• Home
  • About
    • Where has GhettoIFE gone?
    • For PR’s and Agencies (Changes and Corrections)
    • Privacy Policy
  • Snapshots
  • Trip Reports
  • Travel Plus…
    • … Technology
    • … Photography

Economy Class & Beyond

You are here: Home / Trip Reports / Snapshot / SNAPSHOT: American Airlines 87 London Heathrow to Chicago (Main Cabin Extra)

SNAPSHOT: American Airlines 87 London Heathrow to Chicago (Main Cabin Extra)

02/04/2024 by Kevincm

It’s time for a new series of Snapshots for a new trip. This one will look at the passenger experience aboard American Airlines 87 between London Heathrow and Chicago O’Hare in Main Cabin Extra.

a group of people sitting in an airplane

I’m sure you’re all aware of how I do this travel writing thing by now. But for those reading this for the first time, I have two major travel writing styles:

  • Trip Reports – These are full deep-dive reports taking you into the experience, the small things… as well as the big things!
  • Snapshots – These are bite-sized reviews that show you the product in some gentle headlines (and normally, only images shot on the phone)

Booking

This flight was booked towards the end of the last big transatlantic sale, with an economy segment out with American Airlines on the way out and British Airways in Premium Economy on the way back

Seats were assigned shortly after booking, with API completed over the next few weeks (due to a new ESTA being needed).

Check-in

Check-in was carried out at the airport rather than online. The queue in the business class/elite members queue took 30-4o minutes to clear, due to some complex booking queries and only one available agent, slowly scaling up to three over the waiting period.

a sign in front of a building

a large building with purple lights

a group of signs in a room

Baaggaage was accepted for travel, however, the original seat (14L) I had selected had been moved from a window seat (12H) to an aisle seat in the middle block.

a screenshot of a computer game

Security

Fast Track Security was used at Heathrow Terminal 3.

a woman standing next to a sign

This security checkpoint uses CT-Style security scanners, with items being able to be kept in the bag, as opposed to the usual pack-and-unpack routine.

Lounges

Both the Cathay Pacific Business Class and American Airlines lounge were utilised,

a room with a bar and chairs a room with tables and chairs

a group of people sitting around tables in a room a buffet table with food on it

Boarding

The flight boarded from Gate 18. There was a delay in accessing the gate to allow arriving passengers to de-plane.

a group of people walking in a hallway with luggage

The Aircraft

A three-year-old Boeing 787-8 (N878BG) would be providing the lift over the Atlantic to Chicago.

an airplane at an airport

The Seat

This aircraft is fitted with the Collins Aerospace Aspire seat in the Main Cabin. This contrasts with the Safran 5751 slimline seats fitted to the original deliveries. Seats are configured in a 3-3-3 configuration, with 35″ legroom in Main Cabin Extra and 31″ in the Main Cabin.

a seat on an airplane

a seat with a white napkin on it

a screen on the back of an airplane

In-Flight Entertainment

This aircraft uses the Panasonic ex3 system built into the seatback. There were no controls at the seat arm – all controls were touch-screen based.

a screen on a plane

a screen on a seat

a screen shot of a cartoon a tv screen with a couple of people on it

In-ear headphones were provided during the boarding process.

a hand holding a plastic bag of earbuds

Inflight mapping is provided by FlightPath3D, as opposed to ARC or AirShow.

a screen on a plane

a screen on a plane

Connectivity

Inflight Connectivity is provided by Viasat (as opposed to Pansonic on the older aircraft. As well as being able to stream entertainment to a device, internet access was available for $29 for the whole flight and $20 for two hours. Internet connectivity was available from 10,000ft.

a screenshot of a phone

a screenshot of a phone

a map of the world

a screen shot of a phone a screen shot of a blue circle with white text

Food and Beverages

Multiple service runs were carried out. The first run was for drinks and a welcome snack, followed by the main service.

a drink and a bottle on a table

food on a tray on a plane

A midflight ice cream run was offered

a cup of ice cream with a spoon

Finally a pre-arrival snack of a half-wrap.

a burrito and a wrap on a table

Landing

The 787 made its approach over Lake Michigan, landing in an Eastward direction to the north of the airport. From there, the aircraft taxied back towards Terminal 5.

a window of an airplane

a woman sitting in an airplane looking out the window

Immigration, Luggage Collection and Customs

The aircraft park at Gate M21. This is a seven-minute walk to the immigration hall.

a woman walking down a hallway

a man walking with luggage in an airport

a group of people in a hallway

From here, there was a division of arriving passengers – with US Residents and visitors divided for processing into the USA.

a group of people standing in a line in a airporta

Upon clearance of immigration, I was able to reclaim my baggage, which arrived quickly from the aircraft, and then proceeded to US Customs.

a group of people standing in a large airport

It took 13 minutes from entering the immigration hall to clearing all formalities – a total of 20 minutes.

The full review of American Airlines 87 is coming soon!


Welcome to Economy Class and Beyond. Your no-nonsense guide to network news, honest reviews, in-depth coverage, unique research, as well as the humour and madness I only know how to deliver.

Our Social Media pool has expanded. You can find us across most networks as @economybeyond on Twitter, Mastodon, BlueSky,  Threads and Instagram!

Also, remember that we are part of the BoardingArea community, bringing you the latest frequent flyer news from around the world.

Related

Filed Under: Snapshot, Snapshot, Trip, Trip Reports, Trips

Comments

  1. Björn says

    03/04/2024 at 1:01 am

    Baaggaageee! Is that the fifth element playing? Also would be nice with a photo of the food uncovered, otherwise a nice snapshot!

    • Kevincm says

      04/04/2024 at 4:52 am

      I knew there was one photo I didn’t take….

      On the plus side, yes it was The Fifth Element playing.

      It was Super Green

  • Bluesky
  • Email
  • Instagram
  • Mastodon
  • RSS
  • Threads

Recent Posts

  • Last Week at Economy Class and Beyond (24th May)
  • Cathay Pacific enables Apple’s Find My Share Item Location – for “those” occasions
  • Luxair selects Recaro’s R2 seat for Embraer E195-E2
  • Cathay Pacific to return to Adelaide for the winter
  • Aer Lingus to set off to Cancún, Mexico

Email Newsletter

Sign up to receive email updates daily and to hear what's going on with us!

Privacy Policy
Copyright © 2025 Economy Class & Beyond All Rights Reserved.
Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Economy Class & Beyond with appropriate and specific directions to the original content.