We’ve focused so much attention on labor relations at American Airlines, but I want to give credit to AA for a great flight onboard the 787-9 in business class. The onboard product and service are quite nice.

American Airlines 787-9 Business Class: Another Great Flight

My wife and I recently flew from Chicago to Los Angeles. As I warned after the latest round of MileagePlus devaluations, I am much more willing to deviate from United Airlines and be a free agent when purchasing airfare.

United and American were similarly priced, but American was running a widebody jet with lie-flat seats versus a 737 MAX 9 on United. It wasn’t a hard choice and access to the Flagship Lounge (via my British Airways status match) before the flight made the choice even easier.

Yes, our flight was delayed by almost an hour–operations at American Airlines have improved, but delays persist. And yes, this was a rolling delay with no communication from the gate. United is not immune from delays, but at least is generally good at providing a specific reason for the delays and minimizing rolling delays.

But onboard, the cabin was lovely. Heidi and I enjoyed the lie-flat bed, which made our late-evening journey to Los Angeles so much more pleasant.

While the comfortable seat came as no surprise, the pleasant surprise was the excellent service and meal onboard.

First, the mixed nuts contain pistachios and pecans…two of my favorites and so much better than the broken cashews and almonds served on United.

I pre-ordered short ribs with macaroni & cheese and the dish was excellent. So were the side salads: both a green salad and a refreshing mix of corn, beans, and bell peppers served over arugula and topped with feta cheese.

Then dessert was a choice of fruit and cheese, ice cream, or cake (or all three…), a much nicer dessert than the little cake square or sliver of cake United offers.

Just to compare, here’s a recent dinner I had on United on the same route leaving at the same time a week prior:

AA for the win.

Both United and American offer an excellent IFE library, but Wi-Fi was $29.99 on American Airlines versus $8 on United and this flight had no T-Mobile option. AA Wi-Fi is reliable, but too pricey. That’s a strong factor in favor of United, though if I flew AA more often I would buy a monthly pass.

Service was also excellent. Even though the flight attendants were wearing massive “ready to strike” badges issued by their union, they provided attentive and caring service…better than I’ve had recently on United domestic flights in terms of frequently offering beverage refills.

All things considered, it was a great flight. The grass is not always greener on the other side, but this was a pleasant journey.