Last fall, American Airilnes invited me to a private event at LAX where they showcased their new 3 Cabin Airbus A321T from LAX/SFO-JFK (Los Angeles/San Francisco to New York). I was totally blown away by the experience and couldn’t wait to fly it. I had the chance to finally try it out myself back in April in Business Class and it was an amazing experience it itself.
Back in June, American Airlines announced a new Airbus A321 two class cabin which was to be debuted in selected markets. Last week on my way to Barranquilla, I flew the brand new American Airlines 2 cabin Airbus A321 in First Class from LAX-MIA (Los Angeles to Miami).
The First Class cabin of the Airbus A321 is in a 2-2 configuration with 16 recliner seats.
I chose the bulkhead aisle seat which came with a pillow and a blanket.
The in-flight entertainment system was located in front of me where I could control it straight from my seat using the remote.
In the middle console in between seats, there was a headphone jack, USB port, S-Video port, and a 110V Universal AC power outlet.
The flight attendant came through the cabin with earbuds (which costs $5 in economy class).
I was disappointed that no pre-departure beverage was served and it’s definitely a hit or miss these days.
After the flight reached cruising altitude, the flight attendant passed out two packaged biscotti cookies and served a beverage of my choice. In this case, it was cranberry and vodka with lime which is my favorite all time drink.
The flight attendant did not pass out a hot wet towel which is not normal for such a long flight.
For breakfast, I had Liege Waffles with Nutella and Applewood Smoked Sausage. It was served with maple syrup, fruit, and bread (not pictured). The Belgian waffles were excellent and it’s probably the best hot breakfast dish I’ve had on American Airlines.
Dessert was a trio of cookies with a strawberry garnish which was absolutely disappointing. One could hope for three twins ice cream, mango sorbet, or a cheese plate.
The flight attendant handed out a bottle of Nestle PureLife water after dessert.
Halfway throughout the flight, the flight attendant passed out the dreaded snack basket and fruit basket (not pictured). Honestly, I can’t eat anything from the snack basket these days but they do make great snacks “to go”.
One hour before landing, the flight attendant passed out freshly baked on board cookies and I chose the white and dark chocolate chip option.
Shortly thereafter, sparkling water with a citrus fruit garnish was served before landing.
The flight was pleasant on the new A321 two class and my only complaint about the seat is the fact that they don’t recline into a lie-flat bed. The service was fantastic on this flight as the flight attendants cleared plates instantly so people can catch up on work or sleep. Some minor improvements could be a pre-departure beverage, onboard menus, hot towels (before and after the meal), and ice cream, sorbet, or cheese & crackers for dessert. The 2-cabin Airbus A321 has a lot catching up to do with the 3-cabin Airbus A321T.