American Airlines

American Airlines 737-800 in First Class

This plane is new and awesome and is my new favorite domestic aircraft!  I had to use two 500-mile upgrade vouchers ($30 each) to score this upgrade, but my upgrade was confirmed 72 hours prior to check in.  I overheard people talking as they boarded the aircraft and they were also impressed with the interior.  The 737-800 was definitely more impressive than the American Airlines E-170 that I would fly next. Seat The seat was comfortable but it was hard to recline–you had to slide the bottom of the seat toward your feat as opposed to sliding the back of your seat backward….


American Airlines E170 – First Class

I booked this flight about two months prior to flying and the first class cabin was completely empty when I booked, so the likelihood of receiving a complimentary upgrade was high as a result of my Platinum elite status.  The E170 has 12 first class seats.  Sure enough, my upgrade cleared 72 hours prior to departure.  If only I knew the fun was just beginning….I previously wrote how I was stuck in ORD until 3 am on Christmas waiting for this flight and that American compensated me with 8,000 redeemable miles as a result.  Needless to say, when it arrived, this was…


Stranded in ORD (Chicago) Until 3am on Christmas: Part 2

I previously wrote about the unfortunate start to my Christmas vacation when my flight from Chicago to Detroit was delayed until 3 a.m. on Christmas.  That was a bummer but I certainly did not have it as bad as the folks who wanted to fly to Little Rock-their flight was canceled around 1 a.m. ORD’s holiday decorations were pretty awesome. In the last post, I mentioned that the Exec. Plat. member who sat next to me at the gate received 4,000 redeemable miles from American Airlines as compensation for the delayed flight.  This morning I called American Airlines with the goal of also…


Stranded in ORD until 3a on Christmas

Since I didn’t know my work schedule over the holidays, I booked a fairly late flight from Washington DC to Detroit.  To American Airlines’s credit, they notified me fairly early in the day that there would be a delay.  The plane flew a round-trip flight between Chicago and San Antonio before it arrived in Detroit.  The flight to San Antonio got a late start so that delayed all subsequent flights.  Unfortunately for me, American drastically underestimated the delay.  I considered Home Alone-ing it by road tripping to Detroit, but I couldn’t find a rental car in Chicago around 10p.  Also my credit card wouldn’t…


$477 round-trip flights to Dublin, Ireland on American Airlines

This deal is too good to pass up!  [Deals like this tend to expire quickly so this article may be out of date after December 21, 2015] American Airlines is offering round-trip flights to Dublin for around $500, departing from several major US cities, in March and April 2016.  I recommend using credit cards similar to the Citi Prestige (3 ThankYou Points per dollar spent on airfare) or the Chase Sapphire Preferred (2 Ultimate Rewards per dollar spent on airfare) to maximize the points that you’ll receive on the flight purchase.  In addition, you should use Orbitz to book the ticket because you’ll…


American Airlines A319 – in first class

I was thrilled that an A319 operated the BWI-CLT route and that I would not have to fly an MD-80 (which American is slowly putting out to pasture).  The A319 had 12 first-class seats, so I was less likely to receive a complimentary first-class upgrade on this segment than my other three segments.  Three seats were already full and I was number 7 on the wait list.  Thankfully no first class seats were purchased after I checked Google Flight because my upgrade cleared at the gate about ten minutes prior to boarding.  The gate attendant did not call my name to notify…


My first complimentary first-class upgrades just cleared on American Airlines!!!

My first two complimentary first-class upgrades just cleared on American Airlines!!!  In addition to a larger seat located toward the front of the plane, I’ll also receive a meal and unlimited, complimentary beverages (alcoholic and non-alcoholic).  My flight has a layover en route to and from Michigan, so I’ll take advantage of the Admirals Clubs at those airports (a perk of my Citi Prestige card) which also provide complimentary food and beverages (alcoholic and non-alcoholic).  As a result of the layovers, I’m flying four segments on American metal. Only two segments have cleared (the return trip), so I’m crossing my fingers that the other two…


[Expired] Deal Alert: $1,348 Round-trip Business Class Airfare from New York to Paris

This deal is too good to pass up!  [deals like this tend to expire quickly so this article may be out of date after December 6, 2015] British Airways is offering cheap business class fares between JFK/EWR and CDG/ORY and availability is WIDE OPEN between now and March 31, 2016.  To find this fare, search using Google Flights.  You’ll see the following availability: This offer should stack with American’s 25,000 bonus redeemable miles offer for flights from the US to Europe flown by January 31st, but you’ll want to register for the promotion on American’s website prior to buying a ticket….