#70 out of 94 Airlines A minimum of 10 flight-reports within the past two years is required to appear in the rankings.
598 reviews
Following a decent flight onboard the American Airlines 737-800 from San Salvador to Dallas, it was time to take the second of three flights to get back to Los Angeles. This flight from Dallas to Phoenix was one of the best flights I have ever taken and the definition of how I wish every flight was like flying.
The routing for this trip is as follows:
With all that said and out of the way, let's get right into the review and why it was so incredible!
With Managua fares being outrageous and deciding I wanted to travel through Honduras, I was able to snatch up a great fare on American Airlines to fly Salvador-Dallas-Phoenix-Los Angeles, all for about 480$ per person.
I could have one stopped in Dallas. However, this would allow me to see some friends in Phoenix and get me closer to status on BA!!! Overall, 3 legs for 483$ isn't a bad deal at all.
Breezing through immigration in Dallas, we headed out of the airport for a couple of minutes to get some fresh air. This meant we had to head back through TSA to get back into the terminal. At this hour (7:30 pm), it was a quick encounter.
The sun was going down, and we watched it set over this 777-300 bound for London. What a view.
Every 15 minutes, there was a gate change😅, so we ended up running around the airport in circles. (over-exaggeration here)
After enough of walking around in circles…
We found our gate, D36. I will never understand why people line up for boarding if they are in groups 6-8 (I saw boarding passes). They called group 1, and then most of the people in the picture just stood still.
Boarding began at 9:04 pm and we were walking down the jetbridge a couple of minutes later.
It was a little busy, but a couple of seconds later, we made it onboard.
A trustworthy knock on the metal, and we were warmly greeted by an FA who would go on to be my friend to this day.
5A and 5C were our seats today. I've come to prefer the last row on the domestic American Airlines planes due to its privacy.
All of the American Airlines narrow-body fleet has this same seat in a 2-2 configuration (minus the A321T). If you are interested in a detailed look at the cabin, check out my review from Havana to Miami.
Next impressive aspect…
A different FA came around to take our drinks order during boarding. With a full flight and jam-packed boarding, she was somehow able to deliver pre-departure beverages to everybody by 9:20 pm (15 minutes after boarding).
Pushback was pretty much on time at 9:39 pm.
At 9:52, we departed South, followed by a right bank to the west.
Due to the late departure, most of the cabin was sleeping during this flight.
But…. due to an upcoming long night in Phoenix, we opted to indulge in some champagne (sparkling wine I know) offerings.
And once there was no more champagne left, we enjoyed some beer😅. It was my friend's first time flying in "First Class," so he was sort of blown away at the free drinks🙂. It's always fun to be with someone during their first (that's not what I mean) premium experience flying.
The FA, which we will touch on in the next part, was simply phenomenal. He grabbed us each a handful of Biscoff Cookies, which were delicious as always!
At this point, you're probably thinking, this sounds like a good flight, but if this is your best, your best probably isn't that great😒. Well, allow me to explain.
Midway through the flight, I decided to head to the lavatory. Upon exiting, I began speaking to a flight attendant in the galley. We talked and talked and talked until we were on initial descent. He is one of the nicest men I have ever spoken to, and to this day, we are connected on Instagram!!
Before landing, he brought around something that I had never received! One of the cards is usually for elites! Considering I have no status, this was an unbelievably nice gesture and a card that I will cherish until I die.
For the sake of not getting him in any trouble, I will not mention his name. We explained to him we would be having a long night in Phoenix, and he prepared us with a goodie bag to leave the plane. Another first for me! (Nor will I mention what was inside😂)
By 9:41 pm, we were on initial descent. Wait, if we took off at 9:52 pm, does that mean we times traveled 😂?
We touched down at 9:59 pm at Phoenix Sky Harbor. Oh, how many memories I have of this city😅.
We pulled up right next to this cool little livery on a fellow A321
Did you think the flight was done? The FA has arranged for us to visit the cockpit upon gate arrival.
There were 4 crew in the flight deck (2 deadhanding), and I got into a conversation with the captain from Ethiopia. I mentioned how excited I am to visit next month!
We found out a couple of bits of information regarding the flight.
25knot headwind upon landing meant a rough nosewheel touchdown.
ILS was the original approach, but the captain requested a visual approach
All fascinating stuff!
Stay tuned for the last flight of the trip!
Minus a meal service, this flight was simply perfect. With unlimited drinks, a cockpit visit, talking about aviation, and meeting a new friend, I could not have asked for anything more. Combine that with a card I have always dreamt of receiving; this was the epitome of what I think flying is. I am grateful to the FA and to American Airlines as I have been enjoying their flights more and more recently.
Regarding the seat, I think the seat is great. Either that or my bottom is getting too used to it 😅. Flying with someone you know next to you makes a big difference as well. In terms of food, I knew that, going into the flight, there was no meal, but extensive snack options were offered, as well as unlimited biscoff cookies.
5 Comments
Thanks again for stopping by and have a great day!
But im glad you enjoyed it and made a friend, it sure makes a difference!
Thanks for sharing!
It really made such a big difference!
Thanks for your comment Chibcha and have a great day!
I do that all the time in Intl Terminal D...TSA seems to be quicker there than other terminals (especially Pre-Check)
Drives me insane, and it's a mostly US/North American phenomenon...mostly because of the tendency to take such huge carry-ons and needing space for it. It's just so unpleasant having to basically plough your way through a hoard of gate lice zombies to board in Group 1.
Getting PDBs on AA period is a miracle haha
Haha, yeah all the mediocre alcohol you can drink haha...to be fair that's the case on basically all Western airlines
If it weren't for the fantastic cabin crew, it would have been a pretty meh flight...just biscoffs is kind of sad. AA used to have a "light bites" basket on shorter flights pre-Covid with little sandwiches and larger snacks. Would be nice to see that return since other than the alcohol it's just the same service as in Y.
Thanks for sharing!
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