the journey from Hampton by Hilton Hotel to the airport was quick and easy in the early hours in the morning and initially the airport seemed very quiet. That is until I reached the security area where the queue was impressively long. Fortunately I had access to fast pass security, which was almost empty. I was quickly through to departures and had plenty of time to explore the terminal whilst I waited for the American Airlines lounge to open.
There are many sports related displays around the terminal along with a couple of pieces of modern art. The call of coffee was strong and it was time to head to the AA Admirals lounge. This lounge was a great disappointment both in terms of ambience and in terms of the food and beverage offering.
Once I’d re-caffeinated it was time to seek alternatives. Priority Pass to the rescue, and this time I’ve got two choices. Option one: use my once-a-year lounge pass at Chase for some zen and mini sandwiches. Option two: cash in a $28 credit at Stephanie’s for something hot and probably smothered in cheese. Not a hard decision when you think about it. That lounge pass I need to keep it in my back pocket for an airport disaster.
And just like that, my $28 dining credit vanished faster than you can say “artisanal breakfast sandwich.” I went for a posh sausage and egg McMuffin knock-off and a coffee, because if you’re going to blow through credit, you might as well do it in style. Was it good? Absolutely. Was it $28 good? Well, if I’d been the one footing the bill, they’d probably need to fetch the smelling salts. Seriously, a bit of egg and sausage for the price of a decent bottle of wine? Only at the airport, folks.
Fed and watered, it was time to head to the gate where boarding had just commenced and I was straight on board and into my seat fort this transcontinental flight.
Once settled in, pre-departure we just went distributed along with the menu for today’s flight
It was a brief taxi to the runway, and before I knew it, we were airborne right on schedule. The captain kept the seatbelt sign lit until we hit our cruising altitude—safety first, I suppose. Shortly after, the cabin crew sprang into action, and the in-flight service began. First up, a round of applause for the Bose B&O headphones. Fancy, right? Well, not so fast. Turns out, these beauties weren’t noise-canceling. A minor tragedy, if you ask me. Apparently, American Airlines has trust issues because they don’t just leave the headphones on the seats; they hand them out like they’re made of solid gold and meticulously collect them at the end. I’m guessing they’ve lost a few in the past…. A warm towel appeared and an initial beverage run accompanied the taking of breakfast orders.
Around forty minutes in, the tray table was set for breakfast. First up: the fruit plate, small but colorful enough to feel like a proper start. Bread was offered, of course, because what’s breakfast without a little carb temptation? Not long after, the fruit plate was whisked away to make room for the main dish: an American breakfast in all its glory.
I thoroughly enjoyed the breakfast, and a clean plate headed back to the galley. Although the menu card mentioned a cheese plate desert, this did not make an appearance and the tables were cleared after the main course. By the time breakfast was done we were around 90 minutes into this six and a half hour flight and pretty much everyone was settling in to sleep.
The next few hours of the flight I finished off my film and started to watch the latest Dune, and just chilled and snoozed until around two hours to landing when the missing cheese and crackers made its appearance as a separate snack. Far more sensible than seeing it as a breakfast dessert.
This was a perfectly agreeable flight, albeit that it felt long and dull in the most part as we were in darkness with everyone asleep for the greatest part of the trip.
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