American Airlines Dreamliner 787-800 Business Class Review

Continuing on with the airplane themes, we are flying high this week as I review the American Airlines Dreamliner business class. Last year my return flights to and from Chicago were on the American Airlines Dreamliner and I was sat in business class, yes I’m classy like that (just kidding). All of my other flights within the States and to Canada were also on American Airlines, alas, not on business class. Just a disclaimer, this is not a sponsored blog. Though, American Airlines if you’re reading this and want to send me business class seats for a sponsored blog, I’m all ears. Now that we’re done with that attempt, here’s my review. I have previously written a review on travelling on the Emirates business class, which you can read here.  I have also blogged about flying with Air India.

The Good

At the end of the day, it is business class and it provides a lot more room and comfort than economy class seats. You get an entire seat to yourself. The attempt it to make them into little ‘rooms’ so you get ample privacy. The seats by the window are individual seats and the seats in the middle are ideal if you’re travelling with someone. Whilst you get your own privacy, if you wish to converse with your travelling partner you have that option to do so. You get all the necessary items to make your bed, namely, a pillow, a sheet to put on your seat and a blanket. For your viewing pleasure and to have the best audio experience, you’re given a set of Bose noise cancelling headsets. No, unfortunately you cannot sneak it into your bag and take it with you as I know some people tend to carry the headsets they get on planes.  The crew collects the headsets whilst preparing for landing. You’re also given the amenities that you need such as a dental kit and you don’t need to worry about keeping your toothbrush handy on an overnight flight.

The Bad

The overall dining experience on the American Airlines Business Class wasn’t that great. Whilst you do have the option of selecting from four main options (including a vegetarian option) it’s not as appealing as it may seem. Regardless of what option you choose, there really wasn’t a ‘best’ option. This was a little disappointing for me as the two biggest things to look forward to when travelling on business class is the food and bed. Ultimately, the food wasn’t that bad that it wasn’t edible but all I’m saying is that there is room for improvement. Whilst I don’t travel on business class all the time, I’m not familiar with this but you don’t actually get offered mid-flight snacks. You have to ask for them. I wasn’t aware of this and whilst on my flight to LA, I was awake the entire time, I didn’t really ask the crew for any as I assumed they’d offer/ They did ask at a point if I wanted a drink, at which point I’d really not wanted anything so I said no. I went prepared on my flight back however to my surprise this time round they didn’t ask for anything. The gap between your lunch or dinner and whatever the next meal may be (usually breakfast) becomes too large and leaves you famished, which isn’t a pleasant experience.

Another thing that I wasn’t aware of was pretty common, is the seating. In business class you have forward and backward facing seats. The reason I mention this as a bad thing is more for personal reasons more than anything. I get motion sickness sitting in trains or any moving vehicle facing against the direction of movement. I suspect this is the case for a lot more people than just myself. If this is you, please ensure you select the correct seat well in advance when booking your business class seat. Whilst this would be a bad thing for me, getting stuck in a backward facing seat, a lot of passengers prefer this for a couple of reasons:

1.      You are a lot closer to the window and don’t have to break your neck trying to get a view of landing and take off, which you do in a forward facing seat.

2.      You get more privacy.

The Ugly

There really isn’t anything that I experienced that I would classify as ugly. It’s business class at the end of the day, it’s difficult to classify anything as ugly. And if the opportunity knocked, I would most definitely fly business class on American Airlines. Hope this review was helpful!

Until next time,

MiliG