US Airways A330 –
I recently traveled on a US Airways flight from Philadelphia to Paris. The flight was operated on a US Airways A330 and the aircraft was still in the US Airways Livery.
The flight was a quick one. I was seated in Economy in the second row of the main cabin on the right side of the aircraft. The aircraft is in a 2-4-2 configuration. I was seated in one of the rows of two.
The load on the flight was quite low and there were many open seats. Fortunately no one sat next to me for the flight so I could move in between the two seats.
The aircraft felt new inside and the seats were clean and comfortable. The AVOD functioned at my seat and the image quality was high. It was surprising because generally I’ve found that seat back screens have low resolution. I was impressed. The seat featured a USB port in the armrest; however, it did not function during the flight.
There were many rows that were empty on this flight and I observed a lot of guests getting the pour man’s lay flat seat by taking the entire center section.
The flight was delayed departing for about an hour and a half. Pretty typical for the East Coast. There was heavy rain so we sat on the plane for a long time after boarding but before the aircraft departed the gate.
Once the storm cleared, we taxied out and were in a line of about 20 aircraft. We waited for another hour before taking off.
The flight had little turbulence and the seat belt sign was off for the majority of the flight.
The flight service was functional but left much to be desired.
I was offered a meal of pasta or chicken. Typical for an economy flight. I ordered the chicken. it was served hot but was dry and lacked a good taste and flavor. The dish was served with peas and potatoes that were also lacking in taste. The meal also included cheese, cracker, cookie and a dry and hard roll.
I was offered wine or beer. The flight attendants were selling premium wine for $17. I said that I was an Executive Platinum member and asked if I could have the wine as they offer a complimentary drink to EXP’s while they are in economy on domestic flights. The flight attendants said they would be happy to serve me if I handed them my credit card. They offered a free glass of boxed wine. I declined the premium wine and had the boxed white. It was better than I expected.
I slept for a little while on the flight and watched some programming on the AVOD.
Shortly before arrival a light snack was served. It was a prepackaged box with yogurt, muffin top and some sweet nuts. The entire thing was a little too sweet for my taste. But it served it’s purpose of a snack.
The flight arrived in Paris about an hour or so late and we arrived at a gate quickly.
Overall the flight was pretty unmemorable except for the fact that the AVOD had a high quality video.
My status with American was not acknowledged on the flight and I was not thanked for my business.
The flight was on one of the summer attack fare deals from Minneapolis at about $600. It was a great deal because normally summer airfare would be between $1,200 to $1,500 from Minneapolis.
Photo Credits: Airline Pictures.net / Google Images