Review: American Airlines A321T Flagship First Class New York-Santa Ana
Intro
The final portion of this great adventure across the Caribbean, Africa, and Europe, would see me flying on the only true First Class still operating to this day in the United States. Following a lovely week with family back East, I had to get back to California for a number of different reasons. With sky high fares such as 800$ one-way in economy, there is usually one secret trick I have for these last minute transcon flights: AA First Class.
So how was American First Class? Despite the wear and tear on these old American Airlines birds, this is still the best way to cross the United States. The service shines, the seats are comfortable, real champagne flutes are available, and the bedding is good. The best part: you get access to the nicest lounge in the Western Hemisphere.
I have reviewed this flight previously in much more detail, as well as transcon in Business multiple times.
Route- New York (JFK)-Santa Ana (SNA)
Seat- 1A
Flight Number- AA976
Aircraft- Airbus A321T
Date- July 7th 2024
Flight Time- 6 Hours 16 Minutes
Price Paid- 47.5K AA Miles+ 5.60$
How I Booked
With sky high fares on the Sunday after the 4th of July, I came across one seat on American Airlines in First Class for 47.5K Miles+ 5.60$. Put it this way, economy on miles was actually 47K miles, and fares were well over 800$ one way on that Sunday. While not the greatest redemption, I value Chelsea Lounge access at about 15K miles, meaning that this is a pretty sweet way to get across the US.
American will almost always release a saver seat on at least 1 flight a day on a transcon route. This is usually close into departure, and usually the morning/evening flights. In my experience, the 4:30 pm to LAX on a Sunday has been the trickiest to find.
Check-In
Ordinarily, I tend to arrive at an airport 2-2.5 hours before departure when flying business, but when flying American Airlines Flagship First, I arrive a whopping 3.5 hours before my flight!
If you happen to be arriving by car when flying Flagship First Class, inform your driver/taxi to drop you off at the first door at Terminal 8. American Airlines has a dedicated check-in for members flying Flagship First, Flagship Business Plus passengers, and Oneworld Emeralds (I believe on select itineraries). Once an agent prints your boarding pass in this fancy looking area, the door out drops you straight off at the TSA Precheck line.
The Chelsea Lounge
Once clearing security, it was time to take a right and head up to the Chelsea Lounge. I have reviewed this lounge in the past extensively, and not much has changed since. I rank this lounge as the best lounge in the Western hemisphere, and is personally one of my favorites in the world (personal preference). With very limited passengers having access, sensational champagne, and a cozy environment, I have enjoyed the (at least) 24 hours I’ve spent in this lounge in the past 18 months.
The one aspect to note is that the premium Champagne selection changes on a weekly basis. On this fine morning they happened to be serving Krug. Not bad…
For the next few hours I caught up on some work, while sipping Krug, and enjoying some bacon butties being brought to me in the “nap room”.
Boarding
With boarding set to begin at 8:35 am, I made my way over to gate 6 at 8:30 am. Depending on the day/time, these transcon flights can operate from gates 1-16 (closer to the lounges) or from the secondary part of the terminal which is roughly a 7 minute walk away.
I arrived at the gate just as group 2 was boarding, and finagled my way onboard in no time.
The Seat/Cabin
Stepping onboard this exact aircraft for the second time, I was pleased to find one of the less worn down A321Ts. For those unaware, American Airlines flies a specially configured A321 on all flight from JFK-SNA/LAX/SFO, BOS-LAX, and occasionally to other destinations such as Las Vegas (when demand is high). On these aircraft, you’ll find 10 First Class seats laid out in a 1-1 configuration across 5 rows, 20 business class seats laid out in a 2-2- configuration across 5 rows, and 72 main cabin seats in a 3-3 configuration.
If you happen to be flying on the A321T, I recommend seat 1A/1K if possible, as you can store items on the bulkhead in front of you, and the meal service comes out first to you…
Departure
Settling into my seat, a friendly flight attendant came over to offer me a pre-departure beverage from anything I so desired. Naturally, I chose a glass of champagne which came in a flute! Props to you AA, as no other US carrier carries flutes!
Boarding was wrapped up by 8:50 am, and we ended up pushing back 6 minutes early at 8:59 am. In my experience, due to the low density on these transcon aircraft, I seem to pushback early the majority of the time.
It was a decently long taxi out today from Terminal 8 as we had been allocated runway 4L. While my favorite to depart out, it’s a bit tedious when flying American as it is literally at the other side of the airport 😅.
23 minutes after pushback, we were wheels up to John Wayne.
Amenities
Seeing as I was sitting in a premium cabin, I decided to explore some of the amenities on offer for the flight over to Santa Ana. American leaves no stone unturned for their First Class passengers, as slippers, two pillows, a full duvet/heavy blanket, a chic amenity kit, and noise cancelling headphones were on offer.
All were of fantastic quality, and more than plentiful for a morning domestic flight.
IFE/WIFI
Throughout this flight I didn’t spend much time exploring the IFE. However, I found the system to be pretty good with plenty of options, and a lovely touchscreen map.
There’s a reason why I didn’t bother with the IFE, and that is because Silverstone was on. The second we passed 10,000 feet, I bought the full wifi package for 25$ and connected to the AA Internet.
The wifi was so good that I watched Lewis Hamilton bring it home at Silverstone that day, with zero leg whatsoever throughout the entirety of the race. That’s pretty much all I could ask for.
American Airlines also provides free messaging for all customers. WIFI plans are based on duration, there is a 1 hour packaged which I believe is around 19$, and a full flight package which is 25$.
Meal Service
For those that have followed my reviews, you should know by now that I don’t eat breakfast on planes. However, for the sake of the review, I took a picture of the menu to showcase Americans First Class breakfast offerings. The options sounded of decent quality with the likes of slices Chateaubriand being featured on todays flight.
I did have a cookie though. American comes around before landing to offer business and First Class passengers warm cookies. However, the crew prepared one early for me: so nice of them!
Rest Of The Flight
What I did do instead of eat was go to sleep for a long, long time. With 3 hours remaining to John Wayne, I ended up falling asleep until we had actually landed into Southern California. Somehow, the crew had me let me sleep in a lie-flat position until we were at the gate. Lol.
As records show, the flight landed a few minutes early onto the sole runway at John Wayne, and arrived into gate 7 two minutes ahead of schedule.
Bidding farewell from this adventure with American Airlines, well rested, it was time to get my life back in order.
Service
Service on American Airlines is hit or miss. I’ve had some exceptional flights with the airline, especially when meeting Camila Morrone (on the next review of AA First coming soon), and some flights such as to Phoenix that have just sucked. This flight I was impressed with the service for a number of reasons:
It felt like the FA working First Class wanted to be there
Upon boarding, she came to greet us individually, and ask by name what we wanted to eat and drink
Drinks were proactively refilled instead of having to ask for them
All in all, I was very impressed with the service on todays flight with American Airlines. Top marks here!
Final Thoughts
Flying from New York JFK to John Wayne, Santa Ana, with American Airlines, was an absolute treat. Having the ability to redeem great award fares on last minute bookings on transcon routes is an area that American Airlines shines. With passengers in First Class being cordially invited to the Chelsea Lounge, this has to be the highlight of the product. Free-flowing Krug champagne, made to order restaurant quality food, and an exceptional ambiance, there isn’t much more one could ask for in a lounge (minus views and a jacuzzi 😉). While I love the Delta One Lounge at JFK, it is no comparison to the Chelsea Lounge…
Once onboard, the seats are some of the best you’ll find on a transcon route. With an intimate cabin of 10 seats and each passenger having direct aisle access, there isn’t much more you could want (minus a door, for some people that is). The service is top notch, the bedding is sublime, and the overall experience is the best “business class plus” seat in the sky. I wouldn’t say this is a product that is representative of a True First Class product, but AA knows that, and hence you can often find Flagship First for cheaper than Delta One with cash.
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