Great food and good entertainment options for the long flight.
We had bulkhead seats in a A380 in the upper deck in seats 31 D and E. Storage was very limited other than in overhead bin - which is not within reach when in seat. Yet paying same price as others in premium economy who have a lot more storage within arm’s reach. Seems very unfair.
When I originally booked this flight, I was expecting to travel on Qantas. When the itinerary changed and the long-haul segment was operated by American Airlines, we were disappointed but remained open-minded. Unfortunately, the overall service experience fell far short of expectations. This was a long-haul international flight. Getting up periodically to use the restroom or stretch is inevitable, especially on flights of this duration. However, each time we stood up, we felt as though we were inconveniencing the crew. The tone and body language often suggested that we were in the way or disrupting something simply by moving about the cabin. As a result, I avoided getting up as often as I needed to and was physically very sore upon arrival. Meal service was similarly impersonal. The options were presented in single words “beef or veggie,” “pasta or beef” without any description of what was actually being served. There was little engagement or courtesy beyond that. Even simple expressions of gratitude were often not acknowledged. I am accustomed to no-frills travel and do not expect luxury. What was disappointing was not the absence of extras, but the absence of basic warmth and professionalism. On a long-haul international flight, small moments of courtesy and humanity make a significant difference. In this case, the experience felt transactional and dismissive rather than welcoming. I hope this feedback is taken constructively, as there is a meaningful difference between efficient service and indifferent service.
Business seats not as comfortable or private as most competitors (e.g. Qantas was outstanding), and movie selection was much more limited than Qantas or United has been recently
I tried to check in online but was unable to do so. I stood in line for nearly two hours to check in. American Airlines was understaffed. When I finally got to the kiosk to check in, I was still unable to check in. No AA staff was available to help. Finally one of the airport security agents who was helping passengers became of lack of AA Staff told me: “I think the reason you can’t check in is that you are starting your name with an upper case letter when you write it. Just write it with all lower case letters.” That did allow me to check in. HOW COULD ANYONE POSSIBLY KNOW THAT IF THEY USE AN INITIAL UPPER CASE LETTER TO SPELL THEIR OWN NAME, AA WOULD NOT ALLOW THEM TO CHECK IN?????? Then I had to wait in line over half an hour again to drop off my baggage. Although I arrived at the airport 3 hours early, by the time I got to the gate, they had already started boarding.
Friendly staff, surprisingly good premium economy seats allowing good sleep/ snooze opportunity and very good menu.
Don’t like last minute airline change. Not able to choose seat earlier.
They actually held the plane for a few minutes and had someone at the escalators from Qantas checking to see if we were almost at the gate and radioed ahead to tell them that we were on our way. We called down to the person and gave her our names, coming as fast as we could.
First time flying in Qantas. There is zero WiFi on the flight to/from Australia. Crew was great both routes - very attentive, personalized service. Pleasant staff throughout.
The plane was new (<6mos old) and was very well appointed. Lots of places to store things/plenty of legroom/comfortable seats/great blankets and headsets. Food was very good too. And crew were all very friendly and accommodating. Great trip!
Uncomfortable plastic seats even in premium economy. No free wifi. Even paid wifi was spotty to nonexistent. Bad food. Much worse than economy on foreign carriers like Qantas.
Good flight. However, when booked flight with United, assumed the layover included by United in San Francisco of 1 hr and 40 minutes was sufficient . Not so and would recommend at least 2 hours or more. Needed to go through US immigration (very long lineups), then pick up bags, take all the way to another terminal, running because we did not have sufficient time. We made the flight because they held the door for us but luggage didn’t follow.
It was good but only meal served is very less. Meantime good to add rice and chicken in one of meal
Unbelievably poor service from flight attendants. They didn’t even do water service on a four hour flight. Just disrespectful.
I found the staff to not be very attentive at all. When paying for Business Class you expect a certain type of service and that was not found. They were almost rude even
We were given vouchers we couldn’t use with a 5.5 hour delay
Great. Food going from Australia to the US was better than other way around, but still needs improvement in terms of quality and quantity!!!
I was refused to used the toilet closes to my seat and had to go to the back of the plane .. it was difficult for me I’m a wheelchair customer
Crew seemed annoyed by the fact we were there. Very unpleasant
Due to a cancelled flight the day before this flight only had 44 people. Best flight ever on international route. Food getting better. Can United provide fruit ex apples and bananas for snacks? Crew fantastic.
