There’s definitely something special about flying 1st class on the JFK-LAX/SFO transcon flights. It starts off with the special Flagship checkin area (separated from the rest of the terminal and with special TSA feeder lines right to the front of the queue). This may well be the last time I experience it (OK, who am I kidding – I’ll find a way) because this was the last award I had ticketed under the “old mileage levels” in early 2016. So this 1st class award was 32.5k miles instead of the 50k now. To me, 1st over Business is NOT worth 17.5k more miles. You do get single seat privacy and more attentive service, but I just can’t value it at THAT much of a premium.
If you’re curious about the AA transcon experience in first, I reviewed it here recently.
All that said, I was surprised this morning when I was told that the new Flagship lounge had just opened 3 weeks ago and I should go and have some breakfast. Having been awake since 4:30 on 2 hours of sleep, this sounded great – since I could then board the plane, lie flat, and snooze away (which I did for four hours).
The new Flagship lounge is available for passengers flying in first class on a three class cabin (so JFK-LAX or SFO) or in International First Class on a 3 cabin aircraft. Executive Platinums and OneWorld Emeralds are also invited to use the lounge when on an international ticket in any class.
The lounge is BEAUTIFUL. The pictures will say a thousand words, but I loved the clean and modern layout, the very spacious and comfortable seating, the well prepared and labeled food options, and the variety of drinks and coffee/tea.
Knowing I am not likely to be flying 1st (in a 3 cabin aircraft) any time soon, I’m glad this flight aligned with the opening.
Kudos to AA on this new lounge. Have you been? Let me know what you thought in the comments.
