The adventure continues! After a lovely 5 weeks in Buenos Aires, Argentina it was time to head back to the States and see family for the holidays. My flight to Argentina went way better than expected, and I was curious if I would experience the same amazing service on the return flight. I was also curious which seat configuration I would receive and how that would factor into the experience. So let’s see what happened!
PRE-TRIP
Contact Tracing
Two days before my flight, I got an email from American Airlines saying that it’s required that I give them information for contact tracing purposes before I can check into my flight. They just asked for my address and phone number so I submitted that and they accepted my submission. No big deal.
Check In
24 hours before my flight, my American Airlines App alerted me that it was time to check in. I did so in a few seconds on my phone and took a screenshot of my boarding pass just in case 😉 .
Transit
About 3 hours before my flight, I requested a Cabify ride share and arrived at the airport at 8:30pm. The ride from downtown took 50 minutes and cost $13.45 (with a $2 discount for a total of $11.45).
EZE AIRPORT
So then I headed into the airport. I entered Terminal A (the international terminal) and there were check in counters lining the walls, but I didn’t see a sign for security. So I walked around a bit and then saw signs saying that gates were upstairs, so I went up an escalator and found the entrance to security.
Security
I got into line, they checked my passport and boarding pass. Then I got into the security line. I waited there for about 15 minutes on a Tuesday evening until I was through. However, the process is easier than in the US. They don’t care about liquids or shoes, just electronics and metals. They had signs in Spanish and English saying to put all electronics and metals (like watches and belts) including phones in a tray. Otherwise you just push your bags through.
Passport Control
Now this was strange. I thought I was scot-free after security, but that wasn’t to be. Right after security is Passport Control and it’s unclear, but there are two lines. One to the left says it’s for Argentinians and the one on the right says it’s for foreigners.
I accidentally got in the Argentinian only line and had to get out and go to the other one only to hear someone who works in security say the lines are the same. So I don’t know what to think 🙂 . I waited in that line for 40 minutes and it was HOT. They didn’t seem to have enough AC going for all the people waiting in that room so I was sweating in the Argentinian spring heat.
Anyway, after that time passed, I got to the front of the line and saw one thing I liked: they have a blinking sign that tells you which number desk is free to go to. Very efficient! I was called to the desk and handed over my passport. They then asked me to remove my glasses and have my picture taken as well as my right thumb print. They then asked for my boarding pass, which I showed on my phone. And then I was finally free!
The Lounge
Next stop: The American Admiral’s Lounge!
However, it was a challenge to find. There weren’t any signs throughout the airport pointing to it like I normally see. I was lucky I had looked up instructions for how to find it before getting to the airport (#NerdAlert).
Across from Gate 8 there is a staircase as well as elevators next to a glass sign that says VIP lounges are upstairs. Apparently I’m a VIP now 😉 ?
The lounge was fine. Interestingly outside the lounge looked just as comfortable and actually less noisy because someone brought a crying baby into the lounge (isn’t that illegal 🙂 ?) and it wasn’t a large space so there was no where for the sound to go.
What I did enjoy though was getting to have some cold drinks after standing in lines for almost an hour in hot rooms. That was very refreshing. The AC was also blasting in there, which was lovely. I also appreciated the Wifi, fancy bathrooms and the alcohol selection, which included wine, beer and self-serve cocktails. They did also have some food including fresh options, which was nice to see.
The lounge also was only about 1/2 full when I got there, which wasn’t bad at all. There were also a lot of workers there constantly cleaning the space so it was kept tidy. One heads up though: flight boarding announcements are (understandably) only in Spanish. My months of studying Spanish once again paid off 🙂 .
THE JOURNEY
In my last flight review, I did all this fancy stuff to find out what plane I would be on so I could know which of the 2 seat configuration options I would be flying on. But then that system of figuring out the configuration in advance turned out to be incorrect so this time I didn’t put weight on what configuration that system said. Looking up the flight once again claimed to be the Rockwell Collins Super Diamond product (called B/E on AA documents).
I tried not to get too excited in case it was a bait and switch again, but I couldn’t help thinking that if I really did get the Rockwell Collins configuration, I would be able to compare and contrast the two options. However, if I got the same Safran Concept D configuration as on my last flight (called Zodiac on AA documents), then I would get a different type of new experience: flying backwards! I had intentionally chosen a backwards facing seat for the return flight so I could see how that changed the experience. So what configuration did I get?
It was the Rockwell Collins Super Diamond product! This is awesome since I can compare the two and see what the travel reviewers I read were going on about when they said that the Safran product (which I loved on my way to Argentina) was inferior. So did I agree with them or am I once again a black sheep of travel reviewing 🙂 ? Let’s find out!
Flights Details
- When: November 2022
- Where: Buenos Aires, Argentina to NYC
- Flight: AA954
- Flight Time: 10 hours, 49 minutes
- Seat: 9A
- Distance: 5,287 miles/8,508 km
- Points Used: 198,500 points + $97.67 total for a Business Class round trip flight
Boarding
After hearing that Spanish only announcement in the lounge, I went downstairs and luckily my gate was only a few feet away. There were already long queues and it was quite disorganized. There were two lines, one for boarding group 1-4 and the other for 5+. I was in Group 1 so I joined the line.
At the end of the line someone checked my passport and boarding pass and directed me to a table that had several people checking bags for some reason. They looked around my bags and then directed me to the gate agent. They checked my passport again and had me scan my boarding pass. Then I was allowed to board the plane.
The Flight
Once I was on the plane, I found my seat (9A) and got acquainted with this new configuration. I once again was in the smaller of the two Business Class cabins with only 4 rows since I prefer the smaller cabins.
Heads up though that apparently Row 6 is not awesome because of its proximity to the galley and Row 7 is missing one of its two windows.
My location seemed perfect. Soon after I got settled, I was offered a choice of champagne, water or juice from a flight attendant.
I grabbed my champs and started up the awesome new horror movie Bodies, Bodies, Bodies while checking out my amenity kit. It was the same meh one that I received on the flight down to Buenos Aires. Still, it’s nice to receive anything 🙂 .
They boarded the rest of the plane and before I knew it we were taxiing for takeoff. Once we were in the air, a flight attendant came around and asked what I would like for dinner. I chose the steak. They also asked me if I would like to be awakened for breakfast if I’m sleeping – I said yes. I can’t miss out on any of these fancy food experiences!
Soon after takeoff, dinner was served (which I’ll go into detail about below). After that, the cabin was cleaned up and the lights went down about an hour after takeoff. So efficient! I finished Bodies, Bodies, Bodies and finally watched Turning Red. People have been raving about that film so I’m glad I got around to it.
After I finished that movie, my eyes were starting to droop so I put my bed in lie flat mode, snuggled into my pillow and blanket and got some sleep. When I awakened, there were only 2.5 hours left of the flight. I watched Lightyear and about an hour before landing, the flight attendants came around with the breakfast service (which I’ll also discuss in detail below).
Then breakfast was cleaned up and it was announced that we were landing. I put my seat upright and watched NYC sail into view. That was a fast 11 hour flight!
Immigration
After we disembarked we were directed to immigration. Luckily the line was quite short. However, I passed the line entirely because I saw that there were Global Entry kiosks at the other side of the hall. I went over to one, took off my glasses and took my picture. Usually after that, the machine would print out a form that I would present to the agent along with my passport. Not this time though!
There were signs everywhere saying that Global Entry is going paperless. So after I took my picture, the screen just said to proceed to an agent. So I did. They looked at my passport, asked if I had anything to declare (no) and told me to continue. It took me a grand total of 4 minutes to get through immigration – I love Global Entry so much 🙂 .
Transit
I then had a fun time trying to find the AirTrain from Terminal 8. The signs were not super clear, but I found it eventually and hopped on it to Jamaica Station. I then used a metro card I had filled up when I visited NYC on my way to Buenos Aires to pay the $8 for the AirTrain that they ask for before they allow you to leave – sneaky 🙂 . I then found the Subway (there were lots of clear signs, luckily), swiped my metro card again, and took the E from Jamaica to Penn Station to start my next adventure!
THE REVIEW
So that’s what happened, but now let’s get into the actual review portion and what I thought of the experience 🙂 .
Customer Service
I was once again impressed with the customer service on this flight. As I mentioned in my last review, US based carriers are not known for great customer service, but American rose to the challenge. I tried to pinpoint exactly what made the service great and I think it’s just that I felt cared for and was constantly asked “Would you like anything else?”
Usually on US based carriers, I’m ignored and don’t get anything unless I press the call button, but having someone ask in advance takes the service over the top for me. In addition to feeling cared for, the flight attendants were all kind and helpful.
Seat
So what about this seat? With all this hullabaloo from other travel reviewers, you would think this Rockwell Collins Super Diamond seat is leagues better than the Safran Concept D. Is it? I’m going to go with no 🙂 . Once again pictures don’t really do this seat justice so check out this video to see what it really looks like:
Based on pictures I saw before boarding this flight, I thought this seat would feel smaller than the Safron because the TV is so much closer to the seat and the footwell is mostly hidden underneath the TV and table, but that’s not the case. It feels surprisingly open and not at all coffin-like as the similar DeltaOne product does.
There are also LOTS of storage options including a place to store your shoes next to the footwell. My backpack easily fit under there as well, without getting in my way. However, there were some things that made me like this seat LESS than the Safron configuration surprisingly. One is related to the abundant storage areas, but I’ll get into that below when discussing the entertainment.
The other thing I found strange was in the design of this seat’s amenities. I was impressed that the Safron seat thought of everything including where to place lights so that your seat is illuminated in the dark, but you can’t see the light when you’re laying flat sleeping – the Rockwell product didn’t seem to have that kind of thought put into it.
For example, there was a bright light at the base of the footwell that you can’t turn off. I found a way to block it with my backpack and blanket, but if I hadn’t, there would be a bright light inline with my eyes when I’m trying to sleep (yes I could have used the eye mask in my amenity kit, but putting that on to avoid a seat function doesn’t seem like its purpose 🙂 ).
Another thing about lighting: unlike the Safron plane, this one has bright blue lights that emit from the galley for the first bit of the flight and no curtains to cover it. This made me feel lucky that I chose the second to last row because once again, that lighting would be distracting.
Also unlike the Safron, which has 2 ways to control your seat so it’s easy to reach at all times, this seat only had one. However, it did have controls to change every aspect of the seat just like the Safron, which I greatly enjoyed. Travel reviewers wrote that the Safron seat rocks when your neighbor moves because the seats are connected, but as I said in my previous review, I didn’t find that to be the case. In fact, this Rockwell seat rocked as much (aka 1 time) as the Safron configuration.
So overall I came to the unpopular opinion that I actually prefer the Safron configuration over the Rockwell. While I enjoyed the Rockwell, there were small things that showed that they hadn’t put as much thought into the seat design.
One positive of this Rockwell configuration plane however was the bathrooms! The bathroom in the middle of the business class seats on the left side is extra large so be sure to check that out 🙂 .
Food
Now let’s talk about one of my favorite parts of flying: The Food! Here was the menu that was in my seat before I arrived:
Before dinner service we were given a ‘hot’ towel to wipe our hands. I put hot in quotes because mine was strangely half hot and half cold. I’m not sure how that was managed, but it was a strange sensation 🙂 . Then our choice of dinner was served. First we were given warm nuts as a snack, which was a nice touch.
For my main course, I ordered the Flat Iron Steak and requested a 12 year Glenlivet to go with my meal, but was told that they didn’t have any. The drink issues continue from my last flight it seems 🙂 . I’m not sure why this wouldn’t be in stock since the plane had been sitting at the gate for 14 hours and had plenty of time to restock, but here we are.
Anyway, the food was very good. The steak fell apart underneath my fork and the rest of the meal was tasty as well. Then I was asked what I wanted for dessert and I went with the sundae since I had enjoyed it so much on the last flight.
However, I also read a travel review recently that said that not only can you get berries and whipped cream on the sundae (which is what I had last time), but nuts are also an option! So I went all in and ordered all the accoutrements this time and it was yummy 🙂 . I enjoyed a glass of port along with my dessert (they had it on this flight! Not all the drinks were missing 😉 ).
I once again was quite full after all that food and didn’t find the need to snack before breakfast. However, if I had gotten that urge, the galley snacks were a bit sad compared to the cornucopia that was available on my last flight with the Safron configuration. This time around there were some apples and bags of chips as well as bottled water, which I did grab one of.
About an hour before landing, it was breakfast time! When the flight attendant reached me they said that they only had quiche left (and not the other option of a fruit plate). I said no worries because that’s what I was going to order anyway. However, after I was given my food, the same flight attendant said never mind and that they found more fruit plates, but I was already good to go with my quiche.
The quiche was shockingly good. It was super cheesy and the eggs were well cooked, which I’m not sure how they achieved on a flying airplane so I was extra impressed. The mash that came with it was also very tasty and the croissant that I got from the bread basket was warm. An awesome breakfast all around 🙂 .
In-Flight Entertainment
I was surprised and delighted to see that the movie selection on this flight was refreshed since my other flight 5 weeks ago. However, that presented a different challenge: there were too many awesome films I wanted to watch 🙂 . A good problem to have to be sure.
The entertainment system itself was lovely just like last time. Since the TV was so close to my seat, I didn’t have a need for the remote, which was a good thing because it was strangely located within a storage compartment that I would have to open to get to it. The charging ports and headphone jack were strangely also located in that storage compartment.
And oh yes – the Bang & Olufsen headphones. Well, I ragged on them hard in my last review and sadly was not impressed with them this time either. They weren’t as bad as the pair I had on my first flight, but they were still not at all comfortable. I feel bad for anyone (including American Airlines) that paid $300-400 for them. They’re not at all noise canceling, barely have any cushion, and there is a piece of plastic that pokes into your ear and it also has very thin internal lining. It’s a mess 🙂 .
And unfortunately, one major ding against this Rockwell Collins product is that the headphone jack is not standard like on the Safron product. Instead it’s a 3 prong, so you have to use their awful headphones if you want good sound. And of course the headphones are once again strangely taken by the flight attendants an hour before landing. They did give replacement earbud headphones, but they only had 1 prong so when you plug them in, you get half of the sound and it understandably sounds horrible 🙂 . However, all this wasn’t the end of the world and I was able to enjoy my entertainment enough for the flight to fly by.
CONCLUSION
And that was my experience trying out the Rockwell Collins Super Diamond configuration on the Boeing 777-200! It was awesome that I got to try both of this plane’s configurations to compare them. Despite my nit picks, I had a lovely flight back to the States and continue to be very impressed with the customer service and seat comfort provided on American Airlines international flights. I’m even planning to intentionally choose them for international flights in the future, which is a change of heart for me 🙂 .
What was your latest favorite flight experience?
So fancy! I love it. I would have been so nervous after having to change lines in Passport Control that all cameras would be watching me at that point for suspicious behavior haha
Yeah it was a fun time! Well now you’ve added an extra worry to my life LOL 🙂 .
Haha! Not my intention at all!
So is it a certain amount of points or a specific card that gives you access to the lounge?
Just dipping my pinky toe in award travel…
Also if you don’t use an AA card, how can you be sure your points will work on a carrier that flies to your destination. Especially since you don’t have a home base??
Lounge access in general is given to a passenger based on their ticket class. You usually get lounge access as part of your ticket with international Business or First Class. However, you can also get certain credit cards that give you access to specific lounges, but I haven’t messed with that myself.
I think you’re asking about me accumulating points now? If so, I plan what points I need and how many by knowing the specific flight I want to take and how many points it requires and then after I book the ticket I just make sure I’m in that city when the plane takes off 🙂 . It’s actually easier without a home base because I can fly out of anywhere based on where the points or lower. That’s the reasons I flew out of NYC to Argentina even though I could have done ATL or LAX.