American Airlines 777-300: New Flat Business Class Seats LHR-JFK

I was lucky enough to fly from London to New York on one of AA's brand new 777-300 planes, and have made a short video trip report covering the flight.

Once playing, I recommend you click the cog and choose HD video (or click the YouTube icon if you want to watch full screen).

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The most amazing thing about this plane is the fact that American Airlines - finally - have a flat bed in business class. British Airways have totally outclassed AA on the transatlantic routes for the last 15 years or so, leaving AA to offer cheap or free upgrades to its existing customer base.

However, their new planes have not just matched the competition's seats, but actually go further and offer a high class premium product. In fact, these business class seats are a slightly-smaller version of the seats British Airways offer in First Class - and the same as Cathay Pacific (one of the world's best airlines) offer in business.

Every seat has direct access to the aisle - no jumping over people's feet here - and is very private. The only downside is that it is maybe too private if you are travelling with a small child - it's hard to see what they're doing, and keep them where they are supposed to be!

The onboard service has improved as well - each bit of food is cooked separately and then served nicely on your plate (so you get crunchy vegetables). This means more work for cabin crew, which it turns out is not a bad thing. Anecdotally, the less-motivated AA crew (who are quite familiar to regular longhaul passengers) are avoiding the new planes due to this extra work, leaving more motivated staff to fill their place. Certainly, the crew I dealt with leaps and bounds ahead of the average AA crew.

The planes have wi-fi access (at additional cost), which worked well for me as well as regular power sockets and good in-flight entertainment.

There's now a snack area if you get hungry during the flight - although they tend to serve plenty of food as part of the normal service! They also offer a dine on demand service, which is great for passengers. The amenity kit has Akhassa products in it and Bose noise-cancelling headphones are still provided (albeit in a manner similar to a prison workshop, with ticks going next to your name on a list as they are handed back and ruthlessly collected later!).

The only downside is the limited alcohol selection, which is poorer than British Airways by a significant margin. Note also that these plane are running limited routes at the moment - you'll find them on some flights between London and New York, Los Angeles and Dallas.Check the timetable carefully before you purchase!

For solo transatlantic travellers, this is a great choice - rivalling Virgin's service, and far better than British Airways. If you're a couple or have small kids though, you may be better off with BA's "double bed" seats.

 

This is a very informative video. Thanks!

 

Looks like a great product, and definitely a step up from UA's business class on their 747s.

 

Good video & I was looking for one online today to see what my upcoming flight would be like; looks great. Thanks.

 

great video. thanks!