After a good stay with the Four Points Sheraton SFO, it was finally time for me to commence my trip and head off to Hawaii with American Airlines (AA) in their First class cabin.
As I’ve mentioned previously, I’m hardly a morning person, so you can only imagine my attitude when I sauntered in to Terminal 2 of San Francisco International Airport while yawning and slightly dazed. I suppose it’s was a good thing that there was absolutely no line in the Priority AAccess lane at the AA check-in desks. I scooted down the inviting red carpet and had my boarding pass in hand in less than a minute. Service was provided with a smile and was very friendly, even going so far as to check the status of my other flights and letting me know that everything looked like it was set to go.
The agent checking me in asked me if I was an “island boy” heading home, which gave me a bit of a chuckle. Being mixed-raced, I’m very used to people struggling with figuring out my racial heritage. I am often mistaken for Latino or southern European (Italian, Greek, etc.). Since Hawaii has many hapas (a slang term for those who are half-Asian), the AA agent was one of the few to correctly guess my background. Sadly I informed her that I was not an islander, but simply a vacationer. She smiled and wished me a nice visit.
The security line was fairly quick, contrary to what the woman in front of me insisted on shouting multiple times – “Oh for Christ’s sake, what is taking everyone so long? !?” In less than 5 minutes I had my shoes back on my feet, my Macbook back in my backpack, and I was free to roam around SFO’s relatively new T2.
SFO T2 is my favorite terminal in the United States, and ranks pretty high on my international list as well. It’s airy and open, with plenty of space for people to wander up and down the hallways without really needing to worry about bumping into one another. The shops are interesting and useful (I often stock up on skincare products at the Kiehl’s), and the food offered isn’t fantastic but is at least a step up from the Sbarro’s or Manchu Wok you’d find in many other airports. A decent bowl of Japanese udon with shrimp tempura and a Pinkberry frozen yogurt kicker trumps a greasy slice of pizza any day for me.
I didn’t spend much time in the terminal on this trip though. I was looking for a quick nibble to settle my stomach and a cup of coffee to chase away the last few traces of sleep from my eye, so I hopped into AA’s recently refurbished Admirals Club. While I never had the opportunity to experience the space prior to the remodel, I have it on good authority that the new space is a vast improvement over the previous offering. I have to admit, it actually was a pretty nice space. When you first enter the lounge, you are met with the standard monolithic desk with AAgents waiting to welcome you and check your credentials for access. Directly behind them was a fireplace built directly into the wall giving off waves of welcoming heat. An atrium-type area with small trees were placed in a circle and the entire back wall was glass looking out over SFO’s apron. To the left was ample seating and some magazine racks with reading material and newspapers. To the right was an area with various non-alcoholic beverages on offer. Behind this area was additional seating as well as a rather large bar offering liquor and food for purchase.
For a lounge in the United States from a US-based airline, it’s not a bad space at all.
I grabbed a cup of coffee and sat down against the far right-hand wall, slowly trying to convince my body that it was an appropriate time to be awake while watching a Virgin America plane receive catering for a flight to JFK. At this early hour of the morning the SFO AC wasn’t too busy, I’d estimate it was about 30% full. Despite all the space this rather empty lounge was providing, one gentleman decided he was going to join me along the far wall. Not a big deal at first, and he sat far enough away that I didn’t feel like he was needlessly close to me. I finished my cup of coffee and decided it was time for another, so I hopped up from my seat to make it. On my way back, a surprise was waiting for me….
The wall I was seated against had a rather large mirror across it. As I sauntered back to my seat, imagine my surprise when I see the computer screen of the gentleman who had recently joined me reflected in the mirror playing some rather adult entertainment. I have to admit, I was quite shocked. I promptly gasped, threw my handkerchief in the air, and collapsed on my fainting couch.
Kidding.
I simply did what I assume most people would do in that situation – giggle like a school girl and pretend I didn’t see anything. The poor guy clearly didn’t realize he was broadcasting his movie to half of the Admirals Club. I guess everyone has their own way of waking up in the morning. I choose coffee, others choose porn.
Sufficienty perked up now, I glanced at my iPhone and realized it was about time to board my flight to Los Angeles. I dashed out of the AC with a friendly “Have a nice flight” from the AAngels at the front desk to the gate where I discovered that boarding had already started.
AA1929, San Francisco (SFO) – Los Angeles (LAX), Dep – 6:45 AM, Arr – 8:05 AM, First Class
I was one of the last passengers to load and, predictably, the First class cabin was completely full. I was assigned the window seat in the last row. When I arrived at my row I politely asked my aisle seatmate if he’d mined allowing me to jump into my seat. He turned out to be one of those people who makes a giant, fussy production about having to move. He folded up his newspaper with a huff and didn’t even bother to stand up for a quick second, choosing instead to swing his legs to the side while I shimmied my way past him into my seat. Lovely.
My luck improved a few seconds later when a friendly flight attendant swung by to ask me if I’d like a pre-departure beverage. I decided on an orange juice and less than a minute later it was in my hand while I gazed out the window watching a sleepy SFO airport come to life. We pushed back on time and after a relatively short taxi we were airborn and headed down the gorgeous California coastline.
Prior to the flight I had thought about my seat selection and had choosen a seat I figured would give me a fantastic view of the coast as we headed down to LAX, and I had chosen correctly. Golden rays of sunlight bathed the mountains, beaches, and waves with occasional sections of dense cloud coverage for the entire short flight. The aircraft operating our flight today was a standard issue domestic First class cabin without any in-flight entertainment, but who needs reruns of NBC shows when you’ve got this outside your window:
Service on this flight was simply your choice of beverage and a package of Biscoff cookies. Since I was still fighting the urge to cocoon myself in AA’s famously flimsy red blankets and hibernate like some kind of woodland creature, I asked for a coffee with cream and sugar. The Biscoff cookies are always delicious, but I do wish on shorter flights like this AA followed United’s lead and offered a snack basket with various choices (chips, cookies, granola bars, fresh fruit, etc) from which passengers could select a snack.
The seat itself is a bit worn out and weathered, but overall a solid offering for a domestic First class seat. The recline on these seats is more than sufficient to alleviate any aches my back might develop on this short flight, and the leg room for someone of my height (5’7″) is way more than adequate. While many frequent travelers try to be the first person on the plane in order to get storage space for their carry-on baggage, my height means that I can board last, slide my backpack under the seat in front of me, and still have ample room to stretch my legs.
Before I knew it the captain was thanking us for choosing AA and asking our flight attendants to prepare the cabin for landing. My coffee cup was scooped up, my seat back was brought to the upright position, and soon enough we were on the ground and I was let out into the madhouse that is LAX.
While SFO’s T2 might be my favorite in the US, the AA terminal at LAX ranks somewhere near the bottom. The concessions on offer are rather “blah”, it’s always just a little bit too crowded, and the single hallway design means everyone is always in your way no matter where you’re trying to go. I had approximately two hours to kill while awaiting my connecting flight, and I spent half of it at the Chili’s enjoying a mediocre pancake breakfast combo, and the other half at the LAX Admirals Club (which I will review on another occasion).
AA283, Los Angeles (LAX) – Honolulu (HNL), Dep – 10:30 AM, Arr – 1:20 PM, First Class
The last time I flew in First class to Hawaii with AA, I was fortunate enough to be on a 763 which features the angled lie-flat business class seats often found on AA’s international routes. While the flight from LAX isn’t too long compared to some international routes, it’s always nice to have a fancy seat when you’re on the plane. Unfortunately on this trip I would be riding in AA’s 757 First class cabin with the much less glamourous domestic seat.
I boarded relatively late for this flight as well, so the First class cabin was already full when I arrived at my seat. This time around my seat mate was an off-duty AA flight attendant who was very gracious when I asked to take my spot by the window. An on-duty flight attendant made her way down the aisle and offered to grab me a pre-departure beverage, and I requested a water. She headed off with my order and sadly the water never materialized, which was a bit disappointing. It’s one thing to not be offered anything at all, but to have it offered and then fail to bring it? But… I’m in a First class seat to Honolulu that I paid absolutely no money for. It rolled off my back quite easily.
We departed from the gate on time and again, with little fanfare, we were jetting away from the California coast out into the Pacific Ocean.
AA’s flights to Hawaii always are a bit more fancy than some of your standard domestic First class flights. A menu for the journey was presented to each passenger, quickly followed by a beverage of your choice and one of my favorite airline snacks – hot tropical mixed nuts. I can’t put my finger on it. There isn’t anything particularly unique or amazing about this deviation from AA’s standard mixed nuts, but for some reason every time I’m on a flight to Hawaii with AA I become giddy with excitement immediately after take off in anticipation of the tiny ramekin full of almonds, cashews, coconut flakes, and candied pineapple. The FA dropped this off at my seat along with the Japanese green tea (another perk on Hawaii flights, the domestic First service usually only has standard tea bags) I had requested.
For my meal I selected the hibachi style chicken on spaghetti squash. While I wasn’t expected much from this dish, I was pleasantly surprised by how flavorful I found it. The spaghetti squash was moist and not over-cooked, and the chicken was seasoned well and not overpowered by the sauce that accompanied the dish. Overall, it was definitely in the “Top 5″ meals I’ve ever had on AA. Yet another unique feature of AA’s Hawaii meal service is the availability of King’s Hawaiian bread in addition to the traditional white and wheat bread offerings. As a kid growing up in Hawaii, I fondly remember my mother putting these rolls out on the table, so whenever I have the opportunity I always select this offering.
Dessert was an ice cream sundae with your choice of toppings. Unfortunately I am, occasionally, a very picky eater when it comes to certain foods, and none of the toppings were appealing to me (chocolate, strawberry, pineapple). I declined the dessert but the FA did swing by after the service and handed me a chocolate sundae, “just in case.” It was nice of her, but unfortunately I have a mild allergy to chocolate and I didn’t feel like risking a case of hives while 35,000 feet above the Pacific.
During my meal I was able to speak with the off-duty FA who was seated next to me, which was a good way to pass some of the time on the way to HNL. She was half-Japanese, just like me, and was born in Hawaii. Her first name was the same as my sister’s middle name (a Hawaiian name), and she was very excited to learn that someone else also had her name, as she said it was rare for someone not living in Hawaii. I told her about how we had lived in Hawaii for many years and how my sister was born there, hence the Hawaiian middle name. We wandered into AA as a company and the recent financial and labor issues, why I’d been loyal to the airline over the last few years, and why she’d stayed on as an employee in these troubled times. She was a fantastic seat mate and really helped pass the time on the flight.
Service from the on-duty FAs was serviceable but nothing spectacular. I counted the FAs out in the aisle twice on the approximately 5 hour flight to HNL, both times picking up stray glasses and offering refills. Service was provided with a smile, though it was at times forgetful and a little sloppy (my missing pre-departure beverage and spilled tea on a few refills being handed to me).
With my new FA friend chatting way with me, it wasn’t too long before the captain was on the microphone announcing our arrival into HNL in a matter of minutes. The FAs made their rounds to pick up the last tidbits laying around the cabin and soon enough we were on the ground in HNL. My FA friend wished me a wonderful stay in the islands and as we were exiting the aircraft she offered some tips on things to do at my final destination – Maui.
I thanked her for her advice and parted ways. While the day seemed like it had been going on for long enough, I still had one more flight to take before I was finally at my destination. I looked up for directions and found signs directing me toward the Inter-island terminal where I would pick up my final leg to Maui on Hawaiian Airlines in First class.