Prologue:

I commence my first YTR for this year by wishing everyone a healthy 2021. Let's hope that this year we can get closer to normality after the life changing events of the past year and indulge in our passions with a new confidence and zest.

I begin 2021 with a trip that was never intended to be. I was supposed to take a trip to NY in Dec. but due to the worsening of the health crisis there I decided to cancel it and use the credit for a later flight. Then by chance I found a fare from LAX-MIA round trip for about $165 (EUR 137) and since Florida never imposed a travel restriction I exchanged my NY trip for this one instead.

But since I live in SFO that meant that I had to purchase a positioning flight to get down to LAX. Therefore I bought a separate ticket on UA for the previous day before my flight and stayed overnight at the Hilton LAX. I will not report on this short hop except for one change at the UA Club since last year that you will see at the beginning of the report.

United @ SFO - I'm happy to report that you no longer have to ask the bartender for snacks (only drinks). A big improvement was the restoration of self serve snacks and this time UA introduced a hot item.

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Vegetarian burritos to satisfy the craving for hot food. These are also accompanied by packets of hot sauce and ketchup.

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A new item - mozzarella sticks rolled in salami. 100% natural and without preservatives. People grabbed them like hot cakes.

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Orange juice in small cartons like those served at school cafeterias.

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I don't have to worry about dinner when I arrive in LAX. :P

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Now let's move to LAX. I couldn't check in online due to a glitch with my ticket so I had to go to the counter. The agent was courteous and told me that my ticket was not properly exchanged because it still showed the NY segment in the fare calculation. A few tabs and it was fixed. I even received a USD 7 voucher for the fare difference.

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Check in was pleasant and I was reminded to wear the mask at all times except when eating or drinking.

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Took the elevator to the second floor and was greeted by an agent who personally escorted me to my seat.

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Entrance to the lounge.

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Bar.

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Flagship lounge used as an extension of the AA Club. Seeing that empty room with no food is a sad sight.

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Once you were seated an attendant asks for your drink and brings a bag of snacks.

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Enough sweets to kill a diabetic. No offer of savory or low carbohydrate alternatives.

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View from the AA Club.

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My flight departed from the Tom Bradley Intl. terminal so I used the walkway that connected from T4.

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Empty terminal with closed stores.

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Except for Starbucks.

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Gate area.

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Boarding time.

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I made a left turn to the mini-cabin located before the galley. J class on the 773-ER has two sections. The forward area has 8 seats in an intimate environment and the rear with 44 seats.

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Forward J cabin.

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My seat.

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Pillow and blanket.

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F amenity kit on today's flight along with headset and a bottle of water.

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Contents.

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Looking from the back of my seat.

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Taxiing out.

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Take off.

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Sit back and relax. ;) I follow crew's instructions.

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Menu.

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Decisions...

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Wine section.

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I ordered tomato juice to start my breakfast.

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Broccoli and red pepper strata for me this morning.

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Nice to see proper salt/pepper shakers.

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I grabbed a few packets of hot sauce and ketchup from UA Club. :P

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WC

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Only 1 roll?

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Flight was pretty uneventful. No snack buffet set up in the galley. Instead FA passed with a tray of cookies and nuts. I was wondering if this was a cost cutting move.

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I was treated to a beautiful descent into MIA.

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MIA airport.

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Downtown MIA.

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Miami Beach.

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Arrival at the gate.

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========== Los Angeles Intl Arpt (LAX) - ==========



Security/Immigration efficiency: 10/10
Access and parking: 9/10
Services and activities: 6/10
General cleanliness: 9/10

========== American Airlines Admirals Club T4 ==========



Staff Service: 9/10
Entertainment: /10
Business Center: /10
Food: 2/10
Lounge Design: 8/10
Spa and Bathroom: 8/10
Wifi: 10/10

========== American Airlines - Airline ==========



Cabine comfort: 10/10
Crew: 10/10
Entertainment: 10/10
On-time performance: 10/10
Appetizer: 0/10
Starter: 9/10
Main Meal: 9/10
Main Meal-2: 0/10
Cheese: 0/10
Desserts: 0/10
Alcohols: 0/10
Mid-flight snack: 7/10
Breakfast or light meal before arrival: 0/10

========== Miami Intl (MIA) - ==========



Security/Immigration efficiency: 9/10
Access and parking: 8/10
Services and activities: 9/10
General cleanliness: 9/10

Summary:

The club experience is disappointing with the lack of food but it's understandable considering that LAX is now one of the worst affected areas for Covid19. I appreciate the friendliness and attitude of the ground crew in doing their best out of a very difficult and challenging situation.

Once aboard I really enjoyed my flight. The crew was friendly and efficient. I was lucky to find a seat in the forward cabin which provided a more private feeling compared to the huge J section in the back. Again I applaud AA for providing a product that mirrors closely to what was offered before the health crisis. It's been said that JetBlue and AA are now considered the best premium cabin transcon products within the US and as far as AA I would agree with that statement.

19 Comments

  • Casper


    What a great report my friend, I still have to publish mine but he won't be as good as yours.
    Thanks so much for your review.
    Casper

    Reply
    jetsetpanda
    Hola Casper,

    You want to keep us in anticipation ;) I think we will make a good team with our AA TR's between LAX-MIA and vv. :P Watch out Seb and Thomas.
  • Capoune


    Hi Adan!

    Thank you for sharing with us this really nice report!
    A transcon aboard a widebody with a nice meal, what else???
    Beautiful pics as usual!

    Thank you my friend.

    Reply
    jetsetpanda
    Salut Seb,

    Nothing like flying a widebody! That in itself brings a few points up. :P

    I usually dislike breakfast flights because of the lack of variety and smaller portions compared to lunch or dinner flights but AA managed to provide a decent selection to satisfy all tastes as you can see on the menu. I also love that instead of a dessert course they serve fruit/cheese with crackers.
  • Thomas


    Fantastic report mate.
    I love all your pics, i feel so sad to see LAX so empty..
    A good journey overall despite the lounges... Glad to know you have had fun in the air.

    Reply
    jetsetpanda
    Hi Thomas,

    As avgeeks it's always sad to see empty terminals but hopefully there is light at the end of the tunnel. I was lucky that I had a window seat with fantastic views during take off and landing. Flying is always fun and keep us alive. ;)
  • Emile


    Brilliant report Panda. Stunning pictures.

    Thanks a lot for it.

    Reply
    jetsetpanda
    Hi Emile,

    Great scenery along the way ;)
  • AAFlyer


    Much appreciated Panda, thank you for this delightful review.

    Reply
    jetsetpanda
    Hi AAFlyer,

    AA has been a pleasure to fly with lately. :)
  • Nomascoach


    Thanks for this TR
    It feels so good to fly a 777 within the country.

    Reply
    jetsetpanda
    Hi Nomascoach,

    Size matters no matter what others say :P
  • Vendredi13


    Ouaf ! JetSet' !

    Ouch ! This ytr is beautiful !
    You had the ideal sunny weather for this flight. And your aerial views are simply superb.
    On board, this is clearly a pleasant day flight. You made the best choice with this journey.

    Thanks, JetSetPanda, for sharing this really beautiful ytr. See you soon !

    Reply
    jetsetpanda
    Oauf mon cher,

    Everything was aligned and synchronized for this trip. Great crew, nice seat, good food, big plane and lovely scenery. What else can I ask for?

    See you later and hope to read one of your reports soon. ;)
  • samlecorsaire


    Hello Adan
    thank you for sharing this very nice report.
    personally I'm fed up with this packed food in lounges. Catering onboard do the job.
    Beautiful spotting oF South Beach and Key Biscayne.
    bye bye

    Reply
    jetsetpanda
    Hello Sam,

    You are not the only one who is tired of the food at the lounges ;) At least the food aboard AA on this particular route is pretty good and offers a lot of choices.

    It's always nice when airplanes do the full turn on approach to MIA. It's worth having a window when flying there.
  • GG_007


    Thanks for sharing this great TR

    I hope you'll have a lot of travels in 2021

    As usual this is a real pleasure to read and to watch at this report

    The SFO UA lounge has now an improved food offer (US standards of course)

    The AA lounge is less attractive for the food

    Gorgeous pictures at take off

    On board this widebody cabin is perfect for a transcontinental flight

    The catering looks good

    "I grabbed a few packets of hot sauce and ketchup from UA Club. :P"
    Ketchup, whet else ? ;) ^^

    Gorgeous pictures from MIA area at landing

    A very pleasant travel from SFO to MIA via LAX

    See you soon

    Reply
    jetsetpanda
    Salut mon GG,

    "I hope you'll have a lot of travels in 2021"
    - I hope so too. I say my prayers and keep my fingers crossed ;)

    "The SFO UA lounge has now an improved food offer (US standards of course)"
    - Rome was not built in a day. :P At least it's a step in the right direction.

    "The AA lounge is less attractive for the food"
    - I think part of it is that this was in LAX where the rules are more strict. If you go to other locations there are self serve packed snacks and some fresh food.

    "The catering looks good"
    - One of the best for a domestic transcon in premium cabin.

    LAX and MIA can be quite photogenic if you have a window seat. ;)

    Glad you liked this TR. Stay tune for more. ;)

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