Nathan's Insights

American Airlines
Date: 01-02 December 2024
Flight Number: AA2091
Gate: 48A (Terminal 4)
Seat: 13D & 13E (Economy)
Plane: Airbus A321neo
Boarded: 22:24 
Pushback: 23:08 (Scheduled 22:59)
Take off: 23:26
Arrived: 06:24 (Scheduled 06:45)
Schedule Duration: 4 hours 46 minutes
Actual Duration: 4 hours 16 minutes
Distance: 3,569 km

This flight was from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX – Los Angeles, USA) to Orlando International Airport (MCO – Orlando, USA).

The Cost

I purchased this economy flight as part of a reward ticket that covered Los Angeles to Miami via Orlando. It costs 20,300 Qantas points x 2 (40,600 points) and USD 6.00 x 2 (USD 12.00) for two economy-class flights on American Airlines.

To use cash to purchase economy class seats directly would have cost AUD 532.00 each or $1,064. 

The Airport Experience

Check-In / Bag Drop / Border Control

Included with the award booking as an Oneworld Sapphire member (Qantas Gold) was up to 2 checked bags per person with a maximum bag weight of 23kgs for a total of 46kgs. 

Our bags were checked through to Miami.

We attempted to use a self-check in Ksiok but there was an issue and we ended up in Special Assistance Counters. This was likely due to bags being ‘free’ as an Oneworld Sapphire member. 

Security at Los Angeles Airport Terminal 4 is thorough. I had to undergo a thorough pat down and Erin’s hand luggage was subject to a review. 

Lounges

We had access to the American Airlines LAX Flagship Lounge. This was inside the Admirals Lounge. Access was due to Oneworld Sapphire Status. We had a light meal and enjoyed some soft drinks while using the provided internet.

The Flight Experience

Boarding

This flight boarded from Gate 48A. Boarding was done in priority group order according to your boarding pass. First Class and Military were Group 1, high-level American Airlines Group 2, high-level Oneworld members Group 3 (which was me and Erin).

The overhead bin above our seats was used by aeroplane escape equipment. Luckily as one of the first to board, we could use the opposite bin. Even luckier was there were many empty seats around us which still saw all the overhead bin space used so would have been worse with more passengers.

The Seat

The American Airlines A321neo has 187 seats in Economy Class. The A321neo is a single-aisle aircraft. Each seat has a 30-inch ‘seat pitch’, there is also USB power available and AC outlets.

I had selected an aisle and middle seat together for Erin and myself. As the window was unoccupied Erin used that seat creating a vacant middle seat. Further the seat in front of me was unoccupied so I had no one pitching their seat back reducing my personal space. Very fortunate.

Amenity Kit

No amenity kit is provided for this domestic flight.

Meals and Drinks

Drinks were offered including water, soft drinks and coffee. I selected a Coca-Cola Cola which was served with pretzels immediately after the plane levelled off.

Facilities and Service

There we two toilets available at the back of the cabin for economy passenger use.

The flight attendants were efficient. The drink and snack service began immediately. Lights were turned off almost immediately so drinks were given out in the barely lit cabin as was the rubbish collection. 

Entertainment System

There were no seat back screens. You could use the flight’s wifi to stream content but I didn’t try it. The wifi was supposed to allow use of the internet but I loaded two pages (barely) over the 4-hour flight. 

The Flight

The flight was briefly delayed in boarding due to the late arrival of the operating aircraft. The flight was smooth and the pilots only spoke at the start and as we started our landing approach to minimise passenger disruption on this overnight flight.

Arrival

We arrived at Orland Airport very close to the Gate for our connecting flight. There was an Admirals Club Lounge between our arrival gate and the next departure gate.

Summary

This is an okay option for a points-based flight from Los Angeles to Maimi. A direct flight would be better but saving just over AUS 1,000 makes this a viable option.