American Cancun Dallas Fort Worth

Our return flight was on American Cancun Dallas Fort Worth on one of the new A321 aircraft.

Flight Information

Date: June 17, 2016

Flight: American 1601

From: Cancun – CUN

To: Dallas Fort Worth – DFW

Aircraft: A321

Seats: 2A, 2C

Check In

We arrived at the airport via taxi about 2.5 hours before our flight was schedule to leave.

We proceeded to the check in area and found the Priority Lane. The agent asked if we were flying business class. I said yes and he thanked us and invited us forward.

We approached the check-in area and found one other guest in front of us. The regular line had around 50 people in it. After waiting for about a minute the agent invited us to the desk.

We provided our passports and he verified them and he checked us into the flight and checked our luggage.

I still had not received my bag so we only had to check one item for the return trip.

The agent returned our passports, provided our boarding passes and luggage claim check. The agent thanked us and he told us where to go for security.

The check-in process took about 10 minutes in total.

We proceeded to security and after going through a line of about 10 people we reached the security agent.

Once we exited security we found ourselves at the Duty Free Store.

We walked trough the store and made our way to the Airport Lounge.

Boarding

The boarding area was located towards the end of a large hallway.

Boarding had already began when we arrived.

We joined the priority lane.

When we reached the front of the line, the gate agent took our Mexican Departure Cards and scanned our boarding passes. The agent welcomed us on the flight.

The flight attendants greeted us at the door and welcomed us on the flight.

Aircraft

The aircraft was one of the new A321 planes with the seat back entertainment and power ports.

We located our seats and found them comfortable.

The power ports and seat back entertainment system worked without issue.

At the power port panel there were ports for AC, USB and audio and video connections.

Service

Towards the end of boarding, the flight attendants offered water or juice for a pre-departure beverage.

I requested water and it was provided from the tray the flight attendant was holding.

Boarding completed promptly and the flight attendants prepared the cabin for departure.

The safety video played on the screens in front of us.

There was a short taxi before the flight was up in the air.

Once in the air, a video was shown about the entertainment options on the flight.

A short while later, the flight attendants offered a beverage as well as a nut mixture. The flight attendant also confirmed our meal order which we pre-ordered on the American webpage.

I requested a vodka cranberry.

The flight attendant thanked me and she provided it promptly. The drink was poured strong.

The snack mix was fresh and it was slightly warm.

The flight attendant checked in on us a couple times and she removed the glasses and offered more beverages during the flight.

A short while after we received the beverage and snack mix, the flight attendants provided the meal trays.

I selected the vegetarian stuffed pepper option.

The pepper was served hot. It contained mushrooms and vegetables with a tomato based sauce. The pepper had a good taste and flavor and it was served with rice. The rice was light and it was seasoned lightly.

The dish was served with a small salad and a roll. The bread was served warm and it was fresh. The salad was served chilled. The salad consisted of a small mixture of lettuce and peppers with a balsamic dressing. The dressing had a good taste.

After we finished our meal, the flight attendants removed the trays and offered cake for dessert. We both declined and they thanked us.

The flight attendants provided more beverages when we requested them but they were not proactive in offering them.

We watched a movie on the in flight entertainment system. The video quality was good and the audio quality was good.

The flight attendants prepared the cabin for landing about 20 minutes before our arrival in Dallas.

The flight attendants thanked us as they removed our used glasses and dishes.

Landing

The plane vectored a bit while we waited to land in Dallas.

Once we were cleared for landing, we made our approach into the airport.

Once on the ground, the flight attendants made announcements to thank the passengers for flying American and to give information on Customs and Immigration.

We arrived at a gate in the D terminal and the door was opened promptly. A gate agent welcomed us to Dallas and provided instructions for reaching immigration.

Customs and Immigration

We proceeded to the immigration area and used the Global Entry kiosks and promptly proceeded to the baggage claim area.

Our bag was delivered after we waited about 15 minutes in the baggage claim area.

There were a lot of other flights arriving at the same time including some from the Middle East and Europe.

We located the Global Entry exit area and joined a line of about three other guests. The regular line had around 100 passengers in it.

We approached the agent who processed our document and he wished us a good day.

We rechecked out bag and then proceeded through security back into the terminal.

The process including waiting for our bag took about 25 minutes in total.

Summary

We were surprised to get the new A321 aircraft. It made the short flight go by quickly as we watched the movie. The flight attendants were polite. It would have been a little nicer if a full pre-departure beverage was offered; however, the flight attendants were otherwise polite. After the meal service, it would have been a bit better also if the flight attendants proactively offered more beverages rather then us having to ask.