Happy Friday! I went to the new Bathhouse on Atlantic Ave last night. It is amazing! 3 pools, 3 different saunas and a steam room. I haven't been to Aire in Tribeca but I have been to the one in London and it's pretty comparable but music was louder/ more upbeat. Good locker rooms/showers etc...
My flight last night to LHR was....appalling. I have never complained or sent negative feedback and I have done this route on this equipment in J Class many times recently.
I upgraded from PE to J so I could have a lie flat seat which was my main concern. I'm not a drinker but I noticed they didn't offer any pre departure beverages. The flight attendant taking meal orders skipped me 4 times. I finally flagged him down and said I would like to order. He said "you ordered the pasta". I said yes, in PE because the salmon wasn't an option and I wasn't able to change the request. He then went and retrieved his phone and came back to me and said "THIS SAYS PASTA". I said "if there's salmon left I would prefer that."
Right after take off I went to raise the leg rest and it was...broken. Recline worked but not the leg rest. 30 minutes into the flight the crew finally got up from their seats. I flagged my friend down again and said "I can't get my leg rest to work." He said "that's because your bag is on the ground. It's blocking the sensors." I didn't argue, I just put my bag on my lap and he reclined my seat. I said "recline is working. the leg rest is not." He pressed the leg rest button several times and finally said "There are some seats in the back. Just take one." So I got the last row by the bathroom, missing a window. Whatever. That leg rest worked. The audio connection for the IFE did not work - it cut out every 10 seconds. I decided not to bother mentioning it and listened to music on my headphones.
An hour into the flight another FA came by and offered me a cold "hot towel". They did beverage and meal service together and didn't come back around until an hour before landing. The salmon actually wasn't bad. The arugula salad was wilted and the caprese salad was awful. I skipped dessert.
I really don't have high expectations from AA anymore and I'll probably start flying BA and get a BA credit card but this service was ridiculously poor. Is there a labor dispute at the moment that would account for why no one seems to have any fucks to give?
Still, they responded within a few hours to my complaint and threw 20k miles in my account. I actually expected nothing. I'm glad there was an empty seat in the J cabin because a broken seat for the entire flight would have sucked.
Checked in for my flight to LHR yesterday and declined the insane $$/points offer for J Class. After I completed check-in in the app suddenly offered the upgrade for $511. I had been in PE if that makes a difference. So heck yes I grabbed it. I had opted for the mileage bonus in March instead of systemwides because of all the stories about how useless they are anymore. I feel like AA would rather sell the upgrade for $500 than clear a SWU. What do you think? J Class was actually pretty full - there were only 3 available seats. Anyway I'm happy with the outcome! Unexpected surprise.