Review: American Airlines 777-300ER Business Class Daytime Flight (LHR-LAX)

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Link to an American Airlines 777-300ER Business Class night flight review

The American Airlines 777-300ER Business Class cabin is almost certainly the airline cabin I know best. Before this trip started I had flown in American’s largest aircraft a total of 27 times (don’t ask how I know that) and of those 27 times 25 had been in the Business Class cabin (don’t ask how I know that either!).

On the vast majority of occasions I’ve found myself sitting in Business Class courtesy of a Systemwide upgrade and, on this occasion too, I had asked to apply a Systemwide upgrade to my flight….only this time things were not looking promising.

I had asked for an upgrade 6 months before the flight was due to depart and, in the good old days when upgrade priority was based on who had applied for the upgrade earliest, that would have put me at the top (or near the top of the upgrade list). Not now.

Upgrade priority is now given to those who have paid most for their fares so, in the week leading up to my flight, I had the dubious pleasure of watching the Business Class cabin fill up with no upgrade in sight for yours truly.

This wasn’t a total disaster as this was a daytime flight…..but I had plans to get some work done during the 10+ hours it would take to get back to LA and American’s Economy class isn’t really conducive to doing much at all.

I turned up at Heathrow Terminal 3 (on a surprisingly sunny UK day) consoling myself with the fact that, even if I didn’t get upgraded, I’d be trying out the new Cathay Pacific lounge which I’ve been looking forward to reviewing for months.

As an American Airlines Executive Platinum member (oneworld Emerald status) I get to use First Class check-in facilities regardless of the cabin I’m flying in. At a lot of airports this just means I stand in a line adjacent to the Business Class line but, at Heathrow Terminal 3, American has a whole separate area just outside the terminal doors for its First Class passengers.

American Airlines First Class Check-In at Heathrow Terminal 3

Although you can check your position on the upgrade list on the American Airlines app (starting from 4 hours before departure) I had decided not to torture myself before arriving at the airport….so I had no idea where I was on the list. What I did know was that, at the time I left home, my in-app boarding pass still showed me in seat 16J.

Check-in was reasonably swift and, as I was about to walk into the terminal to head through security, something made me glance down at the boarding pass I’d been handed.

There, in black ink, was a word I wasn’t expecting to see…..

…..”Business”.

Thank you upgrade Gods!

This was a good start to my trip 🙂

I proceeded through Terminal 3’s priority security lane (which was extra speedy on this occasion) and headed through to explore the Cathay Pacific lounge (reviewed here).

After some good food and a relaxing time in the Cathay Pacific First Class lounge I headed over to gate 40 to wait for boarding.

I hadn’t really realised up to this point that this was going to be my first flight with American Airlines since the boarding order had been changed.

As an Executive Platinum member I’ve been used to boarding first alongside First Class up until now but, as my boarding pass showed…….

….I was now in Group 2.

No issue here at all…just an observation.

I didn’t have long to wait before boarding was called at 14:58 (departure was scheduled for 15:o5 so we were very obviously going to be late departing) and I was soon onboard and walking to my seat towards the back of the Business Class cabin.

American’s 777-300ERs have my favorite transatlantic Business Class seats which are laid out in a 1-2-1 formation. This gives the cabin a nice feeling of space….. at least as compared to the flying dormitories that airlines like British Airways pass of as Business Class.

American Airlines 777-300ER Business Class

Being upgraded to Business Class was more than enough to bring a smile to my face but I had also been fortunate enough to be assigned a single seat by the window (as opposed to one of the two seats in the centre of the aircraft in my row).

American Airlines 777-300ER Business Class

I was also lucky that I had a seat with good windows……

American Airlines 777-300ER Business Class

….and by that I mean that I had two windows to look out of. Some Business Class seats on the 777 have little more than a single usable window (once you sit back in your seat) and if you’re unlucky enough to be in row 11 you get no windows at all!

As us usual with American Airlines there was already a pillow and a blanket on my seat when I boarded…..

American Airlines 777-300ER Business Class

…an amenity kit had been placed in a storage area by window……

American Airlines 777-300ER Business Class

…… the menu was waiting for me on the table area by the window……

American Airlines 777-300ER Business Class

…..and a set of Bose noise cancelling headphones and a bottle of  water were in a cubicle by window:

American Airlines 777-300ER Business Class

Boarding + 9 mins: A smiling flight attendant offered me a choice of Champagne or orange juice as a pre-departure drink….and I chose the champagne.

Boarding + 11 mins: In unexpectedly swift fashion my Champagne arrived………but in a plastic cup.

This is how American greets it’s Business Class passengers…..

American Airlines 777-300ER Business Class

….and this is how Qatar Airways does the same thing:

Qatar Airways Pre-Departure Champagne

Notice the difference?

Heck, even Delta gives you glassware rather than picnicware!

Delta Pre-Departure Champagne

Is this a major issue? No, of course not…..but it does set the tone for the quality of the offering from the outset.

If this is someone’s first American Airlines Business Class flight it doesn’t exactly scream “premium product” when you’re handed a plastic beaker that Wal-Mart probably sells for a dime.

Still, now that I’ve got that out of my system I should also add a note of positivity here…..the initial vibe I was getting off the crew was good. They were smiling and definitely friendlier than a lot of crews I’ve had on American in the past.

That’s a big positive.

American Airlines offer Cole Haan wash bags as part of its Business Class amenity kit…….

American Airlines 777-300ER Business Class

….and C.O.Bigelow toiletries inside.

American Airlines 777-300ER Business Class

American Airlines 777-300ER Business Class

Summary of contents:

• C.O. Bigelow toiletries including:
  • Body lotion
  • Lip balm
  • Mouthwash
• Dental kit including:
  • Toothbrush
  • Crest toothpaste
• Headphone covers
• Tissues
• Pen
• Earplugs
• Sleep mask
• Socks
• Discount codes for C.O. Bigelow and Cole Haan products

The storage around the American 777-300ER Business class seat isn’t bad at all. There’s the storage cubicle at chest height (in my case by the window)……

American Airlines 777-300ER Business Class

……there’s a storage area next to where a passenger’s legs go which comfortably accommodated my 15″ MacBook, the Bose headphones, the amenity kit and a few other bits and pieces…..

American Airlines 777-300ER Business Class

…… there’s shoe storage at floor level…..

American Airlines 777-300ER Business Class

…..and there’s plenty of space in the overhead bins:

American Airlines 777-300ER Business Class

The seat also offers individual air vents (very useful for those times where the crew decide to set the cabin temperature to “surface of the sun”)……

American Airlines 777-300ER Business Class

……and two down lights in the ceiling.

American Airlines 777-300ER Business Class

There’s also a reading light in the seat wall at around head height and next to all the seat controls.

American Airlines 777-300ER Business Class

Boarding + 22 mins: A flight attendant came around with a selection of newspapers…..

American Airlines 777-300ER Business Class

….and at Boarding + 25 mins we had a short welcome announcement from the Captain who apologised for the delay we were experiencing but promised an on-time arrival.

Boarding + 30 mins: The Captain asked the flight attendants to get cabin ready for departure.

Boarding + 31 mins:  The flight attendants began taking lunch orders and, luckily for me, they started at the back of the aircraft.

This was a bonus as, with my late upgrade, I had no chance to pre-select my meal but, as I was in row 14 (of 15), I got exactly what I wanted.

American Airlines Business Class Food & Drinks Menu

Normally at this point I ask for all my meal to be brought at once and as quickly as possible (to avoid a prolonged meal time) but today I thought I’d see just what American’s regular meal service is like.

Boarding + 34 mins: The purser welcomed passengers onboard and announced the flight time at 10 hours and 10 minutes….which is pretty quick for a westbound flight to LA.

Boarding + 35 mins: We finally pushed back (30 minutes after the scheduled departure time) and the safety video played.

American Airlines Safety Video

Boarding + 45 mins:  After a bit of taxiing around we turned on to the main taxiway parallel to our runway….and there were a few aircraft ahead of us.

Boarding + 55 mins: We finally turned on to the runway and, after a lot of noise from the engines, we were up in the air.

American Airlines 777-300ER Business Class

There’s a lot of legroom in the American 777-300ER Business Class seat. While seated upright my 6ft frame with long legs could barely touch the ottoman ahead of me.

American Airlines 777-300ER Business Class

American Airlines 777-300ER Business Class

There may be a lot wrong with American (Basic Economy is a disgrace, service can be very mediocre, there’s often little or no focus on customers from the decision makers etc….) but a lack of personal space on the 777-300ER isn’t on the list.

The seat itself is between 18.5″ and 19″ wide but, because the arm rest isn’t right next to the seat, there’s a real feeling of space.

Yes, when I remember to pack it I carry a tape measure with me on my trips

Tray table comes out of the table area. By the window (or between the seats if you’re in the centre section).

American Airlines 777-300ER Business Class

The table comes out as a half……

American Airlines 777-300ER Business Class

……..and then opens up:

American Airlines 777-300ER Business Class

When fully open it easily takes a 15″ MacBook with room to spare.

American Airlines 777-300ER Business Class

The area around the seat has been reasonably well designed in that there’s ample storage (as I’ve already mentioned) and  all but one of the inputs/outputs are in obvious places by the seat itself.

The exception to this is the headphone socket which is hidden inside the cubicle next to the seat and on the wall facing away from the passenger……

American Airlines 777-300ER Business Class

……who thought that was a good idea?! If you don’t know where to find the headphone socket you could easily spend a very long time looking for it…..and still not find it.

The American Airlines Bose headphones are pretty good as airline headphones go (they’re even better than what I’ve had on Qatar Airways and Etihad).

American Airlines 777-300ER Business Class

Annoyingly, however, these headphones come with a triple pin input….

American Airlines 777-300ER Business Class

….so if you want to use your own headphones to listen to the onboard media you’ll need an adapter that looks like this….

American Airlines 777-300ER Business Class

….unless you want to listen in mono.

I tend to buy the cheapest possible adapters from Amazon.com as they’re small and very easy to lose.

The power outlet on American’s 777-300ER is universal so most passengers shouldn’t need an adapter….

American Airlines 777-300ER Business Class

….and there are a number of audio inputs/outputs as well as a USB port too.

The seat controls are pretty self explanatory and are with all the other controls:

American Airlines 777-300ER Business Class

Take off + 22 mins: The seatbelt sign was finally extinguished.

Take off + 25 mins: The flight attendants were quick to bring hot towels around as soon as the fasten seat belt signs had been switched off.

Take off + 28 mins: Table linen was brought around as the flight attendants began to prepare for drinks and the the meal service.

American Airlines 777-300ER Business Class

Take off + 31 mins: The Captain updated passengers on the prospects for the flight ahead (not much turbulence expected) and says that we may even arrive into LA a little early (there must be some decent tail winds up here). 

Take off + 42 mins: The flight attendants served hot nuts and drinks and, as I was feeling in a celebratory mood (a few hours ago I had resigned myself to 10+ hours in Economy!), I went for champagne again……

American Airlines 777-300ER Business Class

….which this time came in a glass.

It should be noted that the champagne served in American Airlines Business Class, Nicolas Feuillatte Brut Reserve, is one of the cheaper ones around . In the UK (which is where this flight departed from) this champagne can regularly be found for around £20 – £22 ($26 – $28) a bottle.

Take off + 57 mins:  The flight attendants served the salad and starter

American Airlines 777-300ER Business Class

American Airlines only offer a choice when it comes to the main course of their Business Class meal so, if you happen not to like what’s being served as a starter you’re out of luck.

On this flight the starter was an interesting one:

Rose harissa hummus with potato kibbeh, kale tabbouleh, marinated aubergine and sesame-honey feta:

American Airlines 777-300ER Business Class Starter

There wasn’t exactly a lot of it but what there was tasted very nice….and I also enjoyed the irony of a Middle Eastern starter on an airline whose management is currently waging war on the big three Middle Easter airlines 🙂

The salad was a “gem wedge salad” with feta, pomegranate and raspberry vinaigrette:

American Airlines 777-300ER Business Class Salad

The salad tasted very fresh and I have to admit admit to being pleasantly surprised – it was much better than any other salad I’ve had on American.

Take off  + 1 hour: Shortly after the starters were served a bread basket was offered and drinks were topped up.

American Airlines 777-300ER Business Class Bread Basket

Take off + 1 hr 17 mins: My main course was served.

American Airlines 777-300ER Business Class

I had ordered the “corn-fed chicken breast with a porcini and red wine reduction, polenta galettinis and truffled savoy cabbage”.

The chicken was still partly on the bone (which I wasn’t expecting) but it was nicely cooked and not dry.

The polenta was….well…..polenta (a bit stodgy), the reduction was pretty good and cabbage was not bad at all.

All in all definitely one of the better meals I’ve had on American Airlines.

Take off + 1 hr 27 mins: The crew removed the remnants of diner in a much appreciated timely manner – I hate sitting around waiting for my tray to be removed.

It was still noticeable how the two lady flight attendants working my aisle were smiley, friendly and very personable…..I was tempted to ask if they were new hires.

Take off + 2hrs 2 mins: After a bit of a wait, presumably to allow the whole cabin to finish the main course, dessert was offered.

American Airlines 777-300ER Business Class Sundae

I went for the sundae because, lets face it, most readers of this blog would go for that and will want to know what it was like 🙂

I was given a choice of sauce: fudge, fruit or butterscotch (I went for fudge) and I decided to overindulge by having whipped cream and nuts as well – I could almost hear my arteries clogging up!

Take off + 2 hrs 5 mins: The flight attendants offered tea and coffee.

There’s no option to customise the coffee in any way (no chance of a cappuccino, a latte or espresso) but I went for coffee anyway:

American Airlines 777-300ER Business Class

It came in a good-sized mug but it was a pretty ordinary coffee.

Take off + 2 hrs 17 mins: The remains of the meal service were taken away

Take off + 2 hrs 19 mins: The cabin lights were dimmed and most passengers had the window shades down….despite the fact it was only early evening where we had departed from.

American Airlines 777-300ER Business Class

I’ve never understood why passengers try to sleep on these westerly daytime flights. If I fall asleep it plays havoc with any attempt I make to get to sleep at a normal hour at my destination. 

Anyway…back to the review.

American’s 777-300ERs offer over-water Panasonic wifi…..

American Airlines 777-300ER Business Class

……and at a reasonable cost:

American Airlines 777-300ER Business Class

Take off + 2 hrs 29 mins: I decided to get some work done so I logged on to WiFi and paid for a “Flight Duration Pass”.

The internet connection was horrible and web pages were taking forever to load…..so I decided to conduct some speed tests using a couple of different applications.

The first application couldn’t even register a result…..

…while the second one just confirmed how abysmal the connection was:

I tried to persist for half an hour or so but finally decided that life was too short…and I gave up.

Note: after my trip I emailed AA/Panasonic, I provided the screenshots you see above and I requested a refund. Yesterday, a little under two weeks later, I received an email confirming a refund is being processed.

Take off + 3 hrs 3 mins: I decided to see if the crew had laid out snacks in the galley area between rows 4 and 5 – I wasn’t in the slightest bit hungry but I wanted pictures for this review.

The snacks had been put out as I had expect and there was a reasonable selection on offer.

There was an assortment of mini-sandwiches……

American Airlines 777-300ER Business Class

…a selection of desserts and cheese chunks with crackers…..

American Airlines 777-300ER Business Class

American Airlines 777-300ER Business Class

….chips/crisps and cookies…..

American Airlines 777-300ER Business Class

…and some fresh fruit and bottled water.

American Airlines 777-300ER Business Class

All in all not a bad selection to offer and better than I’ve seen on a lot of transatlantic airlines.

After checking out the snacks and confirming that the internet speed was still woeful I settled down to watch some tv and to relax.

The remote control for the inflight entertainment system (IFE) is located in the seat wall next to all the other main controls.

American Airlines 777-300ER Business Class

It’s very easy to use, it works well and isn’t unnecessarily complicated.

American Airlines 777-300ER Business Class

The entertainment selection on American is pretty good and the whole aircraft gets access to the same content.

On offer are:

TV Shows

American Airlines 777-300ER Business Class

Movies:

American Airlines 777-300ER Business Class

“Live TV” (which I didn’t try out)

American Airlines 777-300ER Business Class

Games

American Airlines 777-300ER Business Class

And even radio

American Airlines 777-300ER Business Class

The selection is pretty good and just about everyone should be able to find something they enjoy.

My one slight gripe is that I wish there were more complete series on offer – on long flights like this one it can be fun to immerse yourself in a single comedy series or drama and finally catch up on what you haven’t had a chance to watch at home.

A lot of the TV series on offer just had 3 or 4 episodes….and you’ll be done with those under 90 minutes.

American Airlines 777-300ER Business Class

While watching a few TV shows I found myself thankful for the passenger controlled air vents that American’s 777-300ERs offer – this was one of those flights where the cabin temperature was on the hot side.

Take off +8 hrs 46 mins: The cabin lights were raised

American Airlines 777-300ER Business Class

Take off +8 hrs 59 mins: The flight attendants came around with the second meal of the flight and I was offered a choice of a roast beef sandwich or burrito bowl.

I went for the latter.

American Airlines 777-300ER Business Class

Take off + 9 hrs 2 mins: Drinks were offered (non alcoholic and alcoholic) and on this occasion, this close to landing, I went with water.

The burrito bowl was essentially the ingredients of a burrito without the tortilla wrap….

American Airlines 777-300ER Business Class

…….and it was surprisingly good.

There was a good helping of guacamole buried in the middle and the ingredients tasted pretty fresh….the lime helped to add freshness too.

The chocolate pot was nice……

American Airlines 777-300ER Business Class

…..and the small fruit plate was a good palette cleanser.

American Airlines 777-300ER Business Class

Take off + 9 hrs 10 mins: An announcement was made that there was an hour left of the flight and a video introducing LAX and the various US border controls played on the IFE monitors.

I’m guessing he won’t thank me for using this picture 🙂

Take off + 9 hrs 15 mins: The cabin crew removed the plates and trays from the second meal. 

Take off + 9 hrs 37 mins:  The flight attendants collected up the Bose headsets and brought around hot towels.

The removal of the Bose headsets continues to annoy me because, now that American doesn’t appear to insist that IFE screens are pushed back into their locked position for landing, you can watch your shows all the way to the gate….except that’s not much good if you don’t have headphones to use.

Take off + 9 hrs 46 mins:  The Captain announced that there were 30 minutes to go to landing and thanks passengers for flying American.

I took this opportunity to change out of my traveling gear and into something more appropriate for LA weather (shorts and t-shirt 🙂

I always try to use the bathroom behind seat 4J as its considerably larger than any of the other bathrooms on the aircraft (mainly due to the fact that it’s there as both a baby changing station and an accessible lavatory).

American Airlines 777-300ER Business Class

American Airlines 777-300ER Business Class

The extra space makes getting changes considerably easier than it is in most aircraft bathrooms.

American offers the same brands of toiletries in its bathrooms as it does in its amenity kits – C.O Bigelow and 3 Lab.

American Airlines 777-300ER Business Class

American Airlines 777-300ER Business Class

Take off + 3 hrs 3 mins: The announcement “flight attendants prepare for landing” came over the speaker system and passengers were asked to return their seats to the upright position and to fasten their seatbelts.

American Airlines 777-300ER Business Class

Take off + 10 hrs 11 mins: We landed at an overcast Los Angeles – welcome to LA’s famous “June gloom”

Take off + 10 hrs 17 mins: The Captain announcement that we’re waiting for an aircraft to vacate our gate so we’re holding our position for the time being.

Take off + 10 hrs 29 mins: We finally pulled into gate 41 at LAX’s Terminal 4.

Thoughts

American’s Business Class seat on the 777-300ER is one of my favourites as it’s easily one of the more comfortable around….especially if you’re comparing it to alternatives on transatlantic routes.

There’s enough space around you so that things don’t feel claustrophobic, the seat itself is well padded and even tall passengers should find that there’s space to stretch out.

In lie flat mode the bed is truly flat (i.e. parallel to the floor) and there’s room to sleep regardless of how you prefer to lie (on your back, on your side or on your front).

The big (and major) variables on American Airlines are the flight attendants and the food and, on this occasion, I got lucky with both.

The crew were charming, friendly, approachable and polite…and it’s not that often I get to use all four of those words when describing experiences on US legacy carriers.

The food was mostly very good and a lot better than I’ve had on similar American Airlines flights in the past – is this a sign American is trying to up its game a little or was this a one-off? I can’t say I’m sure.

Overall this was a very good flight by most airline standards.

The upscale airlines like Singapore, Qatar and Etihad still offer an overall product that is much better than American’s….but if you’re looking to fly between Europe and the US you generally can’t fly any of those airlines (except for Singapore’s 5th freedom flight between Manchester and Houston) so there’s not much point in comparing this flight to flights on those carriers.

The key for me is the seat on American Airlines’ 777-300ER aircraft so, if comfort across the Atlantic is your priority, this is not a bad way to go at all.

Note: For comparison here’s a link to my review of Air France’s offering in its version of the 777-300ER Business Class cabin

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