American Airlines Premium Economy - Is it Worth Paying Extra?

My experiences with US airlines, in general, have been mixed. I can't bear those internal flights in the super tiny planes where everyone appears to have brought the maximum hand luggage allowed on board.

I have tended to avoid US airlines when it has come to Business and Premium due to my low expectations. My last premium economy experience in British Airways had not really been all that premium.

However, I had had an excellent experience with Virgin Atlantic Premium Economy so I was curious to see how American Airlines Premium Economy 777 would compare.

US airlines have recently been doing some major investment in premium economy and both Delta and United have relatively new premium economy offers which I plan to try out. American Airlines was the first and launched premium economy in May 2017.

This means you are guaranteed a quite new premium economy cabin and premium economy seats when travelling with any of the three airlines which tends to provide a better experience.

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American Airlines Premium Economy 777 Review - Making the Booking

I always start my search for flights with Skyscanner and then move on to Expedia. This usually gives me a good idea of the best options.

I then like to head onto the airline's dedicated site to check out the options around checking in bags, upgrades etc etc.

American Airlines has a new offer called Main Cabin Extra. This is an American Airlines economy class ticket that is upgraded when you get to pay to include extra legroom, complimentary drinks, preferred boarding, and free drinks.

This is between the economy cabin and premium economy so it may be worth considering.

American Airlines Premium Economy Routes are international, Hawaii and Alaska flights. The differences between the American Airlines Premium Economy 777 300 relative to the Main Cabin Extra are that there is a separate area within the cabin, larger seats and legroom, and priority check-in and security as well as boarding.

I'll cover the inflight experience on American Airlines economy plus in more detail later in the review.

A massive bonus of American Airlines Premium Economy flights was that I could pre-book an exit row window seat at no extra cost.

I couldn't believe this was available on American Premium Economy - and at no charge. Best of all, I was able to book it on the overnight leg.

I thought the prices for American Airlines Premium Economy were excellent value. My return flight including taxes was around GBP 770.

American Airlines Premium Economy - Airport and Checking In

American Airlines operates out of Terminal 3 at Heathrow.

It is easy to find - not far from Virgin - and premium economy American Airlines international flights have a preferred check in area.

Premium Economy on American Airlines also gives access to fast track security - not necessarily the case with Virgin Atlantic and British Airways.

The Lounge

A premium economy ticket does not provide access to the lounge. However, Oneworld Sapphire and Emerald have access to several lounges at Heathrow.

One of my key reasons for choosing to fly with American Airlines was that I am a British Airways Silver status - giving me access to all One World partner lounges.

I visited the American Airlines Lounge, which is area H - the Admiral's Lounge. It was a great lounge with very large comfortable chairs and wonderfully, they all had power and USB sockets.

The lounge felt quite new and there was a lot of space. The only downside was there was no real champagne. There were bubbles - Prosecco and Spumante - but they were never quite the same.

On the return flight, I received all the same benefits at American Airlines JFK - priority check-in and fast-track through security.

The American Airlines flagship lounge 12 is lovely and even has a terrace, although it is inside. There was a hot buffet and an a la carte menu at the American Airlines Lounge JFK.

There were several options available, like a Waldorf Salad. I chose the Korean tacos and they were excellent.

This was terrific as I could then eat before the overnight flight and focus on getting to sleep as quickly as possible for the duration of the flight.

Inside the American 777

The seat configuration of the Boeing 777 AA is 2 x 4 x 2. Premium Economy is a small area of just four rows which felt nice. The whole AA premium economy cabin looked and felt very new.

The premium economy 777 AA seats themselves are 19 inches wide - 2 more than AA economy, so a substantial difference.

The AA 700 300 seat pitch is 38 inches - quite a bit more than the standard economy seats, which have a pitch of 31-32 inches (Main Cabin extra offers 36 inches). I am only 5 foot 6 inches, so I found it a more than adequate recline.

A highlight for me of the American Airlines Premium Economy 777 300er was the very flexible headrest which was great for resting. Also, the footrest has two separate pieces - almost like pedals - and was very comfortable.

On the return flight, I was in the exit row of the Boeing 777 so there were no pedals but lots of legroom.

It took me a while to find the power socket on the aa 777-300er. It is sort of hidden away under the armrest of the premium economy seat - accompanied by the USB port. Once you are seated, it takes a bit of yoga to get everything hooked up.

The best option is to gently lift up the armrest of the AA 777 seat for easy access. This little hidden area also has space for water.

I traveled on a Sunday afternoon out of Heathrow. It was a long weekend in the US. The flight was virtually empty. A good tip is to do something similar if there is a long weekend in the US when you are planning on traveling between London and new york.

The American Airlines Premium Economy baggage allowance is generous but an empty flight means easy to carry on bags as well.

Food and Drinks

The main meal on American Airlines Premium Economy 777 is served about one hour from departure and then a lighter almost there offer a similar time before arrival.

The main meal on American Airlines' premium economy was a salad with a hot meal choice of prawns with wild rice or cauliflower mac and cheese. The dessert was a vanilla black currant cheesecake.

The pre-arrival was a Mediterranean salad followed by a chocolate and salted caramel pudding. I thought the American Airlines premium economy food was excellent.

There was only one white and one red wine to choose from on American Airlines' premium economy - a Spanish Macabeo (a pretty standard dry white) or a French Merlot.

There was a short but adequate range of spirits and beers/ciders, plus quite a few soft drinks.

Chocolate ice creams were brought out mid-flight on the leg between London and New York, which was a nice touch!

Entertainment and American Airlines Amenities

The American Airlines entertainment system was fantastic - possibly the best I have seen. There was an extensive choice of new movies - including one I had seen the weekend prior at the cinema in London.

Even better were the American Airlines tv programs on offer. The American Airlines entertainment system has shows from Amazon Prime and Netflix, which I have not seen on an airline before eg The Marvellous Mrs. Maisel.

They also seem to have a relationship with Universal/NBC and had episodes of new American tv programs which had not been shown in the UK. I was thrilled.

It is possible to use your phone or laptop, or tablet and get an entertainment app. However, the American Airlines Premium Economy screen is a great size (10.5 inches) and very good quality, so I don't think you need to use up battery life, etc.

The headphones were excellent quality and closer to business class style than the economy. There is wifi available on board, but of course, it must be paid for - unless you're happy to explore every section of the American Airlines website.

The American Airlines blanket and pillow were fairly standard and closer to economy class than business class in the thread count department.

However, I did like the blue and black striped socks and matching eye mask component of the AA amenity kit. The little toiletries bag was quite a cute Cole Hahn and the toiletries inside were Co Bigelow.

I hadn't heard of this brand but I liked its aromatherapy-based rosemary and mint smell.

The service was absolutely fine, but nothing really stood out. As you would expect on a premium economy flight - polite and efficient yet not at the level of business class of course, in the view of this flight review.

American Airlines Premium Economy - The Verdict

It's 5 stars for this American Airlines International Flights Review. I can't find a single negative thing to say about my American Airlines Premium Economy 777 experience.

The ticket was well priced. I received priority check-in, security, and boarding. The seats felt new and there was excellent legroom.

I was particularly delighted by being able to get an exit row seat at no cost on the return leg.

The American Airlines Premium Economy food was very good, the amenities good and the entertainment system excellent. In combination with my One World Sapphire and being able to use the lounges, I would struggle to justify paying much more to fly business class.

American Airlines Business class seats are only 1.5 inches wider than premium economy so the only real difference is the flatbed.

Looking at economy vs premium economy, American Airlines Premium Economy is definitely worth it at about double the price of an economy seat over the 15 odd hours in the air of a London-New York return flight.