. This specific plane offered Perrier Jouet which is one of my favorite champagnes so I definitely had a FEW. (Always drink a glass of water with every drink you have on a plane, trust me the pressure will mess you up.)

These pods have a more centralized control system, with one panel you can essentially control every aspect of your seat. (lighting, the remote for your entertainment system, the control for your seat and an outlet to charge your devices.)

This plane also offered an amenity kit, this one also had pretty cool things inside but it was in an old US Airways bag, i'm guessing they are still trying to get rid of them. I kept digging to look for more features, after pressing a button a little door opened. It was a compartment for my Bose headphones! On this plane you don't have to wait for the flight attendants to pass them out.

I found it odd that they didn't pass out a food menu on this flight, they did have several options though. I had to choose in between Wagyu Beef, Shrimp Sliders or Vegetarian Lasagna. Of course I went with the Wagyu beef, I was settled in my seat and ready to take off.

After take off they came around and asked for our drink orders. I asked for some more champagne, they brought me my drink and some mixed nuts to snack on before my meal.

Shortly after I was brought an appetizer, i was surprised because it wasn't something I ordered but it was a nice gesture. The appetizer was salmon, a mixed salad with balsamic vinaigrette and some toasted bread. I don't eat Salmon for the most part but it was actually pretty dam good. 

Next was the Wagyu beef, I honestly didn't think it was possible to have such a delicious meal in the sky. This was a true 4 course meal.

After the great meal they came by offering desert, I almost yelled of excitement when the flight attendant asked "Would you like a strawberry or chocolate sundae?!?!?!?" ummm yes!

Oh and some more champagne please.....

After the lunch service they also setup a snack and self serve wine and alcohol bar in the galley between business and first class. It was a lot more inclusive than the snack bar on the 767-300.

About 30 minutes after I was asked if I wanted another drink and a fruit and cheese plate. I settled for some club soda because the champagne started to get to me lol.

After all of this food and being pampered for about 3 hours I decided to take a nap. These fully lay flat seats are amazing, I fell asleep instantly.

When I woke up we where starting our decent into Miami International. It was already dark out so it was pretty cool to see how the cabin was light up.

Summary

I had an amazing time flying on both of these planes, my passion for planes and aviation may be a little exaggerated but it is something I truly enjoy. I am really excited at the same time for the growth of American Airlines. As the largest airline in the world it takes a lot to do what they do and keep their executive clients happy. I actually just invested a good chunk of capital into their stock because I truly believe in their company and their product. Being on planes for that long allows you to discover your self, it gives you time to think and analyze things you wouldn't normally on a regular day. After every one my travels I find my self more motivated and excited to grow and better my self. I will be traveling to the Dominican Republic next week on vacation and will have an article shortly after reviewing my trip. If you have questions about any airlines or business class products or just travel in general feel free to message me through Google Circles.

Safe Travels!