Elite status: none
Aircraft type:
A319
Seat: 16B (middle)
Padding:
Padding is adequate for a short haul flight. It is a bit hard in spots around the middle of the back.
Recline:
Recline is very limited at only 2 inches from the upright position. This is ok for a short flight but would not want for a long cross country or international flight.
Pitch:
The living space was 28 inches from seat back to seat in front. I had 3.5 inches of space from my knee to the seat in front. Good for my 6’ 2” frame.
LGA-ATL
November 3, 2019
Distance: 762 miles
Schedule:
Depart: 8:26PM
Arrive: 11:12PM
Scheduled: 2h 46m
Push back: 8:25PM (1 minute early)
Touch down: 10:53PM (19 minutes early)
Arrived at gate 18m later. There was no ground crew available for us.
Actual duration: 2h 28m
Cost:
Paid with: cash
Prices at time of booking:
Miles: 25,000 AAdvantage miles
Cash: $97
Payment method reasoning: I don’t chase airline status. This was part of a basic economy round trip ticket that fit my schedule.
Boarding:
Boarding went quickly. Flight attendants helped passengers find seats and stow bags efficiently. Definitely one of my faster boarding experiences on American thus far.
Service:
Onboard service was prompt and friendly. They served everyone quickly and completed 45 minutes after takeoff.
IFE and power:
IFE is offered via the inflight WiFi system. Many movies and shows were available to stream. The streaming worked well but did require the American Airlines app to view the content.
Certain channels of live TV were also offered for free.
In seat power was also available via outlets under the seats in front in economy class. The outlets were built to accommodate international plugs of all types.
WiFi:
WiFi was available in flight. I did not purchase it as the flight was short and I did not need it on this trip.
The price was expensive at $14 for a shorter flight.
Food:
Only free snacks were offered in flight even though menus were present.
Choices were pretzels or Biscoff cookies. I had the pretzels.
Drinks:
Complimentary drinks included Coke products, coffee, tea, juices, and water.
Alcoholic beverages were available for purchase. Options included beer, wine, and liquor.
I had a water and a ginger ale.
Best seats:
Best seats in this aircraft are the first (bulkhead) row of economy, the exit rows, and the main cabin extra seats near the front.
The seats in front of the side exit doors do not recline.
For a short haul flight any non middle seat is acceptable.
Pros:
The power outlets and new interior were nice. The crew was friendly and helpful throughout the flight.
Cons:
I took a small gamble on the basic economy ticket. I was scheduled to be on an aircraft with no middle seats. The aircraft was switched the day of departure and I ended up in a middle seat.
The seat recline could be a little more. Some padding in parts of the seat was hard.
We arrived early and there was no ground crew available to get us into our gate. The captain announced it would be a few minutes wait. This is very typical of American Airlines flights arriving early in ATL.
Would I fly again?
Yes! Only minor inconveniences and the crew was good. American Airlines can be hit or miss but they did well on this trip overall.
