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To reposition for my incredible Japan Airlines flight on their new business class, I had to do some extreme repositioning in the wrong direction, flying from San Francisco to New York via American Airlines. While I had booked an economy seat, I actually ended up getting upgraded to business class.
And this is not just any random business class seat—this is one of the transcon lie flat business class seats, so getting this upgrade helped improve my flight experience tremendously.
The American Airlines A321T Business Class Seat
It’s always crazy to me that you can have a lie flat experience when flying domestic. The A321T cabin also features a first class product, which I’ve never flown because it is typically pretty expensive / you can’t get upgraded into it unless you have booked a business class seat outright.
The business class seats are arranged in a 2-2 formation, with each seat being able to fully recline into a lie flat bed. Although I dislike having to potentially step over someone to use the bathroom in the window seats, it’s still a great seat nonetheless. If only the plans were big enough to do 1-2-1, but that would require a widebody...
Each seat is slightly staggered from the other, which helps with privacy. However, as you can probably tell, expect to be somewhat intimate with your seatmate—there’s very little that realistically helps shield you from them. I made a bit of awkward eye contact here and there with the person sitting next to me.
Every business class seat comes with a pillow and a Casper bedsheet. My understanding is that the staff throw these out even if you don’t use them, so I ended up taking my set home to give as a gift to a friend (after all, I think the Casper sets are decent quality). The seat’s headrest can also be adjusted to help provide neck support during your flight.
In the seat, there is a little holder with all the various flight info + safety instructions. Unfortunately, it is not big enough to hold a computer. Behind, you can find your amenity kit, personal outlet, and a water bottle.
I’m always a pretty big fan of the American Airlines business class amenity kit, which are made in partnership with Shinola. Each comes with ear plugs, a dental kit, an eye mask, socks, a pen, lip balm, and lotion. The bag itself makes for a great toiletries bag as well.
You also have a personal entertainment monitor with a pair of headphones. These Bang & Olufsen must be returned at the end of the flight. Here, you can also see the footwell, which I think is my major quip with the flight: it’s a bit small and limiting, but I guess it gets the job done.
The seat also has extensive control options, with the ability to adjust the recline all the way into the lie flat bed alongside lumbar support. You can also control the TV via the remote on the side of the seat.
Since I was in seat 9A, I also had fantastic views of the outside world and the wing—couldn’t be better.
The American Airlines A321T Business Class Food: Solid
There’s a menu provided at the start of the flight where you can see everything being served on the flight. With several main courses to choose from, I ended up going with the beef short rib among my three course lunch.
The salad and small plate were served first. I thought the tomato goat cheese strata was ok; it was a bit weird to me, but wasn’t bad by any means I would say. Additionally, with only a fork, it was difficult to eat the salad with the goat cheese.
I found the main dish pretty good. I believe they upgraded it since I last had it—it was served in a plate with a full baked potato alongside a very tender short rib.
For dessert, the attendant asked if I wanted the ice cream sundae, cheese plate, or cheesecake. I ended up wanting the sundae with everything, which turned out to be delicious, comprised of Haagen-Dazs ice cream.
Towards the end of the flight, the attendant came around asking if folks wanted a baked cookie. This was a massive, warm, and delicious cookie—very satisfied.
My Overall Rating Of The A321T Business Class: A Solid 7/10
I rate flights on a few general criteria:
- Food Quality: 8/10
- Drinks Quality: n/a
- Cleanliness: 8/10
- Cabin Design: 7/10
- Seat: 5/10
- Service: 5/10
This is a solid, above average business class seat. I enjoyed the food and experience, but I knock off several points for the seat itself. It’s a good seat, but it’s not the best one I’ve seen. The 2-2 formation is not particularly ideal and the lack of privacy isn’t amazing either. Service was alright, as well, nothing incredible. Since I didn’t have any drinks, it’s hard for me to put a hard rating there. However, I never complain when getting upgraded, since it infinitely improves this long haul flight experience.
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