So I finally got to try American Airlines A320 first class. It went just about as well as I thought it would. Then again, prior to this flight, I’ve probably spent less than 20 cumulative seconds ever thinking about it.
Long story short: The seats are very basic with no video screens, but the food is pretty good (I’d rate it a 7 out or 10). Hot towels and warm nuts even made an appearance. It actually didn’t suck!
If only my 3rd grade crush (who didn’t even know I existed) would have given me that same kind of chance…
American Airlines A320 (N656AW) side view illustration by NorebboStock.comOur route from Minneapolis to Phoenix today as AA1756
My full review of American Airlines A320 first class from Minneapolis to Phoenix
The most interesting part of this experience was flying American Airlines out of MSP (an airport absolutely dominated by you-know-who). It was easily the ballsiest thing I’ve done all year – but it’s what I gotta do to get content for the blog I guess.
Arrival at MSP
MSP is easily one of my favorite “big” airports in all the world. Not surprisingly, I went from dropping off a rental car and into the terminal (through security) in less than 15 minutes. There aren’t many other major hub airports as efficient as this IMHO.
Yikes. I’m about to venture into an area where very few have ventured before (outside the Delta / SkyTeam section here in Terminal 1 at MSP). Wish me luck!You mean there are actually other airlines here? I had no idea.Judging by the lack of activity here at the American Airlines check-in counter, it seems that I’m not the only one who didn’t realize that Delta actually shares this airport with others.In all seriousness, I am very familiar with MSP (and I’m a big fan). Not to toot my own horn or anything, but I already knew that this American Airlines flight to Phoenix would be departing out of Terminal E without even looking at the flight information displays.More specifically, it’ll be departing out of gate E15. FYI, I was *not* hard-core enough to know that bit info ahead of time.Come to think of it, guessing the registration number of the A320 that would be taking me to Phoenix today (N656AW) would be the thing that would make me truly hard-core. I didn’t even try BTW.God help me if I ever get to the point where I start memorizing the registration numbers of entire fleets of aircraft.
The boarding process for flight number 1756 to Phoenix
Typical. It seems as if whenever I have a really long layover somewhere, my origination flight is always on time. They started the boarding process exactly when they said they would, ensuring that I’d be spending some time aimlessly wandering the terminals of PHX later this afternoon.
I don’t know. It just feels wrong holding an American Airlines boarding pass at MSP.Shouldn’t I be awarded bonus AAdvantage miles (or something) for this? The amount of stink eye I had to endure from Delta employees on the way to this plane today did not go unnoticed.What’s that? I can’t hear you, because (thanks to my AirPods), I have a fully transitioned into “don’t mess with me bro – I’m trying to get pictures for an epic airline review” mode.See? It’s working magnificently here at the boarding door. Then again, nobody ever talks to me anyway, so the “don’t mess with me” vibe is probably overkill.
My first impression of the first class seats
Honestly? My ‘first impression’ was that the seats here on the A320 looked like pudgier versions of the seats you saw in my American Airlines 737-800 first class review. The lack of video screens was also noticeable right off the bat – but it wasn’t all that surprising considering how stingy American Airlines is with that kind of thing.
Welcome to American Airlines A320 first class! The target (seat 3A) has been identified, and I couldn’t help but to let out a very creepy sounding “you’re mine!” on the way down the aisle (just as Maverick indicated to Jester in the original Top Gun).Déjà vu like a mofo! Who knew that American Airlines A320 first class looks a lot like United Airlines A320 first class?Leg room is exactly the same. And I hate to admit it, but the jeans and the shoes are as well.Think of this as the “ugly” version of American Airlines A321neo first class. Ain’t no video screens here either!I can almost hear the “I was expecting more” conversation from way over here.Looks like we’ve got both USB ports and standard electrical outlets here between the seats……decent under seat storage space……a decent headrest and a thick center armrest (with controls for the nonexistent onboard entertainment system)……and…uh…yeah. This isn’t half bad. It’s certainly not as nice as what you saw in my American Airlines 737 MAX 8 first class review, but it’s worth saying again: it ain’t half bad.There are 3 rows of seats here in first class on the American A320, with 4 seats in each row (in a 2-2 configuration). United only has 3 rows of first class in their A320s as well, so don’t go thinkin’ that the grass is greener.What would you rather see on the airplane you’re flying on? Loose bolts -OR- runny paint (as you saw in my Delta 737-900 first class review)?
The departure out of MSP
Another really nice thing about the Minneapolis St. Paul Airport is how condensed it is (at least compared to other major airports). Taxi times are always short – no matter which departure runway is in operation.
Quick! Let’s get out of here before the competition even realizes that we’ve been occupying their territory…We’re 1 minute late pushing off the gate (which is unacceptable when you’re behind enemy lines).Nonchalantly whistling past the Delta gates (hoping that they don’t notice)…Who knew that flying American Airlines out of MSP would be so stressful?Then again, there seems to be absolutely no f**ks given by any of the other passengers here in cabin. Perhaps I’m overthinking this.Lift off! I wonder what the story is with that Etihad 777-300/ER down there (other than the fact that it’s obviously too afraid to venture anywhere near the Delta gates)?If it wasn’t obvious by now, row 3 is where you want to be in American Airlines A320 first class if it’s awesome engine (and wing) views that you seek.
In-flight entertainment
American Airlines is easily the worst of the big three US Airlines when it comes to in-flight entertainment. Some of their aircraft have seat back video screens. Most (such as this A320) don’t. Their catalog of streaming content is quite good though – and every bit as decent as any other major US airline.
In-flight entertainment on today’s flight will require streaming it to your mobile device. Either that or look over the shoulder of your seatmate. Whatever floats your boat.There seems to be a fairly decent selection of movies, TV shows, and live TV on tap. The only thing missing is……a larger iPhone! Personal device holders build into the seats would be nice too.$15 for in-flight Wi-Fi? That’s robbery! (Says the guy who buys his Cheerios at Whole Foods – even though he knows he can get it far cheaper pretty much anywhere else).
The food
Food is served on all flights over 2 1/2 hours in the American Airlines network. This flight to Phoenix today clocked in just under three hours, so they fed us lunch.
Oh! For a second there I thought she handed me a tampon. Nonetheless, it’s always nice to see hot towels domestic first class.Warm nuts *and* a full can of soda. Would it be immature of me to say that this in-flight service is ‘kicking the nuts’ of any other major US airline at the moment? Probably. But it’s the truth!
Food quality is surprisingly good IMHO. I chose the chicken, while my seatmate went with the fruit and cheese plate. Both were well-presented. I’m not exactly sure how satisfied she was with the cheese, but I quite enjoyed the chicken.
I went with the chicken for lunch (as one does when being known as ‘the chicken and rice guy’ in the airline reviewer space).Here’s another angle of the chicken. I can only imagine what my seatmate was thinking as I was going in closer for these detailed pics…“OMG the salad too?!” What is it with this guy?”Honestly, I didn’t care what she thought of me. Getting pics of this delicious brownie was worth every bit of criticism (and speculation) about my mental state.Speaking of not giving a crap, I dedicate this one to the person who sent me a message a couple days ago telling me to stop taking selfies. Duly noted (and spitefully ignored).“We only want to see pics of the airports, lounges, planes, food, etc” he/she continued. OK then. Here’s the chicken. Hopefully my reflection glistening in the salsa will go unnoticed.
Seat comfort
While nowhere near as comfortable as the seats I got to experience in American Airlines 787-9 business class, the ones here in A320 first class were respectable. I certainly wouldn’t go far out of my way to book this over anything else, but it’s a comfortable enough seat for flights under 3 hours.
Unfortunately you’re going to have to be a little more bendy than average be able to cross your legs in these seats. I’m not that bendy, and this kinda hurt.Seat recline is just so-so IMHO. The two people in the row ahead of me were reclined a fair bit, but not enough to be too annoying.Pro tip: If for whatever reason you become irritated by how much the person in front of you has reclined their seat, nothing sends the message better than gently tickling the hairs on their arm as they try to sleep.
The arrival into Phoenix
It’s been a while since I’ve flown into Phoenix from the east! I’ve forgotten how beautiful the terrain is, and my nose was glued to the window all the way in…
I think now would be a pretty good time to queue up the theme song to your favorite Hollywood western in your head. It’s lookin’ kinda wild and rugged down there.A virtual fist pump goes out to the mofos who crossed this terrain on horseback way back in the day. Y’all (even the women) were far more manly than I could ever hope of being.Today I learned that there’s actual / real / legit waterfront property in Phoenix. Imagine that.Welcome to PHX!Also, welcome home N656AW.Yup. This is an ex-America West aircraft, which means that it has spent it’s entire life based here in Phoenix. < whispering > It’ll probably die here as well considering that there’s an airplane graveyard just 30 minutes west. < /whispering >She seems to be in an awful big hurry to get away from me, doesn’t she?“Wait! Come back!”Like a bolt of lightnin’ lol. Oh well. At least I had fun trying out first class on the American Airlines A320 today.
Pros and cons
American Airlines is usually an easy target for ornery airline reviewers such as myself. They’re usually very inconsistent from flight to flight, but this A320 first class experience was a perfect example of them getting everything right. Mostly.
Pros
The streaming in flight entertainment is fast AF. Lots of good content too!
There are only 3 rows of first class seats, which makes for a more intimate / exclusive experience.
As ugly as the seats are, the huge (and very flat) seat-backs help to create a cocoon-like feeling. They actually felt kind of private!
Cons
The seats look very plain without video screens. It cheapens the experience IMHO.
No personal device holders (which would have made watching the streaming in flight entertainment more enjoyable).
This was a really nice review with a few pleasant surprises:
First, I was surprised to find out that these seats have power outlets and adjustable headrests. I thought the only change AA had made to the ex-US Airways A320 hard product was reupholstering the seats. But, after doing some research, it turns out that they added adjustable headrests (in First Class only) and power outlets a few years after the merger, once these A320’s had spent a few years in service with them. I’m not exactly sure when AA started installing headrests (I think they’re still installing them), but I do know that they started adding power sometime around 2019-2020. All AA A320’s now have it according to the American fleet site.
TLDR: This interior isn’t as neglected as I thought lol.
Also, the meal service was a bit more elaborate than what I was expecting. Pretty nice how AA offered warm nuts and hot towels on this flight!
I was just surprised as you were Peter! Not necessarily about the headrests and power outlets, but about the onboard service in general. It was quite good actually. I definitely wasn’t expecting the hot towel and warm nuts – because not even United can manage to offer that most of the time.
I do have another flight in American Airlines first class coming up soon (on the 737–800), so it’ll be interesting to see how consistent they are between aircraft types.
I am a Delta loyalist but had some AA credit I needed to use so I will be flying AA from MSP-CLT-DAB in January. Was given the chance to upgrade for cheap (less than 200 for both segments combined). Thought I would spend the $ since I had the credit to begin with, I look forward to experiencing AA first class for the first time (and probably only time, because again, I am a DL loyalist at MSP).
You might be surprised Jake! Although I do prefer Delta over American Airlines for domestic first class, my last few flights in AA first have impressed me. In-flight entertainment isn’t quite up to par, but the food (and service from the cabin crew) is really good.
Peter
This was a really nice review with a few pleasant surprises:
First, I was surprised to find out that these seats have power outlets and adjustable headrests. I thought the only change AA had made to the ex-US Airways A320 hard product was reupholstering the seats. But, after doing some research, it turns out that they added adjustable headrests (in First Class only) and power outlets a few years after the merger, once these A320’s had spent a few years in service with them. I’m not exactly sure when AA started installing headrests (I think they’re still installing them), but I do know that they started adding power sometime around 2019-2020. All AA A320’s now have it according to the American fleet site.
TLDR: This interior isn’t as neglected as I thought lol.
Also, the meal service was a bit more elaborate than what I was expecting. Pretty nice how AA offered warm nuts and hot towels on this flight!
Scott (SANspotter)
I was just surprised as you were Peter! Not necessarily about the headrests and power outlets, but about the onboard service in general. It was quite good actually. I definitely wasn’t expecting the hot towel and warm nuts – because not even United can manage to offer that most of the time.
I do have another flight in American Airlines first class coming up soon (on the 737–800), so it’ll be interesting to see how consistent they are between aircraft types.
Jake
I am a Delta loyalist but had some AA credit I needed to use so I will be flying AA from MSP-CLT-DAB in January. Was given the chance to upgrade for cheap (less than 200 for both segments combined). Thought I would spend the $ since I had the credit to begin with, I look forward to experiencing AA first class for the first time (and probably only time, because again, I am a DL loyalist at MSP).
Scott (SANspotter)
You might be surprised Jake! Although I do prefer Delta over American Airlines for domestic first class, my last few flights in AA first have impressed me. In-flight entertainment isn’t quite up to par, but the food (and service from the cabin crew) is really good.