A evaluate of American Airways enterprise class on the Boeing 777 from Rome to New York

Right here is the vary of round-trip money and award charges on New York to Rome flights when obtainable within the spring, summer time and early subsequent fall (notice that the route shouldn’t be at present working however will return into service in March 2024).

I paid $3,033 for my round-trip ticket from Rome to New York, with a departure date in October 2023 and a return in July 2024 once I plan to take my mom there for a household journey.

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I used my Citi® / AAdvantage® Govt World Elite Mastercard® (see charges and charges), so I might earn Loyalty Factors as a part of an American Airways “On the spot Standing Move” alternative. I earned 4 Loyalty Factors per greenback spent utilizing the cardboard, plus the 11 Loyalty Factors per greenback I earned as an Govt Platinum elite. The 17,875 Loyalty Factors I earned on this primary leg of my round-trip ticket went a great distance towards qualifying me for Govt Platinum standing throughout my four-month problem interval.

I additionally might have used my Platinum Card® from American Categorical, which accrues 5 Amex Membership Rewards factors per greenback spent on flights booked instantly with airways or with American Categorical Journey on as much as $500,000 on these purchases per calendar 12 months.

Each money fares and mileage redemptions in American Airways enterprise class to or from Europe embrace free seat choice, two checked luggage as much as 70 kilos every, one carry-on and one private merchandise.

Checking into and boarding enterprise class on American Airways

American Airways business-class passengers can count on the next precedence providers on the airport.

American Airways operates from Terminal 3 at Rome Fiumicino Leonardo da Vinci Airport. It is a very busy terminal for worldwide departures, together with British Airways, ITA Airways and El Al, to call a number of.

The check-in for American Airways was on the finish of the terminal in what gave the impression to be a separate departures space for U.S.-bound flights.

Despite the fact that I had conveniently checked in for my flight on-line and bought a boarding cross through the American Airways app, I nonetheless wished to see what it could be like checking in on the counters.

There have been two separate traces. I might use the Precedence line as a result of I used to be touring in enterprise class (and I might have had entry through my Govt Platinum standing). There have been eight ticket counters for precedence passengers, with all of the desks staffed once I checked in about three hours earlier than my flight.

Foremost cabin passengers had a separate line with 15 counters, most of which had been staffed, and there have been no lengthy traces for any passengers once I checked in. There have been additionally 11 self-service kiosks.

I waited about 5 minutes within the precedence line earlier than a pleasant agent helped me. She instructed me there wasn’t a VIP safety line saying, “I am sorry, there is no such thing as a TSA PreCheck.” Once I clarified I used to be simply referring to a precedence safety lane, she mentioned there wasn’t any. That turned out to be incorrect. I might use a fast-track lane by scanning my boarding cross.

The agent additionally jogged my memory I had entry to the large Plaza Premium Lounge that passengers can discover as soon as they exit safety screening and passport management by heading left within the duty-free outlets. Test-in took only a few minutes, then the fast-track safety line took simply one other 5 minutes earlier than a brief await passport management on the automated gates and an exit stamp by an immigration agent.

On American’s 777-200s, there are a complete of 37 business-class seats specified by a 1-2-1 configuration. The entrance cabin has 5 rows of 4 seats throughout, plus a single seat in row 6 alongside the suitable aspect. The aft business-class cabin has 4 further rows of 4 seats every.

I had chosen seat 3A within the ahead cabin however ended up switching with the passenger in seat 4A so he might sit nearer to his spouse.

Here is the essential format of the cabin and seats.

There are a number of seats to keep away from, particularly these close to the loos and galley.

On the window aspect of my seat was a big console with two cubbies with lids that popped open.

Contained in the bigger of the 2 was a handheld distant to regulate the varied inflight leisure (IFE) features, a common charging plug, a headphone jack and two USB-A charging ports.

The smaller cubby was additionally shallow, and my pockets and passport case had been simply sufficiently small to permit the lid to shut. When the lids are closed, it turns into a big shelf that’s a further area within the seat to place your laptop computer or studying materials in case it’s worthwhile to stand up. Sadly, it did not appear like both of the cubbies had been cleaned totally shortly.

The seat’s bifold tray desk slid out from underneath the leisure display and measured 18 1/2 inches by 17 inches when absolutely deployed, simply massive sufficient for my 14-inch laptop computer.

Above the console was a literature rack that held the security card for the plane and the place I tucked my paper menu.

At about elbow stage on the left aspect of the seat, there was touchscreen with seat controls that might maneuver the seat in lie-flat, lounging, or absolutely upright, in addition to permitting me to govern the person parts of the seat. As you possibly can see within the picture above, the seats had been exhibiting their age. Whereas the airplane did not really feel soiled by any stretch of the creativeness, it might have used a deep cleansing.

There have been additionally two lighting choices, an ambient mild beneath the literature rack and a small studying mild on the higher a part of the seat shell.

I had two massive home windows with views of a parked El Al jet and an Air Canada airplane throughout our taxi. I additionally bought a peek at one other American Airways jet as we moved into takeoff place.

There was additionally a small cubby on the decrease left portion on the backside of my seat, the place I positioned my empty headset case through the flight. As you possibly can see, it was fairly scuffed up and dusty.

Lastly, there was additionally storage within the armrest alongside the aisle. The armrest will be lowered, and the highest pops open with a push of a button. It was helpful for storing a water bottle and some snacks through the flight.

Happily, there have been two overhead studying lights and air nozzles so I might management the temperature within the space round my seat.

The seats are huge and cozy, measuring round 21 inches on the hip (American says they’re 21.9 inches at their widest, which may be across the shoulder space).

The issue (for me) was the slender footwell when in lie-flat place. The opening is round 17 inches huge however then narrows down to simply 10 inches. It does not go away your toes numerous wiggle room when mendacity down fully. There was additionally a narrowing of the seat on the hip space in absolutely flat mode. Be aware additionally there’s a small hole between the headrest and the again of the seat that makes it really feel like you aren’t absolutely flat. The seats had been additionally a bit of worse for put on in some spots.

There have been three restrooms for the 37-seat business-class cabin. There have been two loos on both aspect of the galley between the 2 enterprise class sections and one other on the entrance left aspect of the plane not removed from the cockpit.

All three loos had been massive, however the one close to the boarding door was particularly spacious (it even had a sliding door). All three had been stored clear through the flight, and I by no means noticed traces type to make use of them. Sadly, the restroom had no facilities in addition to the hand cleaning soap.

Facilities in American Airways enterprise class

Already ready at my seat once I boarded was a Bang & Olufsen headset, a bottle of water, a Shinola-branded amenity equipment and a paper menu. I discover the B&O headsets are of fantastic high quality and make for a quiet and pleasurable sound expertise. I solely want they did not accumulate them so quickly.

I am not an enormous fan of the Shinola amenity kits since they strike me as quite plain. Nevertheless, they do have all of the fundamentals like a watch masks, ear plugs, Radio Bombay lotion, Rose Atlantic lip balm by D.S. & Durga and a dental equipment.

The crew collected headsets about 45 minutes earlier than touchdown, which is at all times irritating, although they did hand out disposable ones so we might proceed watching the inflight leisure.

There was additionally a big plastic-wrapped pillow and Casper blanket. The blanket was snug however light-weight, so I did not get too heat whereas napping. The pillow was simply the suitable stability between agency and smooth. I missed the additional Casper lumbar pillows AA provides in Flagship First on choose routes).

Wi-Fi offered by Panasonic was obtainable on the flight. Costs ranged from $29 for a two-hour cross to $35 for the full-flight bundle with no knowledge limits.

I paid $35 for the full-flight cross Wi-Fi. The web velocity wasn’t nice, with one check exhibiting as “very gradual.”

American Airways has a whole lot of leisure choices, together with films, tv exhibits, video games, a child’s channel, music and inflight data. There’s even a chat operate, although I used to be the one one within the chat once I joined.

There’s additionally an interactive Panasonic Voyager 3D map, “Powered by Airshow,” although there is no digicam within the tail, so no dwell view of the flight.

I counted 68 new-release films alone. Amongst them had been “Avatar: The Approach Of Water,” “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Future,” “An Irish Goodbye” and “The Little Mermaid.” In honor of Halloween, there have been 38 “Spooky Season” films, together with “Beetlejuice,” “The Cabin within the Woods” and “Evil Lifeless.”

Among the many tv exhibits obtainable had been a number of Showtime and AppleTV titles, together with “Basis,” “The Morning Present” and “Hidden Planet.” On Showtime, I watched a part of a documentary on tennis legend John McEnroe known as “McEnroe The Value of Perfection” and one episode of “George & Tammy.”

My neighbor and I each had numerous lagging points with the leisure, type of like a foul streaming expertise. Nonetheless, the choices had been watchable, if a bit irritating at instances.