This flight was so similar to my last flight on American. Similar aircraft, similar seat,
similar flight length- but nowhere near as good. Find out why in the full report, coming up.
Today we are in Miami’s North Terminal D gates which American Airlines dominates.
Quick tip if you’re looking for a Global Entry appointment- check out Miami if it’s
in your plans- usually easy to get quick appointments at their office near the J gates,
which is what I did on this layover from LAX. A link to that flight is in the description below.
I have to say, I think MIA gets a bad wrap. I’ve used multiple concourses
there in the past month or two and was honestly impressed with the condition of the facilities,
amount of shops and lounges and I do just kinda love the flooring.
I’d be flying Business Class to Bogota tonight, but it is not considered a “Flagship”
destination and so only Admirals Club admittance was given. But, I was really comfortable inside
and had a decent selection of drinks and let’s say, snacks available. There were also a few
food options that you could pay for- which all looked very overpriced for what you get. There
are tons of local food stalls in the airport- don’t pay $10 for American Airlines nachos.
It was consistently busy inside but each of the three times I entered on this 7 hour layover,
I was able to get a nice seat with power near the windows.
After my first stint at the Admirals Club and now within three hours of my departure,
I went to checkout the AMEX Centurion Lounge… which played well into my ongoing narrative
that Centurion Lounges are very over hyped. There was only a short line to get in but once inside it
was an absolute mad house. I walked the length of the lounge twice before I was able to find a table
and then got in line for some mediocre hot food options- almost all of which seemed to have
pumpkin in it somehow. I will always checkout any lounge I’m able to that I haven’t been to before,
but unless you plan to drink buckets of top shelf stuff while inside,
it’s probably not worth the hassle or the long lines that I’ve frequently seen at this lounge.
I left after 15 minutes and went back to the much more pleasant Admirals Club which was also much
closer to my gate for tonight, D25. Let’s take a look at the layout today on this 23 year old
777-200 work horse, which after returning to Miami from Bogota was flown to Tulsa and has
been parked there ever since. Overall we have 37 Business class seats split into two cabins,
24 premium economy seats and 212 Main Cabin and Main Cabin Extra seats.
On the 777-200 the only seat to truly redflag is 6L which is surrounded by galleys,
bathrooms and heavy traffic. I’d avoid row five for the proximity to the facilities as well.
As for the best seats. Generally for these Collins Aerospace I highly recommend the bulkheads
for a bit of extra personal space. Because of the design you’re pretty well divided from the
galleys so for me at least the proximity isn’t a problem. For this flight, I was happily in 1L.
Unlike my last flight, tonight's seats were bare bones in terms of amenities- just a decent pillow
and a scratchy but thick blanket. The seats and controls are almost identical to the 787-
though I prefer the 787 just for it’s cabin pressure and bigger windows. Thankfully,
this old timer had personal air vents and overall was in good condition with plenty of storage,
outlets and a great remote that you can watch the moving map on
at the same time as something different on the main screen.
Over your shoulder is a small reading light and to the side
another storage compartment in your arm rest.
As much as I like the seat though, the cleanliness details could have been quite a bit better.
Depending on your row you’ll get 2 or three windows all to yourself. Note that on the
777s you’ll get the seatbelt with the airbag instead of the three point belt.
Tonight's flight would be taking off from runway 8R
and heading south at 37000 feet for the 1507 mile hop to Bogota’s runway 13R.
Pushback was 40 minutes late but we landed just 4 minutes behind schedule.
We made our way taxiing to the runway and were able to watch some narrowbody take offs
on loop it seemed. Quick note about my ticket. I gave the full description in my last video as
these two flights were ticketed together but long story short, I had to physically goto a
ticket office in Saigon to pay for this ticket with a flight credit that didn’t cover the full
fare. That office visit cost $30 but after 3 days trying to contact an agent on the phone,
it was my only option to not miss out on the flights that I chose.
After taking off to the east we headed south to Bogota.
Here’s possibly one of the last spoolups from this aircraft.
If you’re enjoying this video, please subscribe to the channel and check out the links in the
descriptions for other ways to support. Next week we will also have an all new channel
devoted solely to longer format aircraft take offs and landings- so if you’re a true aviation fan,
keep your eyes out for that mentioned in future videos.
And now we have the super disappointing meal service. After my fantastic meal coming over
from LAX, perhaps I let my expectations get the best of me as I wasn’t expecting just a basic
snack basket. The crew on this flight also left something to be desired. I can definitely see how
this is not the preferred route to work and they certainly put that on full display. No smiles,
no pleasantries, just the bare minimum and then lots of laughing in the galleys.
The bathrooms were kept presentable and I do love the larger sinks on the 777s.
After the snack the very full business cabin went dark and quiet
and we were quickly on our descent into Bogota from the northwest.
The landing was literally pitch black and after a 15 minute taxi we pulled up to our
gate at El Dorado at 39 past midnight and the airport was surprisingly a breeze to
get through at that late hour. There are many flights from the US landing
after midnight so I was expecting a scene that was a bit more chaotic. Lucky us, I suppose.
That is all there is to write, so let’s get on to the Flip Flop Score. The seat is almost as great
as on a 787-9. Service on the ground was good, in the air just blah. The lounge is solid for what it
is but the ticketing and website experience was was too clunky. I guess for a snack basket, the
selection and taste was decent but It’s kinda hard to judge either way. Lastly, besides that pillow
and blanket- no other amenities on board. Overall a disappointing 71/100 but I suppose it’s an
experience I should have expected considering how cheap business flights to Colombia generally are.
If you enjoyed this video please give it a like and subscribe to the channel for two new reviews
per week. In the next video we are going to be checking out the Four Seasons Hotel in Bogota.