American Airlines Hong Kong Los Angeles
This post is my review of American Airlines Hong Kong Los Angeles which is operated on a 77W aircraft.
Trip Summary
Date: Monday, February 27, 2017
Flight: American Airlines
From: Hong Kong – HKG
To: Los Angeles – LAX
Aircraft: 77W
Seat: 5G
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Booking
I purchased a one-way ticket from Hong Kong to Minneapolis and paid $315. I had a credit of $150, so I paid $165 for the flight.
I requested to use my last remaining system wide upgrade. The upgrade was waitlisted until the time of departure.
About four hours before the flight, the American Airlines app showed the upgrade list. I was #4 out of 30+ upgrade requests for the flight.
As I stood in line for boarding, an agent cleared my upgrade and he provided a new boarding pass for a seat in the business class cabin.
It has been an enjoyable year with American Airlines Executive Platinum status. I have really been treated well with my upgrades which have made my travel experiences exceptional.
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Check In Experience
I checked in using the mobile app before the flight but stopped at a kiosk to scan my passport once I arrived at the airport.
After retrieving the boarding pass, I made my way to the security line, which had about 20 other guests in front of me.
Once I cleared security I waited in another line for immigration departure processing before entering the terminal.
The security and immigration process took about 18 minutes in total.
Gate Area
When I arrived at the gate area, the boarding had already began for the first and business class cabin. The gate area was large and spread out and there were seats available.
A large window overlooked the tarmac and you could get a nice view of the 77W waiting to take us to Los Angeles.
Boarding
I joined the business class line and a gate agent looked at my boarding pass. I informed him I was about #4 on the upgrade list and asked if I should wait to board. The agent asked me to step over to the desk for a minute, where the team member there issued a new boarding pass with the business class seat.
Seat
I was assigned seat 5G which was in the middle at the forward part of the second business class cabin.
The cabin was setup with seats in 1-2-1 configuration.
The seats were lie flat business class seats. The seats offered customization of the angle of the seat, power port, personal light and controller which allowed you to access all the seat features at your fingertips.
A medium sized video screen was available along the side of the seat, which required you to press a button to make it extend to a comfortable viewing position.
You can access the entertainment system while you are on the ground, however, once the door was closed, the flight attendants asked everyone to close the monitors until we were up in the air. This was a minor inconvenience and the design was modified on the updated 777-200 retrofit.
The Business Class Menu was provided at the seat. The menu offered three meals during the flight as well as snack station.
The menu included a starter, salad and a choice between four entrée options followed by a dessert service.
A mid-flight meal was available including a Mezze Plate or mini burger sliders which were noted to be available at any time.
An arrival brunch was also offered prior to landing with two choices.
A small mattress pad, soft blanket and oversized pillow were available at the seat.
A Cole Haan amenity kit was provided at the seat along with Bose Headphones and a water bottle.
A flight attendant offered a choice between champagne and orange juice for the pre-departure beverage. The beverage was served in a clear plastic cup.
The flight attendant also greeted me using my name and he asked for my meal entrée preference.
The amenity kit was a standard offering in a nice kit which included the normal items. Look for another amenity kit giveaway coming up on the blog.
During the boarding process, a flight attendant offered pajamas which were pre-packaged. Two sizes were available. In addition, slippers were provided at the seat.
The mattress pad were a noticeable improvement from my previous business class flights on American Airlines.
Once boarding was complete, there was a short taxi, while the safety video was played in English followed by Chinese.
In Flight Experience
Shortly after the plane was in the air, the flight attendants prepared the meal service.
During the flight the flight attendants were noted to circulate the cabin but they were not proactive in offering beverages or food items individually.
When I approached one in the snack area, they were happy to provide a beverage or food item and they were otherwise polite.
I setup the bed after enjoying the dinner and slept for about half of the flight.
The bed was comfortable and it was nice that the mattress pad was added to add a bit more comfort to the seat.
I also utilized the entertainment system to watch some tv shows and a movie.
Dinner Service
A hot towel was provided followed by a beverage choice along with warm nuts.
A placemat was offered before the appetizer and salad tray was provided.
The appetizer consisted of a large mushroom stuffed with ratatouille that was topped with a balsamic vinaigrette.
The mushroom was a large Portobello one and it had an excellent taste. The ratatouille was also fresh and it had a good tomato flavor. The dressing was mild and it had a good taste. The portion size was medium.
The salad was a seasonal greens mixture with various types of lettuce. A choice between an Asian or mustard dressing was provided. I requested the Asian and the dressing had a rich ginger flavor. The salad portion was medium.
A choice between wheat or white bread was offered.
Once I finished the appetizer and salad, the flight attendant removed those dishes
The entrée was served a minute or two later.
The options included Beef Filet, Fried Chicken, Sea Bass, Mushroom Wellington and Mezze Plate. I selected the mezze plate as I already had an excellent dinner at the lounge.
The mezze plate was served chilled. It offered hummus, baba ghanoush, feta cheese, olives and a few pieces of pita bread. The hummus and baba ghanoush did not have much flavor but the feta was fresh. The dish was on the small side and it was not memorable or particularly good.
The flight attendants offered to clear my tray when I finished.
I declined the dessert service.
Snack Station
I slept through the mid-flight snack but I visited the snack station.
The station offered cheese plates or the mezze plate as well as a basket with chips, cookies, nuts and popcorn.
Water was also available at the station.
Brunch
The brunch service offered the choice between a hot American Breakfast or a chilled continental breakfast. In addition, several starters were provided with the meal.
I declined the meal when it was offered and instead had a glass of water. The flight attendants refilled the water a couple of times.
Landing
About 45 minutes before landing, the flight attendants showed the Welcome to the United States video which talks about the immigration and customs process.
The flight attendants prepared the cabin for landing.
There was a short taxi to the gate, followed by the plane being tugged into the gate.
The flight attendants thanked the passengers near the door.
Immigration and Customs using Global Entry
The flight arrived in terminal 4 and we were ushered to the customs and immigration in that terminal.
I utilized the Global Entry Kiosk and cleared customs and immigration within five minutes of exiting the airplane.
Overall
I was surprised that the upgrade cleared as the Hong Kong routes are popular and there are generally so many paid upgrades or outright booking of business. The flight attendants provided a good service, although they could have been a bit more attentive in between meals. The seat was comfortable and I was able to sleep for a good portion of the flight. I enjoy the 77W and feel it is my favorite aircraft in the American Airlines line up so it was nice having another opportunity to fly on the plane.
Booking
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