A Unique Layout: American Airlines Flagship Business Class on the A321T from San Francisco to New York

by Krish Patel

Among airlines, Airbus’s A321 is a popular twin-jet narrowbody for short to medium haul flights. Most carriers choose to configure the A321 in a two-class layout, featuring Economy and Business (or First in the United States). By fleet size, the largest operator of the aircraft is American Airlines. In addition to the standard domestic fleet of A321s, AA has 16 other A321s that feature a premium-heavy layout of only 102 seats. These 16 special jets are known to American as the A321T (‘T’ as in transcontinental).

The Ground Experience in San Francisco

Similarly to many other U.S. carriers at SFO (except United), American Airlines uses Harvey Milk Terminal 1. This is the newest and most modern terminal in San Francisco.

Transcontinental Flagship Business customers can use the dedicated priority lane to check in, which is less busy than the standard line. All premium cabin passengers flying American and OneWorld elite status holders can also use this queue. The check-in area for AA was well-organized, with a clearly visible sign for the priority lane. American’s SFO ground staff were friendly and helpful, making the check-in process efficient.

I was also given access to clear security through a dedicated priority lane, but opted to use the TSA PreCheck line instead. I’m glad I did so because it was far less packed and there were only four people in front of me.

Flagship First and Business Class passengers on a transcontinental flight typically have access to premium Flagship Lounges (Soho, Chelsea, or Greenwich at JFK). However, SFO is not an American Airlines hub, so those flying in First or Business could enter the Admirals Club.

After checking in, you can take the stairs to reach the actual lounge space. After making your way up, you’ll first step into the customer service space and are greeted by an artificial tree, which serves as the focal point of the lounge.

The main seating area is to the right of the reception desks and features a plethora of comfortable seats decked out in the signature gray, red, and brown American Airlines lounge color scheme. There are plush armchairs, chairs that swivel, and well-upholstered sofas. Near each of the seats are power outlets and counter space for either a cellphone or plate of food.

A dedicated relaxation space can be found in the seating area and features five beds that are each separated by a curtain for extra privacy. Even when fully extended, the curtains didn’t provide much privacy.

If you’re looking to work, the club features a workstation with computers and a printer. Wi-Fi in the lounge is complimentary, making it easy to work from anywhere in the space. During my visit, there wasn’t anybody using the workspace and it remained entirely empty.

The dining area is located at the opposite end of the lounge and includes a bar and buffet. At the buffet, you’ll find a few hot and cold foods such as sandwiches, soups, breads, chicken, hummus, and small cakes for dessert. Overall, the buffet is nothing to write home about and consists of a basic selection.

I was very happy to see two showers in the American Admirals Club, both of which came stocked with D.S. & Durga soaps and hand cream. The shower room was quite spacious, but the shower curtain as opposed to a proper door made it feel less elevated.

Thankfully, the lounge is quite close to American’s gates at SFO in Concourse B. Since this is a transcontinental flight, boarding begins approximately 30 minutes before departure, with Flagship customers being able to pre-board. The gate area was still quite crowded considering that it was shared by the other American departures to Charlotte and Miami.

Flagship Business Class Seat and Cabin

Pros

On the A321T, the American Airlines Business Class cabin is quite cozy, featuring 20 lie-flat seats laid out in a 2-2 configuration. This makes it a great setup for couples. The seats are spacious and comfortable, offering plenty of width around the head and shoulders. I find this seat fabric to be some of the most comfortable material in Business Class since it’s quite durable and plush.

Legroom is incredibly spacious in these seats at 58 inches, offering plentiful room for a five to five and a half-hour flight. I was able to stretch my legs out comfortably in bed mode without feeling too restricted.

Cons

At first glance, you’ll notice that the window seats have no direct aisle access, meaning that you’re going to have to climb over your neighbor. However, this is mostly an issue in lie-flat bed mode. If the aisle seat is upright, it’s a bit easier to get out of your window seat.

The dark gray color scheme and finishes make the cabin feel slightly old and outdated, which isn’t very appealing. Another drawback that these seats come with is the limited privacy between you and your seatmate. The divider separating the two seats is somewhat small and plays a very minimal role.

On a nearly decade-year-old aircraft, the entertainment screen was unresponsive. I had to click on a movie program more than once for it to play and ended up using the IFE remote inflight, which sometimes didn’t work either.

Cabin and Seat Features

Situated above each seat are overhead bins, as well as a reading light, flight attendant call button, and air vent.

Each Business seat comes with a plush charcoal headrest that’s adjustable and super plush. Adjacent to the headrest is a storage unit that also features a headphone jack and universal socket.

Located in front of you is the entertainment system, beneath which is another open storage space for either a phone or laptop.

The leg rest can also be found in front of you and is well-designed. Many Business Class seats will only allow you to rest your legs or store a carry-on bag on the ottoman, but this one allows for both.

Separating the aisle and window seats is the shared seat console, which includes a side table for drinks. Beneath the divider, there’s a seat pocket for literature, IFE remote, and tray table. The table folds out into two sturdy panels and is a great size. You also have a preset of various seat controls to put the seat into bed mode and for lumbar support.

Inflight, I converted my seat into lie-flat mode and managed to sleep for three hours. When paired with the provided bedding, this turned out to be a really comfortable bed, especially on a narrowbody aircraft. It extends at 78 inches long, which is similar to the bed length of some Business Class seats found on widebody aircraft.

The Lavatory

There’s only one bathroom dedicated to Flagship Business on American’s A321T. It offers plenty of counter space and features a nice, large sink. Despite there being only one lavatory for the 20 Business Class passengers, there wasn’t a long line to use it on this overnight flight.

Flagship Business Class Food and Beverage

Upon boarding, waiting for me at my seat was a menu card that listed the food options and wine list available inflight. I found it to be a nice touch to have an actual menu on this domestic flight, which is something that’s not offered on many domestic routes these days. There are plenty of entrees to choose from, which allows for a great variety.

Pre-departure drinks were offered shortly after boarding, with a choice of either champagne, orange juice, or water. I opted for a glass of water.

Because of our one hour delay from departing San Francisco, most passengers went straight to sleep. Those who stayed up for dinner were offered a hot towel to commence the service. I was then asked for my choice of a post-departure beverage, for which I opted to have more water.

The meal was served on a single tray, but still tasted great. American Airlines sent me an email asking me to pre-order my entree. I opted for the smoked mozzarella manicotti, which was delicious. It was served alongside a refreshing strawberry and goat cheese salad and eggplant caponata. The greens in the salad were a little too dry, and the caponata was my favorite item on the tray. Flight attendants went through the cabin to offer bread rolls to pair along with the dinner service as well.

For dessert, I had the ice cream sundae, which was hand-assembled in the galley. It included Häagen-Dazs vanilla ice cream as the base and came with toppings such as whipped cream, hot fudge, and a berry topping. The sundae was super decadent and delicious.

A snack basket was set up at the front of the Business Class cabin for passengers to come and grab any snacks they wanted during the flight.

Before arrival at JFK’s Terminal 8, a strawberry and banana yogurt smoothie was offered, along with a beverage of choice. I had a cup of green tea to help myself wake up.

Amenities in Flagship Business

Waiting for me on the seat once I boarded was the inflight John Horsfall bedding, which included a pillow and duvet. For sustainable measures, the bedding was provided in a reusable bag with a zipper. Both of the bedding items were very comfortable and featured a nice red accent.

In the side storage area was an amenity kit and bottle of PureLife water. American has teamed up with the handbag brand Brandon Blackwood for the amenity kit pouch. The amenity kit has a nice black exterior with the airline logo.

The amenity kit is well-stocked for a transcontinental flight and includes Buttah lip balm and Pholk hand cream. You’re also given a pair of earplugs, dental kit, and an eye mask. I love how the American Airlines logo runs down the eye shade.

For the entertainment system, you’re provided with noise-canceling Bang & Olufsen headphones, which function incredibly well. They do a great job blocking out the sound. Usually, they’re collected 10 to 15 minutes before landing, but we were able to use them all the way to the gate in New York on this flight.

American has a good inflight entertainment selection, with plenty of movies and TV shows to choose from. You can also enjoy live television, games, podcasts, and music playlists. I felt that the choice of movie genres was slightly fewer than what’s seen on United or Delta. In addition, there are dedicated tabs for kids, the inflight map, and information about American Airlines.

Wi-Fi was available on this flight, but felt overpriced at nearly $25 for the entire flight. American is the only U.S. carrier on this route that charges so much for inflight Wi-Fi, while others even offer it for free.

Service in Flagship Business Class

The two flight attendants working the Business Class cabin on this flight were great. They were very friendly and maintained a professional attitude when in the aisles. One of the crew members managed to take care of the dinner service all by herself without much help from the other flight attendant. Service on this flight was quite efficient.

Booking American Airlines Flagship Business Class

First, it’s important to note that Flagship Business isn’t available on all transcontinental flights. You can find American Flagship Business Class on premium routes between the following cities:

New York JFK and Los Angeles LAX

New York JFK and San Francisco SFO
New York JFK and Santa Ana SNA
Boston BOS and Los Angeles LAX

The cost to book a one-way flight in American Airlines Flagship Business Class from San Francisco to New York starts at $935 and can sometimes exceed $1,000. American can charge as much as 100,000 AAdvantage miles one-way flying between the two cities in Business Class, but it’s possible to find much lower fares for about 40,000 miles if you have flexible dates.

A much better option is to book using your Alaska MileagePlan miles. Alaska can charge close to 35,000 miles for a one-way American Airlines flight in Flagship Business from SFO to JFK. Alaska maintains an award chart for flights on partner airlines such as AA, which can provide an excellent value.

Overall Thoughts

American Airlines Flagship Business Class makes for a solid way to cross the country. Lounge access is a great perk before departure and upon arrival that truly enhances the experience. A lie-flat bed on a narrowbody aircraft is always a luxurious treat, with the Business seat on the A321T being no exception. American’s soft product was also quite solid, with inspiring meals and well-crafted amenities. I was also pleased by the inflight service, which was provided by a professional crew. On the whole, I had a great experience with American and I’d certainly look to fly them again when flying transcontinental.

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