My American Airlines 737-800 flight in first class from Los Angeles to Pittsbrugh got me to PIT safely and on time, but left so much to be desired.

American Airlines 737-800 First Class Review (LAX-PIT)

Here, I chose American Airlines for a business trip to Pittsburgh because it offered convenient nonstop service and did not charge a premium for the nonstop flight…the cost was about $540 one-way in business class…sold (both AA and Breeze fly nonstop between Los Angeles and Pittsbrugh, but Breeze does not operate daily, including Mondays).

I know I already offered my detailed first impressions of this flight and I’m not trying to beat a horse dead, but this represents a more comprehensive review of what a typical transcontinental flight on American Airlines looks like (or perhaps not…).

This was the flight where I foolishly forgot to take my house shoes off before driving to LAX, noticing it only when I was about to walk through security. Thankfully, I had a change of shoes in my bag.

> Read More: My Accidental Footwear Fail At LAX

I stopped at the T5 Admirals Club and got some work done before my flight. I tried the “Southwest Salsa Verde Breakfast Wrap” and had some avocado toast…not bad.

Boarding commenced at 8:24 am from gate 48A.

AA 1245
Los Angeles (LAX) – Pittsburgh (PIT)
Monday, April 7
Depart: 9:01 AM
Arrive: 4:37 PM
Duration: 4hr, 36min
Distance: 2,136 miles
Aircraft: Boeing 737-800
Seat: 4F (First Class)

It was a beautiful morning in LA as I boarded my flight and settled into seat 4F. No pre-departure beverages were offered, but we took off on time.

Seat

The American Airlines 737-800 cabin includes 16 seats, four rows in a 2-2 configuration. AA uses the Collins MIQ seats in first class, with 37 inches of seat pitch. Seats are 20 inches wide and recline five inches, including the last row where I was seated since AA simply has a loose partition rather than an actual bulkhead between first class and economy class.

The seat is comfortable enough and I appreciated the USB-A and universal outlet and also the side storage under the armrest.

The USB-A port is located on the seatback and while there is no screen, there is a cradle for your mobile phone (more on the IFE below).

Between seats is a small tray that flips down for drinks.

The passenger service unit had personal air vents and reading lights.

Unfortunately, the seat was dirty…it was long overdue for a deep cleaning. There was dust and bits of garbage all around my seat and my tray table had not been wiped clean.

Lavatory

The first class lavatory, located in the front of the plane, was also filthy… absolutely deplorable. I found it like this:

Shame on the previous passenger for leaving the lavatory like that, but if AA wants to be premium, its flight attendants should get used to checking on the lavatory often. Before I used it, the lavatory had been unoccupied for 15-20 minutes.

IFE + Wi-Fi

It was a beautiful morning outside and a beautiful day to fly across the country:

While AA has no seatback screens, it does have streaming in-flight-entertainment, including movies, TV shows, and music.

Internet costs $28 on AA (or $21/hour)…I find that absurd, considering it’s free on Delta and $8 on United. While American Airlines will roll out free internet next year, why not now? Why not lower prices to reflect competitive pressure? There’s nothing premium about spending so much for Wi-Fi.

Food + Drink

Breakfast was served after takeoff: a small three-cheese omelet with a side of fruit (strawberry, blueberries, honeydew melon, cantaloupe, and pineapple), seasoned potato wedges, and a rock-hard cinnamon roll. The other choice was a charcuterie plate. To ensure my first choice, I pre-ordered my meal while reserving my flight. Kudos to AA for having pre-order options for over a decade.

But first, a hot towel and a choice of beverage (I just drank sparkling water).

The omelet was fine, but not more than a few bites, and the fried potatoes were quite greasy.

No other beverages or snacks after breakfast, even though there was still almost four hours left in the flight…

Service

The onboard service left much to be desired. What annoyed me most about the flight was that the flight attendants disappeared for the remainder of the flight after breakfast. No roaming the cabin, no additional drinks, no nothing. While Delta and United offer a pre-arrival drink service on mid-con flights even in economy class, the flight attendants working this flight could not even be bothered to check on their first-class passengers during the flight.

The crew on this flight makes a quick turn in Pittsburgh back to LA, meaning they get 10 hours of flying in a single day and can still sleep in their own beds at night…I guess they were saving their energy for the trip home…

CONCLUSION

We landed on time in Pittsburgh and I made a beeline for Joe & The Juice for some coffee and green drink.

I still feel like I’ve been uncharitable to American Airlines this year on Live And Let’s Fly, but it’s truly not deliberate…I’m rooting for AA to boomerang back as a competitive premium carrier in the USA and hope the new 787-9 and A321XLR deliveries accelerate that process. But my transcontinental 737-800 flight in first class was a reminder that American Airlines still has a long way to go….in almost every aspect of service.