American Airlines Business Class Review (777-200) During COVID 2021

AA Business Class Review

This American Airlines Business Class Review will include my recent flight in AA’s 777-200 Business Class Cabin on a recent trip to Cancun from JFK during Covid. This was actually my first flight since April so I was pretty excited! I’ve included cabin photos from different angles and seats so you can get an idea of the overall feel, my particular seat was 10D. I recently covered an amazing deal available for this plane type in this post Incredible Amex Platinum Flight Discounts! Save Over 75% on Transcon Flights.(Basically if you see 777 in Business or First it’s lie flat.)

Amex Airline Credit: Using $2000 on JB, AA, Delta

Route: JFK (NYC) to CUN (Cancun)

• Equipment: Airbus 777-200
• Seat: 10D and 10H
• Cost of Ticket: $200 or in my case 13k American Express Membership Rewards Points

Flight Review: Jetblue Mint NYC to Vegas

Airport Arrival, Security and Boarding

JFK Airport Terminal 8

Arrival and bag check was pretty smooth. There was a medium sized line for non elite or priority passengers but the priority line was empty so we were able to check our bags without any sort of wait. The woman happily printed out passes for us and was actually very pleasant for 5:00 am.

Security was a bit of a cluster****, since TSA Pre-Check was closed and there was only one security line for all passengers, but it moved pretty quickly and we were through within 10 minutes or so. Covid definitely added to the complexity because they have these mobile questionnaires that require you to scan a QR code to bring up a Covid Screening Sheet with about 10-15 questions. It didn’t seem as if anyone knew they needed these so everyone was clustered around the line entrance trying to finish them before they got to security.

The airport was pretty crowded for this time of day and the line for Starbucks was about 25 deep and I waited 15 minutes before giving up and hoping to find another place to get coffee closer to my gate (It’s been so long since I’d been in this part of the airport I didn’t remember what I was going to find.)

A lot of people ask me about the Covid Protocols so I’ll add these to the bottom of each section. The people in the airport did a decent job of social distancing and masks were being worn by everyone I saw. There were also announcements regularly reminding passengers that they must wear a mask that covers their nose and mouths at all times in the airport. It seems the unspoken rule is that you must wear a mask unless you are sipping drinks or seated at a table eating or drinking.

GUIDE: Amex Business Platinum 35% Pay with Points Airfare Rebate

AA 777-200 Review: Service, Food, Amenity Kit, Entertainment

This section will be pretty short because I was a very low maintenance passenger on this flight and didn’t need anything. The flight attendant seemed to appreciate that and asked me about once an hour if I was sure I didn’t want anything- I thought that was really sweet. They came over quickly with pre-packaged breakfasts (a turkey croissant sandwich or a parfait) I didn’t get anything but my P2 got the sandwich and didn’t like the turkey but he’s pretty picky about deli type meats so I can’t say for sure whether it was good or not. I purchased my water pre-flight (as I always do) because I drink a lot of water and it’s my worst nightmare to get an overwhelmed flight attendant who is annoyed by my multiple water requests. (This happened to me once on a Mint flight and I don’t ever want to be in that situation again.)

I paid for the internet for the entire flight- I believe it was $19 or $20 and the internet was really spotty. This and the inflight entertainment are my only cons for this flight- I recall the AA entertainment system being just okay but this time around I thought it was pretty bad. I couldn’t find anything to watch, there were only a few options and then even the music selection was a very limited selection of albums I’d never heard of so far short of the inflight entertainment on Delta and Jetblue. Normally on a short flight like this I wouldn’t even look at the entertainment but because the internet was spotty I found myself with nothing to do at times and that’s not great for me because I am an antsy Nancy who does not enjoy chillin.

There was no amenity kit, as far as I know, Mint is the only product that offers an Amenity Kit on every flight. Add that to the reasons it’s the best.

American Airlines Business Class Review- Seats and Interior

I love this plane and it’s configuration. The cabin feels new, crisp and clean which is always a nice start. The seats were bare, I’m assuming Covid is the reason there were no blankets or pillows (unless it was because it was a short flight but I recall getting a blanket from NY to Miami) so my guess for this would be Covid related. I definitely missed the blanket because I was freezing by the time we reached cruising altitude and stayed that way most of the flight. The seats have a nice recline feature that allows for you to control not only your incline, but also the height of your leg cushion. I love to get work done on flights so my favorite thing to do is pull the tray down for my laptop and sit up straight cross legged with the leg cushion straight out. Trust me on this one- it’s so comfy and perfect for productivity.

The high walls and the set back seats make for tons of privacy which is perfect for me BUT If you’re with friends and they are sitting next to you, this may not be the best plane type for socializing. The angled in seats kind of makes it so that you have to stand up if you want to talk between yourselves. I think it would almost be easier to talk to people across the aisle from you.

The seat itself is pretty comfortable. It’s long enough for my 6’2 Player 2 to lie flat and wide enough for my big behind to fit comfortably so no issues there. If I were trying to sleep overnight I might appreciate a bit more cushion and a bit more width but I’m not sure it would matter much (I can’t say for sure). The seat transforms into a fully flat 6 Ft 4 inch bed, so that’s more than enough for most people.

As you can see from the photos I’m a mess and I appreciate the storage compartments that close so I can hide the disaster from myself and everyone else on the plane.

Value

You can’t beat this value, I paid 13k Membership Rewards Points because I used the Amex Business Platinum 35% Pay with points rebate detailed in this post ” Get Your Elite Credit and Save Big: Stack Amex Pay with Points Rebate and Insider Fares“. Check out my full write up on how to book the true King of the domestic skies: Guide: Best Way to Book JetBlue Mint.

AA Business Class Review: Final Thoughts

I always enjoy my flights on this plane. I thought for sure the service would be lacking but I was wrong, the flight attendants were on the ball despite having to babysit passengers who couldn’t manage to follow the mask rules for 3.5 hours. Really the only complaint I have is that the Inflight Wifi and entertainment were lacking, but you can solve that problem by bringing your own entertainment.