Air Travel

Question:

This confirms what I had thought about the difference between the MD11 and the B777. I was very impressed with the latter and would certainly try to fly one again rather than some other aircraft.       Derek

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> I recently travelled on AA to DFW – Outwards it was a MD 111, which was > comfortable enough. Return flight was a 777 which was most impressive, > with backseat video and an onboard system telling you your exact > location, temp airspeed, postion from Dallas/London, and an on board > phone if you are mad enough to spend a fortune on a satellite call. > The food was ok, though usual airline portions. Drinks were free. Overall > I’d recommend AA – the service was profesional. > Can anyone describe the type of service to be expected from American > Airlines from London Heathrow to New York, then Boston to LHR return in > November? (Economy Class). > Is the food OK, and do you have to pay for drinks? > I have only flown BA before to USA. (lost my luggage twice) > Thanks > Paul

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Thanks for all the help and we’ll look forward to our trip taking reassurance from your messages Paul – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Can anyone describe the type of service to be expected from American > Airlines from London Heathrow to New York, then Boston to LHR return in > November? (Economy Class). > Is the food OK, and do you have to pay for drinks? > I have only flown BA before to USA. (lost my luggage twice) > Thanks > Paul

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>Can anyone describe the type of service to be expected from American >Airlines from London Heathrow to New York, then Boston to LHR return in >November? (Economy Class). >Is the food OK, and do you have to pay for drinks?

Yes and No (in that order, too!) >I have only flown BA before to USA. (lost my luggage twice)

Oh, AA can do that, too! By and large, AA are pretty reasonable, and they may even have personal seat-back entertainment thingies for you to play with! (Most of the A300s have this stuff, and some of the B767-300s.  None of the MD-11s, AFAIK, or B767-200s). >Paul

Malc.

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Thank you, I plan on taking AA from DFW to FRA soon, and had heard lots of negative things about both the MD-11 and AAs trans-pond service. I’m breathing easier now.

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is having a tiny (old on VS) video screen on the back of the passenger’s seat in front the only important thing of you in a flight. Does the staff’s behaviour when booking, checking, boarding matters to you? Alan. Share what you know. Learn what you don’t.

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Of course not. But even for someone like myself who likes flying it can get a little boring with nothing to do but looking out of the window/eating/drinking/reading and walking to and from the toilets etc The point is perhaps that seatback video is another improvement to economy air travel that will eventually become a standard feature and that has got to be good hasn’t it?       Derek – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > is having a tiny (old on VS) video screen on the back of the > passenger’s seat in front the only important thing of you in a flight. > Does the staff’s behaviour when booking, checking, boarding matters to > you? > Alan. > Share what you know. Learn what you don’t.

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This addresses your last comment about BA rather than your questions about AA: It seems as though BA has lost a number of customers because of their seemingly continual propensity to lose luggage. For instance, 2 years ago, I was on a BA flight from LGW to BOD. BA managed to lose the luggage of nearly all that flight’s passengers (including mine), regardless of whether they were connecting or originating in London. One of the other passengers said he’d no longer fly BA due to his luggage being lost so often. (Mine did catch up to me later that day on a later flight.) Gary : Can anyone describe the type of service to be expected from American : Airlines from London Heathrow to New York, then Boston to LHR return in : November? (Economy Class). : Is the food OK, and do you have to pay for drinks? : I have only flown BA before to USA. (lost my luggage twice) : Thanks : Paul

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>This addresses your last comment about BA rather than your questions >about AA: It seems as though BA has lost a number of customers because of >their seemingly continual propensity to lose luggage. For instance, 2 >years ago, I was on a BA flight from LGW to BOD. BA managed to lose the >luggage of nearly all that flight’s passengers (including mine), >regardless of whether they were connecting or originating in London. One >of the other passengers said he’d no longer fly BA due to his luggage >being lost so often. (Mine did catch up to me later that day on a later >flight.)

I’ve taken BA flights from LGW to BOD and TLS and my bags made it.  I wonder if there is a bad bottleneck at LGW, there aren’t enough facilities or manpower at peak periods,  or the luggage handlers can’t give a s**t about whether the bags get loaded or not.

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The AA Airbus does have seatback videos.  Alcohol is free on trans-Atlantic flights regrdless of which cabin one is in,  Food is typical of what you would find on a long trans-continental nonstop in coach.

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I haven’t experienced AA but I recommend VS for transatlantic. We got seat back videos even when we travelled to LAX with them seven years ago. Nick

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> I can’t help you as to the level of service but AA use B767’s (in a 7 seat > across config ) and Airbus A300′S (in 8 across config.) on the Noth Atlantic > routes. > Someone I work with travelled to New York with American recently and said he > found the service good compared to his experience of BA. > I don’t think that there is any seat back video on either of these 2 > aircraft. >       Derek > Can anyone describe the type of service to be expected from American > Airlines from London Heathrow to New York, then Boston to LHR return in > November? (Economy Class). > Is the food OK, and do you have to pay for drinks? > I have only flown BA before to USA. (lost my luggage twice) > Thanks > Paul

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I have taken two JFK-LHR flights and one LHR-JFK flight on AA this year.  All were on A300-600’s. Coach configuration is 2-4-2 with seatback video in all seats. (The 767-300ER I took ORY-JFK did not have this though).  There are several channels that are free (moving map, short subjects, movies).  You could also pay about $8 for "Premium movies," video games, etc…  I kept on the map for most of the flight. All drinks are free and the food was OK.  Dinner was a choice of chicken or beef, with muffin & yogurt for breakfast.  On the return, I don’t recall lunch, however we were served a Pizzeria Uno Pizza about 2 hours before landing in JFK.   Also, free M&M’s and mini Toberlone Bars were a nice touch. Upon arrival at LHR, we deplaned via stairs and were bussed to the terminal. Service was efficient, professional, and polite…   No complaints here… If you have any other questions, please let me know… -Ocean1971

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>Can anyone describe the type of service to be expected from American >Airlines from London Heathrow to New York, then Boston to LHR return in >November? (Economy Class). >Is the food OK, and do you have to pay for drinks?

Well, I don’t fly AA transpuddle from LHR, but I do from BHX. The food is OK, sometimes it can actually be quite good (pizza, steak) and sometimes it can be appalling (omelette). Service is better going to the US than from the US[0]. Drinks are free and AA FA’s can be quite generous with them but they will refuse if they think you have had too much. Best not to get plastered anyway as you’ll really feel the effects at attitude. To sum up asssuming am out, evening back. Where I say drinks, the offer is for alcofrolic drinks, when I say coffee – they generally offer coffee/tea or soda but I’m sure if you smile sweetly there might be alcohol. To US: drinks, hot lunch, drinks, coffee, water, choccy bar, coffee, hot snack From US: drinks, hot dinner, drinks, water, coffee, "breakfast" Iain [0] This is an observation in general about all transpuddle trips. — / "Tolerate Weird Pizza(tm) one day, and find youself staring down the barrel            of a twelve-gauge the next." Geoff Miller in ba.food   Member of the UK Usenet Committee, www.usenet.org.uk   ICQ 44811332   Iain Bowen. in deepest B13. Boring web page at www.harlech.demon.co.uk

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>The AA Airbus does have seatback videos.  Alcohol is free on trans-Atlantic >flights regrdless of which cabin one is in,  Food is typical of what you would >find on a long trans-continental nonstop in coach.

Food is distinctly superior to long trans-continetal coach, or at least it seems like it. Iain — / "Tolerate Weird Pizza(tm) one day, and find youself staring down the barrel            of a twelve-gauge the next." Geoff Miller in ba.food   Member of the UK Usenet Committee, www.usenet.org.uk   ICQ 44811332   Iain Bowen. in deepest B13. Boring web page at www.harlech.demon.co.uk

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I recently travelled on AA to DFW – Outwards it was a MD 111, which was comfortable enough. Return flight was a 777 which was most impressive, with backseat video and an onboard system telling you your exact location, temp airspeed, postion from Dallas/London, and an on board phone if you are mad enough to spend a fortune on a satellite call. The food was ok, though usual airline portions. Drinks were free. Overall I’d recommend AA – the service was profesional. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Can anyone describe the type of service to be expected from American > Airlines from London Heathrow to New York, then Boston to LHR return in > November? (Economy Class). > Is the food OK, and do you have to pay for drinks? > I have only flown BA before to USA. (lost my luggage twice) > Thanks > Paul

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Sorry, I made a mistake earlier, the Airbus 300 ’s do have seat back videos.         Derek .

seat back video on either of these 2 – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> aircraft. >       Derek

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Can anyone describe the type of service to be expected from American Airlines from London Heathrow to New York, then Boston to LHR return in November? (Economy Class). Is the food OK, and do you have to pay for drinks? I have only flown BA before to USA. (lost my luggage twice) Thanks Paul

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I can’t help you as to the level of service but AA use B767’s (in a 7 seat across config ) and Airbus A300′S (in 8 across config.) on the Noth Atlantic routes. Someone I work with travelled to New York with American recently and said he found the service good compared to his experience of BA. I don’t think that there is any seat back video on either of these 2 aircraft.       Derek – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Can anyone describe the type of service to be expected from American > Airlines from London Heathrow to New York, then Boston to LHR return in > November? (Economy Class). > Is the food OK, and do you have to pay for drinks? > I have only flown BA before to USA. (lost my luggage twice) > Thanks > Paul

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