It’s time for a new series of Snapshots for a new trip.
This one will look at the passenger experience aboard American Airlines 99 between London Heathrow and Chicago O’Hare in the Main Cabin.
I’m sure you know 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 that take you into the experience, the small things and 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)
We’re on Snapshots for the next few days whilst I wrangle the trip report from a random collection of written chapters and bad spelling, into a cohesive easy to digest whilst the world laughs at me.
Booking
Booking for this flight was carried out on the British Airways site as part of the Late-Summer sale. This reduced the fare from £650 to £580, with one checked bag included.
Seating pre-assignment was allowed, although there were no window seats in Main Cabin Extra, so a seat in Main Cabin was selected.
Check-in
Online Check-in was carried out a day before, with Advance Passenger Information given in advance. This confirmed the seat I had, as well as the loads on the flight – which was looking increasingly full.
At Heathrow Airport, American Airlines handles its premium passengers at Zone D. Checkin stands opened at 05:20, with passengers being processed quickly.
Two bags were accepted to travel with oneworld Saphire allowing a second bag to be carried.
Security
Fast Track Security was used at Heathrow Terminal 3. It took 10 minutes to clear this security lane, including the time to rescan the bags.
Lounges
Both the Cathay Pacific (Business Class) and American Airlines Club were used at Heathrow Terminal 3.
Boarding
Boarding was carried out in Zones from Gate 29 – an alleged six-minute walk from the lounge. This might have been the case if the travellators worked.
The aircraft
A Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner would provide the transatlantic lift for this flight.
The seat
This Boeing 787-9 featured Collins Aerospace MiQ in Premium Economy, whilst in Main Cabin, the Safran 5751 seats are used, pitched at 34″ (Main Cabin Extra) and 31″ (Main Cabin).
IFE
On this flight, American Airlines utilises a Panasonic IFE system based on the eX3 platform, with the servers to support it. This gives access to a film, TV and content library, as well as maps provided by Panasonic’s AirShow platform.
Your writer mostly stuck to the Lords of the Rings Trilogy.
Connectivity
American Airlines utilises Panasonic-based connectivity on this aircraft. Unlike a lot of its competitors, American Airlines does not offer any “free” options. A whole-flight pass was $29.95.
Food and Drink
As this was an early morning departure from Heathrow, a breakfast service of either pancakes or an omelette was offered. This was offered with fruit, cheese and crackers.
Mid-flight, ice cream was offered, with the flavour of the month being salted caramel.
Finally, a pre-arrival snack of a Montys Hotpocket (either beef or vegetarian) was offered.
G
Landing
The aircraft vectored into Chicago O’Hares airspace, lining up for the middle runway (9c/27c). After landing, the aircraft taxiied over from the runway to Terminal 5 to discharge its passengers at Gate M24.
The aircraft arrived 45 minutes early into Chicago O’Hare.
Immigration and Luggage collection
As this was the first port of entry to the USA, all passengers would need to clear immigration at Terminal 5 and claim luggage before going any further.
There were some immigration queues, with staff trying to filter people quickly. It took around 15 minutes to clear the queue. From there luggage could be collected.
Once the luggage was collected, there was a final check by customs. Once this was cleared, I was able to exit into the arrivals area.
In total, it took just under 35 minutes to complete the immigration process.
Other pictures
The full review of American Airlines 99 in a new trip report is coming soon.
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