JetBlue Mint A321 Review (MIA-LAX) [2023]

For quite a while, I heard so many good things about JetBlue Mint that I was highly curious about the product. I envisioned it being a relatively solid experience but the flying experience turned out to far exceed even my best expectations.

In this article, I will review my recent flight from MIA to LAX on the JetBlue A321 Classic with Mint and explain just how this flight blew me away!

JetBlue Mint A321 Video Review

If you are a video person, be sure to check out the entire video review I did for this flight here:

Booking

Like some other premium products, prices can fluctuate by a lot for JetBlue Mint.

If you’re flexible with redeye flights or early morning flights, you may be able to find the good deals easier.

In this case, the price for the 7 AM nonstop flight was about half the price of the other nonstop time and so we only had to pay around $730 per seat which I thought was great value, especially while earning 5X with the Platinum Card!

Tip: Use the free app WalletFlo to help you travel the world for free by finding the best travel credit cards and promotions!

Check-in

We arrived to a pretty empty MIA around 4:30 AM for check-in and made our way to the exclusive JetBlue check in desk for Mint and Mosaic members.

The agent working at the desk was clearly not in the best mood.

I sympathize with her because it was so freaking early but at the same time when you are the first point of contact with Mint/elite customers you have to do a little better than early morning stank eye.

After checking a bag, we made our way to security where we breezed through thanks to CLEAR and Pre-Check.

The CLEAR staff was very friendly and professional which unfortunately I’ve found to be decreasingly common over the past few years.

After screening, it was time to take a very short tram ride over to our gate which only took a couple of minutes.

We did have the option to spend a little bit of time at a Priority Pass lounge (Turkish) but, it just did not really seem worth it. Plus, I was trying to save my appetite for the flight.

Boarding

After we made our way over to the gate, I realized that we would not be boarding in a typical JetBlue boarding area.

Instead, we had to go downstairs and board at a British Airways gate. It took me back to the days of living in the UK but was a little bit odd.

For the most part, boarding went pretty smooth. A couple of potential line cutters were turned away, including one who tried to swoop under the stanchion belt.

I don’t know what it is about boarding a plane that makes some people act a fool but it’s one of the weirdest things.

JetBlue A321 Classic with Mint cabin

The cabin has a total of 16 Mint seats but they are not all the same, as the cabin has a unique configuration.

The rows alternate with odd rows having two side-by-side seats and even rows featuring a fully enclosed single suite.

The side-by-side seats are more of your typical domestic first class product although they still have the lie-flat feature.

From the bookings that I have done, there was no additional cost to select the fully enclosed single suite, so it was just a matter of booking early and selecting that seat. I highly recommend going with that suite since you have the optimal level of privacy and extra room.

JetBlue A321 Classic Mint suite

As soon as I finally saw the Mint suite, 2A, with my own eyes, I could tell that I was going to really like the seat.

One of the first things I look for in a business class seat is what type of counter space and storage it offers. This suite clearly had a lot of counter space and it also had ample storage space

The main counter area featured two power outlets (with two USB ports) so it’s a great laptop station.

The other side of the seat had a reading lamp, additional storage pouches, and one more outlet.

There’s also a really deep compartment that opens up that could fit things like amenity kits, headphone cases, and more.

Then you also have a couple of storage pouches in the front including one directly below the TV monitor and one further down. So you’re definitely covered with the storage space!

Overall, I found the seat to be very comfortable and just a great way to fly transcontinental.

With its central design, it very much has a “throne” type of feel to it, which is only amplified by the fact that only four seats are comparable within the Mint cabin. In other words, it gives you more of a first class feel while surrounded by business class.

And obviously with a seat like this legroom is not an issue. It’s also nice that they have a floor ramp that gives your legs a place to rest in the upright position.

As for privacy, it’s great even whenever the suite door is open.

To close the door on your seat, there is a little latch button you pull and that slides out the door. Sometimes the door will slide all the way closed but other times I had to give it a little bit of a push. With the door closed, it’s obviously a lot more private although you don’t have the tallest suite walls.

The headphones were from Master and Dynamic and very high-quality.

Unlike the headphones that I had just received on my American Airlines business class flight, that were extremely worn and even a bit of tattered, these felt very fresh.

JetBlue A321 Classic Mint suite headphones

I really loved the design and high quality feel of the headphones and the sound was great.

One thing that was a nice touch is that when JetBlue requested for us to return the headphones about 15 to 20 minutes before landing, they offered to supply us with ear buds so we could finish anything we were watching.

The flight would offer us two amenity kits: one pre-flight and one that we would receive just before landing.

The pre-flight Tuft and Needle amenity kit came in recyclable packaging and included toothpaste tablets, a toothbrush, earplugs, and an eye mask.

JetBlue A321 Classic Mint suite Tuft and Needle amenity kit — Tuft and Needle amenity kit

Now, let’s talk about the only true complaint I had. And that would be the in-flight entertainment.

I thought the screen was just dated. It was reasonably sized but with lower picture quality and the responsiveness of the touchscreen was severely lacking.

An IFE remote comes out from the side so you can use that to navigate but overall the IFE just has an “old school” feel to it.

But now let’s get back to the good stuff.

One thing I really liked was getting pre-departure beverages. Not just that, but I received multiple refills while we were boarding without even having to ask.

That was the first sign that service was going to be on point, but it was going to be a lot better than I ever anticipated!

Eventually, it was time for an on-time departure and we took off around sunrise, offering amazing views of Miami.

Dining (breakfast)

With such an early flight and no real time for enjoying lounge access, I was holding my appetite for the flight and I’m glad that I did because breakfast was exceptional.

Basically, for breakfast you can choose 3 of 5 options which included: strawberries, chia pudding, avocado toast, crepes, and frittata. You could also add on some bacon. Here’s a look at the menu:

It started with a large, flaky croissant.

Lots of airlines give you croissants that are mediocre or feel sort of like an afterthought but this one was clearly a prized croissant. Delicious!

JetBlue A321 Classic Mint suite breakfast

After the croissant came out some heavy turbulence started. We would have some pretty noticeable turbulence throughout the flight, which made the service that much more impressive.

Anyway, after the turbulence break, I was able to pop out my tray table which can easily be done by pulling a small tab.

Then the full breakfast was served.

Initially, the bacon seemed like a bit much as this maple bacon was pretty heavy and thick and not the typical bacon I go with. But I decided to give it a shot and indulge and it was worth it.

When the avocado toast first came out, I didn’t even recognize it, as it wasn’t quite what I was expecting.

But it turned out to be one of the best breakfast dishes I’ve probably ever had. The tomatillo sauce added a twang on the avocado that really set off the flavor.

The crepes, loaded with hazelnuts, ricotta, and praline sauce were on point and made even better with juicy strawberries.

In the drink department, Brad was served up the signature “Mint Condition,” which was mixed and poured at his seat. He had high remarks for the cocktail along with other drinks he tried like the Bloody Mary.

Here’s a link at the drink menu:

By the way, this breakfast absolutely blew the American Airlines breakfast I just had out of the water. It was a night and day difference.

About midway through the flight, I was offered a cheese plate which I definitely did not need but still accepted, mostly out of curiosity. Nothing but good things to say about that.

JetBlue A321 Classic Mint suite cheese plate

I found the seat controls to be pretty straightforward. It’s very easy to go from the upright position, to recline, to fully lie-flat with just one button. I enjoyed using the massage feature and thought the floor light was a pretty cool addition.

The lumbar support function took a little while to get going but seemed to work fine for me after some trial and error. Brad on the other hand had some issues which led to us both receiving a $200 flight credit (without even asking for anything)!

That was just another reason why the service was tremendous on the flight.

JetBlue A321 Classic Mint suite seat controls

Now for the sleeping experience.

I didn’t really have any intention of getting shut eye on this flight so I only made the bed to briefly test it out.

I forgot to deflate the lumbar support which made it a bit uncomfortable but I think had I deflated that it would’ve been a lot better.

I really did love the pillow which was one of the most comfortable pillows I’ve been given by an airline.

One thing about this bed is that it’s great for tall people as the foot well is extremely deep. I felt like I just kept sliding sliding underneath the seat in front of me!

I found the in-flight wifi very easy to use. I loved that it was free and it gave me a reliable connection throughout the flight.

Another feature that I really loved about the cabin is the lavatory lighting system upfront. You can instantly see which lavatories are occupied so that there is no confusion when getting up to go.

I was surprised to be issued a second amenity kit towards the end of the flight.

This one had pretty much everything I needed including honey lozenges, pain cream, and lip balm, along with socks. It also came with rejuvenating eye gels.

As an aside, I really appreciated the recyclable amenity bags. Especially on trips where we do a lot of long-haul flights back to back, I start to really notice the waste that goes into amenity kits.

While premium bags are cool, I wouldn’t mind if more airlines made the switch to more sustainable packaging.

As we approached LAX, the cabin lit up with natural light and I was able to get a better well lit view of the suite. The more I looked at it, the more I really appreciated the design.

Record amounts of snowfall had been hitting California and it was impressive to see so much of the landscape covered in snow.

It was also just a beautiful day in Los Angeles.

When we landed our bag was the second bag to come out. So many times priority luggage bag tags don’t mean anything so it was a nice surprise to see our bag come out so quickly. Pretty much the cherry on top of what was an amazing flight.

Service levels

While I loved the breakfast and seat, the biggest thing that stood out on the flight was the level of service. The main flight attendant provided a level of attentiveness that is really hard to achieve.

He anticipated all of our needs throughout the entire flight, yet it never felt like he was over doing it which can happen with some overeager flight attendants.

He was world-class professional, committed to getting things right the first time, and patient with every passenger, including the passengers in front of us who tried to sneak in an economy passenger!

I’ve flown on most of the top first class products out there and the service level on this flight was right on par with some of the best. It was impressive to witness and it really changed the way that I view JetBlue.

Final word

This flight could not have come at a better time.

After a very mediocre AA flight, I was seriously questioning my passion for long-haul flying. It had been so long since my last long-haul flight and I was surprised how meh the entire experience felt. It seriously made me wonder if I just didn’t have the love for flying anymore.

But then this flight came along and woke me up. It reminded me that flying is still something that I love and it also reminded me how much of a difference great service can make on a flight. I was officially out of my little flying slump!

Daniel Gillaspia

Daniel Gillaspia is the Founder of UponArriving.com and creator of the credit card app, WalletFlo. He is a former attorney turned full-time credit card rewards/travel expert and has earned and redeemed millions of miles to travel the globe. Since 2014, his content has been featured in major publications such as National Geographic, Smithsonian Magazine, Forbes, CNBC, US News, and Business Insider. Find his full bio here.

American Airlines 777-200 Business Class Review (SCL-MIA)

Since 2014, we’ve done a lot of international flying including lots of the first class and business class products out there. But while we were focused on international airlines for so long, we had very little experience with what the long-haul product was like on US carriers.

Luckily, that would finally change when we booked a flight from Santiago, Chile to Miami on American Airlines’ 777-200. Here’s how it went and how it failed to meet my expectations.

Booking American Airlines 777-200 business class

This flight was initially a connecting flight on LATAM from SCL->BOG->MIA.

But after searching for award availability I saw American Airlines open up and we wanted desperately to mix up the airlines on this trip since we would have been flying LATAM’s (dated) business class product 5X!

So I called Qantas and I was able to change the flight and I was surprised to find the American Airlines flight was actually cheaper at 68,400 miles compared to 75,000 miles. Fees were only $62. The downside was they charged me a change fee in miles of 5,000 miles.

Still, we avoided the connection late in the trip and finally I would be able to try out AA’s long-haul, lie-flat product!

Getting to SCL

This flight was the returning leg of a 17-day trip down to Latin America where we spent most of our time exploring Easter Island, which had been a bucket-list destination for me for over a decade.

At this point of the trip, we were running on fumes and so we just stayed at the Holiday Inn Airport Hotel before we departed.

We actually booked two nights so that the night of the trip we would be able to stay in the room as long as we wanted, which was a great call.

About three hours and 15 minutes prior to departure we made our way from the hotel over to the international terminal which was a pretty short walk. As the sun sets very late here in the summer, it was a beautiful and breezy walk over to T2.

Check-in

We made our way over to the priority check in for American Airlines and there was basically no one around.

However, the people in front of us had some type of issue and were occupying the priority desk so it would have been much faster for us just to join the main line. We were not in a rush though so there was no big deal.

After getting through check in we made our way through a long immigration line and then through security pretty quickly before trying to find an airport lounge.

We walked past a LATAM lounge and I thought maybe there was a snowball’s chance in hell there was still some way to get in with an international business class AA boarding pass but my dreams were quickly dashed. No chance.

So we then made our way over to our gate area where we would pass by a Pacific Club VIP lounge open to Priority Pass members (and apparently everyone else at the airport).

The line was backed way out out of the door and not moving at all.

Worse, it didn’t look like there was much space inside and we decided that we would just hang out in the terminal since the lounge options were lacking.

I enjoyed some of the sites in the terminal, especially the Easter Island themed artwork. But after exploring some of the terminal, we soon found ourselves chowing down at McDonalds, as it was one of the few places with seating open so late.

Boarding

Boarding was a little bit interesting and I think I finally convinced myself to just ditch the whole trying to board first strategy.

The reason I try to board first is to get photos and video of an empty cabin.

The photos look a lot better because they are cleaner and allow you to see the cabin in detail. Plus I don’t have to worry about any privacy issues or getting in the way of other passengers.

I usually line up at boarding around 30 minutes prior to it beginning and find a spot (that is not in the way) to line up at.

But I think after doing this for so many years, I’m finally kind of over it.

For one, about 25% of the time there are people who are very determined to board first for some unknown reason.

These people will try to cut you (outright or slyly) and sometimes just give you some kind of negative reaction or looks because you lined up before them. It’s truly the weirdest sense of competitiveness.

Other times, you may just get cut by a clueless passenger who pays absolutely no mind to anyone lining up. Usually you can call them out or a gate agent will but sometimes they quickly get through and you are stuck behind them.

Also, preboarding often boards just seconds before you and so they are often in the cabin shot anyway, so the efforts to line up early end up not mattering.

In this case, I talked with a boarding agent about where I could stand so that I would not be in the way and as soon as I stood there I initiated a long line up of business class passengers who came out of the wood works.

So now, well before boarding was beginning there was now a long line of passengers extending out into the terminal.

When boarding finally began, we had to go through an additional screening on the jet bridge for liquids. The agent going through my bags did not have speed as an asset so I ended up losing my top boarding position up front anyway.

When we finally got on the plane, there was an elderly-ish couple blocking the aisle in our cabin and access to our seats. They were obviously having some kind of issue and getting a crew member involved but it wasn’t clear to me what was going on.

The cabin already feels a little bit claustrophobic to me and the added congestion didn’t help.

American Airlines 777-200 Business Class cabin.

But finally, we were able to make it to our seat.

The 777 comes with B/E Aerospace Super Diamond seats. I believe the last time I flew these seats was in 2018 when flying on Virgin Australia business class on the 777-300ER. I generally had a good impression of the seats but remember a few challenges they posed.

American Airlines 777-200 Business Class cabin seat — B/E Aerospace Super Diamond seats.

First, let’s talk about counter and storage space: two of my favorite things in business class.

I love that the seats have a good amount of counter space with the compartments closed. You can easily prop up a laptop if needed, place random things on the counter, etc. It just makes life easier.

American Airlines 777-200 Business Class B/E Aerospace Super Diamond seat

Then you can utilize the two storage compartments on the side for smaller personal items. One of the storage compartments is only about a couple of inches deep while the other one is about 4 inches deep. So while storage opportunities are there, they aren’t the greatest.

It’s also worth pointing out that Virgin Australia’s 777 has an additional (but arguably useless) storage compartment that the seat did not have which was located right behind the 777 pamphlet you see in the photos.

American Airlines 777-200 Business Class seat

In the deeper compartment, you’ll find to USB ports, the headphone jack, and the power outlet. This is also where you will pull out the in-flight entertainment controller.

I like the simplicity of the outlets being right there so you don’t have to contort your body or go on a mad scavenger hunt to find them. When I flew this seat in Virgin Australia’s 777 this compartment only had one USB port so it was interesting to see another one.

B/E Aerospace Super Diamond seat storage

The next thing that stood out was the 18.5-inch TV monitor. After flying on LATAM’s business class, this TV monitor represented an instantly recognizable upgrade. I was excited to use it and enjoyed the quality.

I found the entertainment options to be plentiful with good movies. You can also use the touchscreen to navigate which I found to be very responsive. No complaints here.

It was then time to check out the Bang & Olufsen headphones. Once again, I was excited for these because LATAM does not provide you with very high-quality headphones so I was relieved to get back to premium audio gear!

American Airlines 777-200 Business Class headphones

Unfortunately, when I opened the headphone case, I instantly noticed how worn down these were. I don’t expect these headphones to be brand new but they felt and looked extremely worn, and some of the wiring was even exposed and frayed.

They still worked okay from what I could tell but I expected better.

Then it was time to try out the Shinola Detroit amenity kit. They provided us with a pretty compact and plain amenity kit but I liked the zipper design and overall feel of the bag, which felt like a quality amenity kit.

AA business class Shinola Detroit amenity kit.

On the inside we had socks, a short writing pen, toothbrush with toothpaste, earplugs, an eye mask, and lip moisturizer and lotion by D.S. & Durga. There didn’t seem to be a lot of creativity that went into the kit but the products were seemingly quality.

I guess I had been left a little bit impressed by LATAM’s long-haul kit that came with some uniqueness like a bamboo toothbrush with sugar cane cap and vibrant design but this plain Jane kit wasn’t a big deal by any stretch.

I like the seat controls on the B/E Aerospace Super Diamond seat. They are very simple and right there for easy access. I also found them to be pretty responsive. The lighting controls for my seat did not work, however.

Also, I should probably mention that the Wi-Fi did not work on the plane (despite charging us), which was another let down because I really wanted to test it out.

These seats have an interesting little armrest that can be raised and also they have a small storage compartment underneath them.

15 minutes after loading the plane, pre-departure beverages were served with champagne, water, and orange juice coming out on a tray. I recorded myself grabbing a cup of orange juice to which the flight attendant responded, “Really, you going to do this now?”

Apparently, despite showing no signs of straining, she was struggling to serve a few partially filled plastic cups and me recording myself grabbing a cup (which maybe added half a second) was causing too much strain for her.

Whether she meant her comment to be joking or not, I’m not sure, but because this was my first (and only) interaction with her she definitely came off as rude.

I’ve been getting pre-departure drink photos or videos for years and never had a flight attendant get chirpy like that.

The interaction pretty much set the tone for the service for the entire flight which I found to be at best forgettable. Interactions were brief, uninspired, and all business.

It was one of those flights where the majority of the crew feels like they are just doing what they have to do to get the job over with.

I may not have realized just how mediocre things were if it were not for the JetBlue Mint flight I would take in the next 24 hours which reminded me what quality premium service is all about! More on that amazing flight later.

Dining

I had pretty high expectations for the dining as I fully expected American Airlines to blow away LATAM’s product. But of course that would not happen.

American Airlines 777-200 Business Class menu — The menu

The tray table is simple enough to utilize as you simply pull the lever on the bottom and then it comes out to you.

A tablecloth was then brought out as dinner approached.

Nuts along with my beverage of choice, sparkling water, were then brought out.

Then the entire meal, including bread, was brought out at once.

The seasonal salad with quinoa was pretty fresh as was the smoked trout. The main parmesan breaded chicken breast looked very appetizing and I was excited to give it a shot.

Unfortunately, it had this uncanny moistness to it that caused the breading to get very soggy and it just didn’t sit right. It was edible but didn’t deliver like I thought it would.

I took one bite of the grilled polenta and immediately ruled that out. So the dinner on the hole was mostly a swing and a miss in terms of rising above mediocrity.

American Airlines 777-200 Business Class dinner — Dinner on American Airlines 777-200 Business Class.

I will say that the chocolates given out were absolutely amazing and the one true highlight of dinner.

And now, let’s fast forward to breakfast.

Surely breakfast would deliver at a higher level?

Unfortunately, that was not the case. I was given one of the slimiest pieces of ham I’d ever seen along with basically inedible potato frittata. The fresh fruit got me through breakfast but I was once again very disappointed with the dining on American Airlines.

American Airlines 777-200 Business Class breakfast — Eating on a flight shouldn’t feel punitive.

Bedding

I eventually put the seat in lie-flat mode to get some decent rest.

Unfortunately, at this time I was just checked out so I did not get any good bed photos. It’s a pretty long bed at around 78 inches and for the most part you have a good amount of width so as to be comfortable. I did have a slight gap between the cushions in my seat which made lying flat a bit uncomfortable, though.

The other thing I don’t like about the seat is that when reclined it’s difficult to get in and out of especially when you are trying to put your shoes back on to get to the bathroom. (AA did not provide any slippers.)

Speaking of the bathroom, I really did like the bathroom on the 777-200. It was spacious, modern looking, and well-kept.

American Airlines 777-200 Business Class lavatory

I ended up maybe dozing off for a short amount of time but not nearly as long as I thought it would on this flight considering that we departed at midnight.

Before I knew it, we were on the approach to Miami and finally arriving back in the US.

I hate to say it but this was probably one of the most disappointing long-haul flights I’ve done.

Part of it was this was my first time flying with American Airlines on the long-haul and I had worked up these expectations that were probably too high. I imagined them at the very least blowing LATAM out of the water which definitely did not happen.

In fact, I would say that based on this trip the soft product of LATAM was clearly better than American Airlines. The service was certainly more memorable and I even enjoyed the food better. That’s something that I did not expect before going on this trip and to be honest it was kind of a bummer.

Again, I’m very thankful for the JetBlue Mint flight we would go on just a day after this flight because I felt like I was losing some of my love for long-haul flying.

I had done so little long-haul flying since the pandemic and I was starting to wonder if things were just that much different in a post covid world.

Turns out, no, flying can still be an awesome experience but the soft product really does matter. A lot.

As we arrived back at MIA, Global Entry was a breeze and we didn’t have any issues getting back into the country. Felt good to be back.

Final word

Overall, this flight fell well short of my expectations.

For the most part, I’m a fan of the 777-200 hard product having basically flown it before and found it pretty comfortable and private. So from a comfort standpoint, it was a pretty worthwhile experience.

But the soft product on this flight was severely lacking. I didn’t care for 80% of the food and the service was bottom-tier, minimal effort, etc.

I really wanted to enjoy this flight and have good things to say but it seemed like American Airlines just didn’t put forth any effort into making the flight memorable. So unfortunately for me, my first long-haul flight with American Airlines was overall a big dud.

Daniel Gillaspia

Arizona Biltmore Waldorf Astoria Resort Review

The Arizona Biltmore is a Hilton Waldorf Astoria Resort property located in Phoenix, Arizona that delivers on many levels.

The hotel has a lot to offer in terms of its history, dining, and amenities, and it can be a perfect getaway for both couples and families.

Below, I’ll take a thorough look at this property and I’ll share with you everything you need to know before you arrive.

Arizona Biltmore Overview

Coming off a mega $70 million renovation in 2021, the Arizona Biltmore is chock-full of history and home to quality dining and luxurious and fun amenities.

Its architectural roots stem from the 1920s when it was designed by Albert Chase McArthur who received guidance from his mentor Frank Lloyd Wright, arguably the most famous American architect of all time.

Since then, it’s been a magnet for notable guests.

Every US president has stayed at the Arizona Biltmore since Hoover such as LBJ and JFK and it’s also where Ronald Reagen and Nancy Reagan honeymooned after their wedding. (Their favorite cottage was “Cottage I.”)

Arizona Biltmore picture collage of presidents

Hollywood celebrities like Marilyn Monroe have relaxed by the pool and actors like Clark Gable navigated secret passageways from hidden speakeasies during Prohibition.

It was at one of the bars at the hotel where the Tequila Sunrise was born and still to this day you can enjoy quality upscale drinks and dining in a setting that takes you back to Hollywood’s golden age.

Here, thrill seekers can get their fix on a 65 foot drop water slide and pool lovers can hang out by the water 24 hours a day. With unique spa features and top-notch fitness facilities, it’s truly an all-around notable resort.

Tip: Use the free app WalletFlo to help you travel the world for free by finding the best travel credit cards and promotions!

Location

The resort is located in the Biltmore Area which is an upscale area in north Phoenix, roughly between Glendale and Scottsdale. It’s about 15 minutes from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX).

While the resort offers some good dining options, nearby you can find upscale restaurants like Wrigley Mansion & Geordie’s. Just down the road on E. Camelback Rd. you can also check out Zinburger, Hillstone Restaurant, and Keegan’s Grill.

If you’re looking for outdoor activities there’s plenty to do in the nearby vicinity.

The Arizona Canal Path runs directly in front of the property so if you are a runner you have an awesome trail near the front door of the property.

Arizona Biltmore path along canal — The trail that runs along the canal.

The hotel is also just minutes away from Piestewa Peak, which is a short but strenuous hike that’s popular with Phoenix hikers. The exact specs are 2.1 miles out and back with elevation gain of 1,148 feet. At night, you might be able to see hiker headlamps making their way up and down the mountain.

Arizona Biltmore grounds with mountain — Piestewa Peak looming in the distance.

Booking

We booked our first night through the Amex FHR program which was a great choice because there was a special promotional deal offering an additional $250 in property credits.

Utilizing the $200 FHR credit on the Platinum Card, this meant the out-of-pocket was only around $130 for night #1 and we were able to take advantage of the following dining credits:

$60 FHR breakfast credit
$50 Diamond food and beverage credit
$100 FHR Property food and beverage credit
$250 FHR Promotional Property credit
Two Diamond free drink coupons up to $25 in value each

All of that was just for the first night so we had approximately $500 to spend in food and beverage credits in 24 hours.

For the second night, we used one of our free night certificate issued from the Hilton Aspire. Our upgraded room total ended up coming out to around $488 with all taxes and fees so that was pretty good value for the free night certificate.

If you have the $250 resort credit with the Amex Hilton Aspire, you can use that to cover any overages including the resort fee.

Parking and Check-in

Arriving at the hotel via car is a little bit confusing because of the one-way traffic that runs through the entryway of the property.

Depending on how you arrive, you may have to cross the canal and then cross back over to pull up in front of the property. They have signs posted to help you out but it can confuse you/your GPS.

You can choose to use valet parking or utilize the self parking garage which is a little bit cheaper. We decided to use the self parking since we had plans to be out and about during the day.

Also, I believe the valet cars are left parked outside which I didn’t really care for considering how hot it was.

The drawback to the self parking option is that the garage is located on the far side of the property.

It’s not that bad of a walk but during the peak of summer the walk gets a little old.

To cut down on the temperature exposure, we would walk through the conference center and ballroom areas which allowed us to take advantage of AC a little bit longer (more on those buildings later on).

The check-in process was a little bit rocky.

I’ve found that combining a paid reservation with a free night is sometimes problematic and that turned out to be the case here.

Initially, our room was ready when we arrived but when we needed to combine reservations that meant we did not have a room immediately available for us for both nights. (We had previously called and linked the reservations hoping to avoid this outcome.)

We were okay to wait but that wait ended up lasting until around 5 PM which is one hour after check-in.

Eventually, I spoke with someone who was able to switch us to a different room but it’s been extremely rare to be delayed one-hour past check-in time in my hotel experiences, especially in off-peak season.

On the bright side, the lobby area is interesting to check out and you can easily get to any of the bars or restaurants if you need to wait.

I also really liked the hotel’s luxury scent with notes of bergamot, jasmine, and vanilla which you can buy if you really are into it.

I’ll also point out that the service was top-notch throughout this stay so this hiccup was not the norm.

The front desk staff was exceptional, the waiting staff at the bars and restaurants were usually very good, and we were always greeted with a smile by other staff members.

After check-in, I was excited that they upgraded both nights of our stay although the upgrade was not that special if I’m being real.

We were upgraded to a Valley Wing room with a fire pit but the fire pit is not exactly the most attractive amenity when the temperature is already above 113°.

I honestly would’ve preferred to stay in a normal balcony and perhaps have a little bit of a view.

Anyway, when you are ready to go to your room, you can head through the ramp with the guest room sign pictured below so that you can wheel your bags into the courtyard.

Room

Because we were traveling with my brother-in-law, we decided to book a room with two queens. Overall, it was a pretty standard room but I did not have any real complaints other than it being a little bit warm for my liking.

As soon as you enter, you’ll notice the counter with the coffee maker, mugs, and glasses. They provide you with two short water bottles which is not nearly enough if visiting in the summer.

In fact, if you’re visiting during the peak of summer when temperatures get extreme, I would advise you to purchase a 24 pack of water bottles and load up your mini-fridge as soon as you get there. Then, be sure to crank the cool setting up somewhere around five or six to ensure that you have cold water to cool you down.

Arizona Biltmore guest room ice bucket and water

Arizona Biltmore guest room refrigerator

As for the room furniture, there’s a seat in the corner with a small side table.

I loved the look of the large TV set into the wall. Very modern and clean.

The beds were comfortable with bedding that was of luxury hotel quality.

The branded Waldorf Astoria duvet covers were a nice touch, although we were sleeping with sheets due to the warm temperature of the room.

The nightstand between the beds had two outlets and one USB port within easy reach (for one side of the bed).

Arizona Biltmore guest room power outlet and USB

There’s a large lamp on the nightstand with a small switch at the bottom that can be easily missed so look out for that. Then on either side of the lamp you’ll have the phone and the alarm clock.

Arizona Biltmore guest room telephone and TV remote

The room features a beautiful workstation that can also function as your in-room dining table. I loved the look and feel of the table along with the desk lamp. It also has two power outlets and a USB port for easy charging.

The only thing I didn’t care for is that it was really easy to knock my shin into the desk when trying to get comfortable. This led to a couple of random outbursts during Zoom calls for me that I could’ve done without.

Arizona Biltmore guest room desk work area

You’ll also find a phone and a small stationary notepad with a pen.

In the closet, you’ll find a hotel safe and two robes along with additional bedding.

Arizona Biltmore guest room closet with safe

You’ll also have an iron and iron board.

Arizona Biltmore guest room ironing board

The bathroom is somewhat basic but pretty spacious and modern enough.

I really liked having the double sinks and plenty of counter space.

The shower, which reflected an obvious influence from the hotel’s cubism theme, was very spacious and came with quality body wash and conditioner from Salvatore Ferragamo. Meanwhile, the shampoo came from Gilchrist & Soames.

On the bathroom counter, you could find both body moisturizer and hand sanitizer. Q-tips and cotton balls along with a shower cap can be found in the small canister.

The outdoor patio is semi-private with two chairs, a small table, and the main feature of the fire pit.

I think I would have enjoyed turning on the fire pit on one of those cool desert evenings but with the heat radiating from all of the concrete throughout the night, there was little to no appeal of firing up that fire pit.

Arizona Biltmore guest room balcony with fire pit

The views from the ground level are pretty limited.

Arizona Biltmore guest room balcony with view of courtyard

Arizona Biltmore guest room view of courtyard

Here’s what the patio looked like looking back towards the room. You’ll notice that one of the seats was missing an ottoman and I wasn’t sure if that was intentional or not.

So overall the room was nice but did not really stand out in any major way. I was hoping that with a combination of being Hilton Diamond and booking through FHR, I could’ve secured a better upgrade but oh well….

With that said, the other elements of the hotel stay stood out enough to still make this a special stay so I don’t think coming here is all about the room — it’s more about the overall property experience.

Dining

I’d recommend you check out my detailed review of all of the dining options (with recommendations) but I’ll give you a brief overview of our dining experience below.

I was a huge fan of the breakfast at McArthur’s and especially the lemon cream cheese pancakes. They also served up a tasty chicken sandwich that had a nice kick and fish tacos that were bursting with flavor.

Breakfast at Arizona Biltmore McArthurs restaurant and bar

At Renata’s, the Chilean sea bass and New York steak were very good. Pretty much cooked to perfection. Just make sure you make reservations to these restaurants if visiting during busy times.

Housemade Salsa Flight at Arizona Biltmore Renatas Hearth

Roasted Chilean Seabass at Arizona Biltmore Renatas Hearth

Prime New York Strip at Arizona Biltmore Renatas Hearth

If you’re in the mood for drink presentation that has a bit of flair consider ordering the Los Muertos.

Los Muertos cocktail at Arizona Biltmore Renatas Hearth — Click to be amazed.

For the bar experience you’ll be hitting up either The Wright Bar or The Spire Bar.

The Wright Bar is a small yet beautiful bar that will take you back to Hollywood’s golden age.

You might want to give the Tequila Sunrise a shot since it was invented at that bar in the late 1930s by bartender Gene Sulit and is considered the hotel’s signature cocktail.

If seating is cramped by the bar just find a nice place to relax in the lounge area adjacent to the bar.

Drinks and menu at Arizona Biltmore The Wright Bar — The original Tequila Sunrise.

The Spire Bar is a cool outdoor area with mood lighting, cozy fire pits, and large TVs, perfect for watching a game. It sort of feels like the nucleus of the resort and is definitely worth a night visit even if you don’t drink alcohol.

Arizona Biltmore Spire Bar mood lighting

Margarita pizza at Arizona Biltmore Spire Bar

You also have the option of booking a room with access to the Citrus Club or simply upgrading to get access.

Because we were on a two night stay I knew we would not have enough time to take advantage of that club while also eating at all the various restaurants so we did not bother with it.

It does look like an interesting way to enhance your stay though.

Pools

The Arizona Biltmore is home to a total of six pools which include:

The Paradise Pool (with The Twist slide)
Saguaro Pool (Adult’s only)
Catalina Pool
Ocatilla Pool
Bougainvillea Pool
Terrace Court Pool

I’d recommend checking out my detailed review of the pools but I’ll give you a brief overview below.

The Paradise Pool is what I would consider to be the main pool of the resort. It’s the biggest and most family friendly pool and it’s home to air conditioned cabanas for rent, a swim-up bar, restaurant, and The Twist slide which is a lot of fun.

The Twist slide is basically a tower with three different slides.

Arizona Biltmore Paradise Pool with The Twist slide

Two of the slides are meant to be racing corkscrew slides where two people can perfectly time their entry into the slide for a twisting race to the bottom.

The third slide is the 65 foot drop slide which was a bit more intense than I imagined it would be but a fun little thrill to enjoy. If you and your family like water parks and slides you’ll really like this pool.

Then there is the adults only Saguaro Pool which has more of a luxury vibe.

Like the Paradise Pool, it is open 24 hours and it’s a place where you can buy food and drinks when lounging around the pool. Cabanas are also available for rent.

The hotel also has four additional pools which all are located among the different villas. These pools are on the smaller side and can offer a quieter experience if you are dealing with crowds.

Out of all of the secondary pools for you to check out, I’d recommend the Catalina Pool. It’s where Marilyn Monroe was often seen sunbathing and is supposedly where Irving Berlin wrote the famous “White Christmas” song.

Pretty cool to have so much history attached to one of the smaller, less visited pools.

The resort premises

Some resorts are just made for wandering around and exploring and this is definitely one of them.

As you stroll through the property you’ll come across well-kept gardens like those found in the garden wing.

You’ll no doubt notice the Frank Lloyd Wright “Sprite” figurines which were made in 1914 and originally placed in the Midway Gardens in Chicago.

After World War II, the statues were all but abandoned and eventually they were restored and were introduced to the Arizona Biltmore Hotel gardens in 1985. Some of the originals were given to the property but I think others are reproductions.

You can also find beautiful courtyards located among the villas along with stylish cottages, and as mentioned above, secluded pool areas.

I really liked exploring the almost Hogwarts-esque corridors of the conference center (where you can find a FedEx station). Some of the ballrooms look really good too.

Arizona Biltmore conference center lobby

At many places in the resort you’ll notice the “Biltmore blocks” which are the blocks with the interesting geometric patterns that resemble Optimus Prime’s face. These were made on-site from sand found in the desert which makes them all the more intriguing.

Be sure to pop a quick visit to the Aztec Room which was the original ballroom of the Biltmore. Its 18-karat gold-leaf ceiling and 1929 copper beams were the product of Frank Lloyd Wright.

The Gold Room, home to the second largest gold gilded ceiling in the world, is also a sight to see.

(Obviously, you want to make sure these rooms are not being occupied when you pop in for a view.)

And take a moment to admire Wright’s stained glass window entitled “Saguaro Forms and Cactus Flowers” that was designed for a magazine cover for Liberty Magazine in 1926. The piece was later fabricated by Taliesin students and then added to the hotel in 1973.

If you’re in the mood for tracking down some interesting history consider looking for the History Room on the third floor.

It’s in this room above the fireplace where you can find a key that was dropped on the hotel’s roof at the time of opening on February 23, 1929.

If that’s not enough for you, check out the Mystery room.

Located on the second floor it was in this room where, during the days of Prohibition, a speakeasy could be found behind a revolving bookcase. Only the guests that knew the secret password were allowed in.

They even placed a spotlight on top of the hotel to alert the guests if police were coming in. If that happened, the guest could utilize secret passageways to get out of the room undiscovered.

It’s said that actors Clark Gable and Carole Lombard would stay in room 1201 (the Clark Gable room) which was right next door to the Mystery Room and connected by a secret passageway.

The entire resort premises is a pretty large campus and if you are trying to make sense of the different wings and villas you can break them down to the following.

The different wings where you will find guestrooms include:

The main building
Garden wing
Paradise wing
Valley wing
Ocatilla wing
Terrace Court

The different villas include:

Fountain Court villas
Catalina villas
Saguaro villas
Bougainvillea Villas
Golf view villas

And finally, there are the cottages located on the northwest side of the property. There are in total 11 cottages and they are named by letters A through L.

Fitness facilities

The hotel has a fantastic fitness center with lots of equipment and room.

Arizona Biltmore fitness center weight machines

There’s a very wide range of dumbbells and a few benches for you to get different workouts done. They also have a good rack of curling bars with both straight and curved bars.

Arizona Biltmore fitness center free weights

They have an entire row of treadmills and also a stairmaster, climber, recumbent bikes, and ellipticals. You’ll also find a lot of the basic machines you would find at your local gym.

Arizona Biltmore fitness center treadmills

I was pretty impressed with their large station that was equipped with punching bag, monkey bars, and other types of workout stations.

Arizona Biltmore fitness center equipment

They also had a few Peloton bikes and various other forms of equipment.

Arizona Biltmore fitness center Peloton bike

If you are into tennis or pickleball they have courts located on the east side of the property.

Arizona Biltmore tennis or pickleball court

Tierra Luna Spa

The Tierra Luna Spa experience is “inspired by the connection between the desert and the cosmos.” At the spa you can find an outdoor hot tub, plunge pool, steam room, and both outdoor and indoor treatments.

This is also where you can find the new outdoor Sol Garden where “the earth and sun connect” allowing you to experience tranquility and transcendence.

You can check out the spa menu here but be prepared to cough up some cash for these treatments.

Shopping

There is a gift shop located on the west side of the Spire Bar area.

They have all sorts of different types of items and souvenirs including many that are themed with the hotel, such as Sprite statues, Biltmore block keychains, and even chessboards.

At the gift shop you can also pick up snacks if you happen to have a craving for anything.

On the other side is the Biltmore Shops. Here you can buy some higher-end, designer clothing and any apparel you would need on a warm day by the pool.

Final word

The Arizona Biltmore Waldorf Astoria is an impressive resort.

Even though I was not blown away by my room or my upgrade, I thought that the property had a lot to offer in terms of the history, dining, pools, and overall mystique of the hotel.

It can cater to both romantic getaways and also family resort trips making it a good fit for travelers of all walks of life. Visiting here during peak summer temperatures did have its challenges but it’s still doable.

If you can utilize benefits from your American Express cards, you can really make out like a bandit with value.

Daniel Gillaspia

United Economy Plus Review: Worth It in a Game of Inches?

Sitting in economy is truly a matter of inches.

With every precious inch adding up to help you achieve a minimum level of comfort, you’ll probably consider bumping up to United Economy Plus if you ever fly United.

But is it actually worth it to pay extra for just a few more inches to stretch out your legs?

In this article, we will break down all of the benefits offered with a United Economy Plus ticket.

Plus, we surveyed over 300 data points to break down the costs and provide you with some insight such as what type of Economy Plus seats are the cheapest.

What is United Economy Plus?

United Economy Plus is the slightly upgraded version of Economy that provides passengers with about 3 to 4 extra inches of extra legroom.

United does things a little bit differently than other airlines when it comes to their upgraded Economy seats and not necessarily in a good way.

So you definitely want to read up on some of the details below so that you’ll know what to expect.

Tip: Use the free app WalletFlo to help you travel the world for free by finding the best travel credit cards and promotions!

How do you book United Economy Plus?

It’s extremely easy to book United Economy Plus.

Simply select Economy as your fare and then progress through the booking process until you can select a seat.

You will then see the seat map and if there are any Economy Plus seats available you can select them while also viewing the price.

If you decide after booking that you want to upgrade to Economy Plus then you can manage your booking and change your seat. You can also do this at the time of check-in.

Note: customers traveling on a Basic Economy ticket are able to purchase an Economy Plus seat only at check-in.

Some airlines allow you to upgrade once you are in the cabin but it’s not clear to me that United allows this.

United also offers annual subscriptions to Economy Plus. They start at $599 and you can purchase them for yourself or for you plus up to eight companions.

The price will depend on if you want to choose a subscription for just the continental US, North and Central America, or a global one.

It’s an interesting concept that could make sense depending on your travel plans but if you plan on quickly reaching Premier Silver then it probably won’t be worth it.

United Economy Plus upgrades

One of the most common ways that frequent United flyers get seats in United Economy Plus is by getting upgraded via status.

Each level of MileagePlus elite status will grant you a way to get free upgrades to United Economy Plus. Here are the different policies:

Premier level	Economy Plus Policy
Premier Silver	At check-in for you + 1 companion
Premier Gold	At booking for you + 1 companion
Premier Platinum	At booking for you + 8 companions
Premier 1K	At booking for you + 8 companions

If you are trying to upgrade somebody who is not on your itinerary it is possible but be prepared for a little bit of pushback.

That’s because apparently the official policy for this is a little bit vague.

The best way to do this is to call United whenever you are ready to check in and tell the agent you would like to upgrade yourself and someone else flying on your flight to Economy Plus.

If the agent does not seem like they will be willing to do it, simply hang up and call back to speak with someone else.

You can also do this whenever you arrive at the airport but in my experience it can be more difficult.

Economy Plus experience: Worth it?

Let’s walk through some of the key aspects of the Economy Plus experience that you are probably curious about.

Seats at the front of the cabin

The first benefit of flying in Economy Plus is that your seat will be in the front half of the economy cabin.

Typically, it’s the first few rows behind First Class in addition to the emergency exit rows. You can usually tell if you’re looking at an Economy Plus seat because the headrest is a different color.

Some of them are also branded with subtle Economy Plus insignia.

On a domestic aircraft like a Boeing 737-700, you’ll find a mini Economy Plus section made up of the first three rows behind business class in addition to the emergency exit rows.

But on some of the larger aircraft such as the wide bodies the Economy Plus section can be much bigger. For example, the Boeing 767-400ER has ten rows of Economy Plus!

On newer aircraft equipped with Polaris Business Class seats, the Economy Plus section is only about six rows and you’ll find it behind Premium Economy.

And on smaller regional aircraft, you may only have 3 to 4 rows or they may not offer Economy Plus at all.

Extra legroom

The biggest perk of flying Economy Plus is that you will get extra legroom, usually around 3 to 4 inches although some seats will provide even more extra space.

The normal pitch for United Economy seats is about 30 to 31 inches but you can take a look at the chart below and see that Economy Plus seats offer at least 34 inches of pitch.

An extra 3 to 4 inches doesn’t sound like much but if you are over 6 feet tall, you know that those extra inches can add a good amount of comfort, especially if the passenger in front of you decides to recline the chair.

Personally, I like to sit in the bulkhead row directly behind business class when there is no hard partition because you get a lot of extra legroom.

Aircraft	E+ Pitch	Width
Airbus A319	35″	17.7″
Airbus A320	35″	17″
Boeing 737-700 V1	34″ – 38″	17.1″
Boeing 737-800 V1	34″	16.3″ – 17.3″
Boeing 737-900 V3	33″ – 38″	17″
Boeing 757-200 V2	36″ – 40″	17.8″
Boeing 757-300	34″ – 38″	17.3″
Boeing 767-300ER V1	34″ – 43″	18.5″
Boeing 767-400ER	35″	18.5″
Boeing 777-200 V1	34″	17.05″
Boeing 777-300ER	34″	17.05″
Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner	34″	17.3″
Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner V1	34″	17.3″
Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner	34″	17.3″

United Economy Plus legroom — Legroom in a standard Economy Plus seat.

Boarding

Unlike other airlines like Alaska or Delta that provide you with priority boarding whenever you upgrade to an equivalent Economy Plus seat, United does not currently provide that.

Instead, you will not board until Group 3/4 is called. So you’re not at the end but still not priority.

If you want priority boarding you will have to add that on.

That’s a big deal because priority boarding virtually guarantees that you will have overhead storage bin space.

The good news is that they at least have bin spaces reserved for United Economy Plus.

Whether or not other passengers actually pay them any mind is another matter…. But if you board with Group Three you shouldn’t struggle to find open space.

United Economy Plus overhead storage bin — Overhead storage space reserved for united economy plus.

Priority boarding will still be available to you if you are willing to shell out a little extra dough.

You can purchase certain add-on bundles during your booking that might have priority boarding although a lot of the bundles I’ve seen in past only allow you to add things like United Club access, extra miles, Wi-Fi, or a checked bag.

So if you want priority boarding you may have to purchase Premier Access which starts at $15 per segment.

That will put you in Group 2 boarding, which is for the lower-elite members and also for certain customers who have co-branded cards.

Drinks and meals

Economy Plus passengers will have the same drinking and food experience as those flying regular economy.

You’ll get complimentary drinks like soda and some light snacks but you will need to pay for anything else. On flights traveling less than 300 miles, drinks are available upon request

Flights over 500 miles will also have products like snack boxes and flights 1,500 miles and over have Bistro on Board items available for purchase. Read more on economy dining.

Seatback TVs

Flying Economy Plus will have no effect on if you have a seatback TV.

Instead, it’s just a matter of whether or not you get lucky enough to fly on a United plane with a seatback TV.

The good news is that United is trending towards adding more screens to their seats so it should become more common in the future.

Because you may not have a seatback TV, you might need to rely on your own personal device to connect to the in-flight entertainment and stream movies and TV shows during your flight.

But that also means also relying on power outlets to keep them juiced up.

A lot of times you can find shared power outlets in both Economy Plus and Economy. But on some aircraft, the outlets may be limited to Economy Plus.

USB ports can be difficult to find on domestic planes with United but they are on lots of the wide bodies.

Lavatory situation

One of the drawbacks of Economy Plus is that you may be located in the front of the Economy cabin but the lavatories are located in the very back.

Sometimes the crew will allow you to use the First Class lavatory but technically that should only be reserved for limited cases, such as when the beverage cart is blocking your way to the back.

Some aircraft do have lavatories in the front of the economy cabin which can work out great so it does depend on the aircraft.

How much does United Economy Plus cost?

The big question for a lot of people is: how much will it cost to upgrade to Economy Plus?

The prices range based on the length of your route and also where inside the cabin you choose to sit.

We’ve broken down a lot of data points below to show you a bunch of insightful price data.

First, we found that the average Economy Plus upgrade price was $111 for a domestic flight. That was on average 72% more expensive than a standard economy ticket.

But that was the average factoring in both short, medium, and long-haul domestic routes.

It’s more helpful if you break down the pricing based on routes and distance:

Distance	Example Route	Upgrade Price
224 mi	Houston (IAH) to Dallas (DFW)	$26 to $35
606 mi	Chicago (ORD) to Atlanta (ATL)	$59 to $79
1,597 mi	Houston (IAH) to Boston (BOS)	$99 to $129
2,704 mi	San Francisco (SFO) to Boston (BOS)	$154 to $199

We also found that the window and aisle seats were more expensive than the middle seats (shocker, I know). Typically, the window and aisle seats cost the same amount to upgrade to while the dreaded middle seats were about $5 cheaper.

The prices for Economy Plus in the emergency exit rows were extremely similar to those upfront although in a few cases they were just slightly cheaper.

When you are traveling abroad, the price to upgrade can be much higher.

In case you’re curious about international prices for Economy Plus, here are some data points:

Distance	Example Route	Upgrade Price
2,200 mi	New York (EWR) to Panama City (PTY)	$134 – $179
3,465 mi	New York (EWR) to London (LHR)	$169 – $197
5,451 mi	Los Angeles (LAX) to Tokyo (NRT)	$205 – $262
7,921 mi	Los Angeles (LAX) to Melbourne (MEL)	$205 – $262
3,133 mi	Houston (IAH) to Lima (LIM)	$154 – $199
1,280 mi	Houston (IAH) to Toronto (YYZ)	$89 – $99

If you want to take a look at some of the sample pricing that we found, check out the data points below.

New York – Newark (EWR) to Seattle (SEA)

Economy: $169
Economy Plus Window: +$169 – $197
Economy Plus Middle: +$162 – $189
Economy Plus Aisle: +$169 – $197
Economy Plus Emergency Row Window: +$162 – $199
Economy Plus Emergency Row Middle: +$154 – $192
Economy Plus Emergency Row Isle: +$162 – $199

New York – Newark (EWR) to Tampa (TPA)

Economy: $163
Economy Plus Window: +$79 – $99
Economy Plus Middle: +$75 – $84
Economy Plus Aisle: +$79 – $99
Economy Plus Emergency Row Window: +$84 – $99
Economy Plus Emergency Row Middle: +$79 – $99
Economy Plus Emergency Row Isle: +$84 – $99

New York – Newark (EWR) to Phoenix (PHX)

Economy: $222
Economy Plus Window: +$134 – $169
Economy Plus Middle: +$127 – $164
Economy Plus Aisle: +$134 – $169
Economy Plus Emergency Row Window: +$142 – $174
Economy Plus Emergency Row Middle: +$134 – $167
Economy Plus Emergency Row Isle: +$142 – $174

New York – Newark (EWR) to Dallas (DFW)

Economy: $99
Economy Plus Window: +$79 – $106
Economy Plus Middle: +$75 – $99
Economy Plus Aisle: +$79 – $106
Economy Plus Emergency Row Window: +$99
Economy Plus Emergency Row Middle: +$99
Economy Plus Emergency Row Isle: +$99

New York – Newark (EWR) to Las Vegas (LAS)

Economy: $168
Economy Plus Window: +$169 – $189
Economy Plus Middle: +$154 – $189
Economy Plus Aisle: +$169 – $189
Economy Plus Emergency Row Window: +$189
Economy Plus Emergency Row Middle: +$189
Economy Plus Emergency Row Isle: +$189

San Francisco (SFO) to San Diego (SAN)

Economy: $93
Economy Plus Window: +$45 – $52
Economy Plus Middle: +$43 – $49
Economy Plus Aisle: +$45 – $52
Economy Plus Emergency Row Window: +$43 – $53
Economy Plus Emergency Row Middle: +$39 – $49
Economy Plus Emergency Row Isle: +$43 – $53

San Francisco (SFO) to New Orleans (MSY)

Economy: $264
Economy Plus Window: +$122 – $139
Economy Plus Middle: +$116 – $134
Economy Plus Aisle: +$122 – $139
Economy Plus Emergency Row Window: +$116 – $143
Economy Plus Emergency Row Middle: +$109 – $137
Economy Plus Emergency Row Isle: +$116 – $143

San Francisco (SFO) to Orlando (MCO)

Economy: $199
Economy Plus Window: +$169 – $197
Economy Plus Middle: +$162 – $189
Economy Plus Aisle: +$169 – $197
Economy Plus Emergency Row Window: +$162 – $199
Economy Plus Emergency Row Middle: +$154 – $192
Economy Plus Emergency Row Isle: +$162 – $199

San Francisco (SFO) to Boston (BOS)

Economy: $199
Economy Plus Window: +$169 – $197
Economy Plus Middle: +$162 – $189
Economy Plus Aisle: +$169 – $197
Economy Plus Emergency Row Window: +$162 – $199
Economy Plus Emergency Row Middle: +$154 – $192
Economy Plus Emergency Row Isle: +$162 – $199

San Francisco (SFO) to Atlanta (ATL)

Economy: $149
Economy Plus Window: +$149 – $179
Economy Plus Middle: +$142 – $169
Economy Plus Aisle: +$149 – $179
Economy Plus Emergency Row Window: +$142 – $174
Economy Plus Emergency Row Middle: +$134 – $167
Economy Plus Emergency Row Isle: +$142 – $174

Los Angeles (LAX) to Boston (BOS)

Economy: $265
Economy Plus Window: +$169 – $197
Economy Plus Middle: +$162 – $189
Economy Plus Aisle: +$169 – $197
Economy Plus Emergency Row Window: +$162 – $199
Economy Plus Emergency Row Middle: +$154 – $192
Economy Plus Emergency Row Isle: +$162 – $199

Los Angeles (LAX) to Tampa (TPA)

Economy: $180
Economy Plus Window: +$149 – $169
Economy Plus Middle: +$142 – $164
Economy Plus Aisle: +$149 – $169
Economy Plus Emergency Row Window: +$142 – $174
Economy Plus Emergency Row Middle: +$134 – $167
Economy Plus Emergency Row Isle: +$142 – $174

Los Angeles (LAX) to San Francisco (SFO)

Economy: $74
Economy Plus Window: +$45 – $52
Economy Plus Middle: +$43 – $49
Economy Plus Aisle: +$45 – $52
Economy Plus Emergency Row Window: +$43 – $53
Economy Plus Emergency Row Middle: +$39 – $49
Economy Plus Emergency Row Isle: +$43 – $53

Los Angeles (LAX) to Denver (DEN)

Economy: $99
Economy Plus Window: +$79 – $96
Economy Plus Middle: +$76 – $89
Economy Plus Aisle: +$79 – $96
Economy Plus Emergency Row Window: +$76 – $94
Economy Plus Emergency Row Middle: +$72 – $89
Economy Plus Emergency Row Isle: +$76 – $94

Los Angeles (LAX) to Seattle (SEA)

Economy: $149
Economy Plus Window: +$79 – $92
Economy Plus Middle: +$76 – $89
Economy Plus Aisle: +$79 – $92
Economy Plus Emergency Row Window: +$76 – $94
Economy Plus Emergency Row Middle: +$72 – $89
Economy Plus Emergency Row Isle: +$76 – $94

Chicago – O’Hare (ORD) to Fort Lauderdale (FLL)

Economy: $269
Economy Plus Window: +$89 – $99
Economy Plus Middle: +$84 – $97
Economy Plus Aisle: +$89 – $99
Economy Plus Emergency Row Window: +$84 – $99
Economy Plus Emergency Row Middle: +$79 – $99
Economy Plus Emergency Row Isle: +$84 – $99

Chicago – O’Hare (ORD) to Boston (BOS)

Economy: $93
Economy Plus Window: +$79 – $96
Economy Plus Middle: +$76 – $89
Economy Plus Aisle: +$79 – $96
Economy Plus Emergency Row Window: +$76 – $94
Economy Plus Emergency Row Middle: +$72 – $89
Economy Plus Emergency Row Isle: +$76 – $94

Chicago – O’Hare (ORD) to Dallas (DFW)

Economy: $99
Economy Plus Window: +$66 – $76
Economy Plus Middle: +$63 – $73
Economy Plus Aisle: +$66 – $76
Economy Plus Emergency Row Window: +$63 – $77
Economy Plus Emergency Row Middle: +$59 – $74
Economy Plus Emergency Row Isle: +$63 – $77

Chicago – O’Hare (ORD) to Atlanta (ATL)

Economy: $99
Economy Plus Window: +$66 – $79
Economy Plus Middle: +$63 – $76
Economy Plus Aisle: +$66 – $79
Economy Plus Emergency Row Window: +$63 – $77
Economy Plus Emergency Row Middle: +$59 – $74
Economy Plus Emergency Row Isle: +$63 – $77

Chicago – O’Hare (ORD) to Phoenix (PHX)

Economy: $174
Economy Plus Window: +$109 – $125
Economy Plus Middle: +$104 – $119
Economy Plus Aisle: +$109 – $125
Economy Plus Emergency Row Window: +$104 – $129
Economy Plus Emergency Row Middle: +$99 – $122
Economy Plus Emergency Row Isle: +$104 – $129

Houston (IAH) to Dallas (DFW)

Economy: $150
Economy Plus Window: +$27 – $35
Economy Plus Middle: +$26 – $33
Economy Plus Aisle: +$27 – $35
Economy Plus Emergency Row Window: +$29 – $35
Economy Plus Emergency Row Middle: +$27 – $34
Economy Plus Emergency Row Isle: +$29 – $35

Houston (IAH) to Boston (BOS)

Economy: $164
Economy Plus Window: +$109 – $129
Economy Plus Middle: +$104 – $123
Economy Plus Aisle: +$109 – $129
Economy Plus Emergency Row Window: +$104 – $129
Economy Plus Emergency Row Middle: +$99 – $122
Economy Plus Emergency Row Isle: +$104 – $129

Houston (IAH) to Las Vegas (LAS)

Economy: $129
Economy Plus Window: +$89 – $106
Economy Plus Middle: +$84 – $97
Economy Plus Aisle: +$89 – $106
Economy Plus Emergency Row Window: +$84 – $99
Economy Plus Emergency Row Middle: +$79 – $99
Economy Plus Emergency Row Isle: +$84 – $99

Houston (IAH) to Fort Lauderdale (FLL)

Economy: $109
Economy Plus Window: +$79 – $96
Economy Plus Middle: +$76 – $92
Economy Plus Aisle: +$79 – $96
Economy Plus Emergency Row Window: +$76 – $94
Economy Plus Emergency Row Middle: +$72 – $89
Economy Plus Emergency Row Isle: +$76 – $94

Houston (IAH) to Seattle (SEA)

Economy: $169
Economy Plus Window: +$122 – $139
Economy Plus Middle: +$116 – $134
Economy Plus Aisle: +$122 – $139
Economy Plus Emergency Row Window: +$116 – $143
Economy Plus Emergency Row Middle: +$109 – $137
Economy Plus Emergency Row Isle: +$116 – $143

Denver (DEN) to New Orleans (MSY)

Economy: $169
Economy Plus Window: +$89 – $106
Economy Plus Middle: +$84 – $99
Economy Plus Aisle: +$89 – $106
Economy Plus Emergency Row Window: +$84 – $99
Economy Plus Emergency Row Middle: +$79 – $99
Economy Plus Emergency Row Isle: +$84 – $99

Denver (DEN) to San Francisco (SFO)

Economy: $99
Economy Plus Window: +$79 – $94
Economy Plus Middle: +$72 – $89
Economy Plus Aisle: +$79 – $94
Economy Plus Emergency Row Window: +$94
Economy Plus Emergency Row Middle: N/A
Economy Plus Emergency Row Isle: +$89

Denver (DEN) to Seattle (SEA)

Economy: $94
Economy Plus Window: +$89 – $99
Economy Plus Middle: +$84 – $97
Economy Plus Aisle: +$89 – $99
Economy Plus Emergency Row Window: +$84 – $99
Economy Plus Emergency Row Middle: +$79 – $99
Economy Plus Emergency Row Isle: +$84 – $99

Denver (DEN) to Orlando (MCO)

Economy: $175
Economy Plus Window: +$109 – $129
Economy Plus Middle: +$104 – $125
Economy Plus Aisle: +$109 – $129
Economy Plus Emergency Row Window: +$104 – $129
Economy Plus Emergency Row Middle: +$99 – $122
Economy Plus Emergency Row Isle: +$104 – $129

Denver (DEN) to Boston (BOS)

Economy: $114
Economy Plus Window: +$109 – $129
Economy Plus Middle: +$104 – $125
Economy Plus Aisle: +$109 – $129
Economy Plus Emergency Row Window: +$104 – $129
Economy Plus Emergency Row Middle: +$99 – $122
Economy Plus Emergency Row Isle: +$104 – $129

Final word

United Economy Plus does not offer the full range of benefits that you will find from similar products with other major airlines. There is no free alcohol and no priority boarding. Instead, the focus is just on the legroom.

So when it comes to purchasing Economy Plus, your focus should be on how much value that extra bit of legroom affords.

Daniel Gillaspia

Alaska Airlines 737-900ER First Class Review (SEA-PHX)

Alaska Airlines can be a very efficient way to get around the West Coast and Alaska.

But what can you expect if you fly first class with them? Is there anything that stands out or is it just yet another domestic first class experience?

Below, I’ll break down my recent first class flight with Alaska Airlines on the 737-9 MAX, flying between Seattle (SEA) and Phoenix (PHX).

Update: Apparently the flight details displayed in the Alaska Airlines app showed the wrong information and this aircraft is actually a 737-900ER.

Trip overview

This flight marked the end of a 10 day trip to Alaska where we explored Glacier Bay National Park and Juneau.

Despite less than ideal weather (cloudy and rainy), it was still an exciting trip where we encountered all kinds of wildlife like brown bears and got to experience what it was like to be in Alaska during the peak salmon run.

Some of the trip highlights were:

Booking

We booked this Alaska Airlines 737-9 MAX First Class flight with cash for around $500. You can find this first class flight for around $340 so it can be a pretty cheap first class ticket.

This booking earned me a total of 1,659 Alaska miles since as a non-elite member I earn 1 mile per mile flown and got the first class bonus on top of it.

Tip: Use the free app WalletFlo to help you travel the world for free by finding the best travel credit cards and promotions!

Check-in

With this being a 6AM flight, we decided to stay at one of the nearby Sea-Tac airport hotels.

On our way getting to Alaska we stayed at the Hilton Doubletree but on the way out we decided to spend the night at the Seattle Airport Marriott Hotel, which I preferred much better especially with the access to the executive lounge.

We took the 24-hour shuttle over to the airport around 4AM and arrived at about 4:06AM. From the shuttle stop, you simply head up a level and then cross a skywalk to get over to the ticketing area.

Being so early in the morning, Sea-Tac was much quieter this go round compared to the madhouse we encountered when departing to Alaska.

Initially, we thought about utilizing our Priority Pass to grab a quick breakfast since Trail Head BBQ Bar opened up at 5AM but that would only give us about 20 minutes to get back over to the boarding area and so we decided against it.

There was pretty much nobody in line for first class check-in and only a few people in line to check in for economy when we arrived.

Alaska airlines first class check-in area SEA

Boarding

Boarding began at about 5:25AM and after a busy rush of passengers checking their carry-ons we were the first in first class to board.

It was nice to actually enjoy the first class boarding group because whenever we departed on our last Alaska first class flight from Gustavus they did not have a typical boarding process and it was pretty much first come, first serve.

That was totally understandable given the tiny airport terminal but nevertheless I was looking forward to trying out the first class boarding group.

Alaska airlines first class boarding area SEA

We made our way to our seat which was in the rear of the first class cabin.

Alaska airlines first class 737-900 MAX cabin

I actually really liked the cabin art in Alaska first class. I noticed that the designs in the rear of the first class cabin were fabric but in other first class cabins they are plastic which I thought was interesting.

I’m a big fan of airlines offering some type of departure from the bland, sterile cabins that you often see in domestic first class (although I know some Alaska first class cabins don’t offer this design).

They had a mesh partition they pulled out to divide first class and economy.

Anyway, we made it to our seat which is a standard domestic first class seat with 36 inches of pitch and 24 inches of width.

The seats offered the standard level of comfort you would expect from a domestic first class product but looked a little bit worn and definitely not as fresh as some of the other flights we had been on that had been retrofitted.

The fuselage was a bit marked up and the windows were pretty dirty as well.

The adjustable headrest would not stay for Brad and mine was not exactly robust either.

Behind the seat, they had the standard storage space.

Unlike other Alaska first class cabins I’ve seen, the 737-900 MAX did not have the little foot rests which I had mixed feelings about because I like the added support but don’t like that they interfere with the space below the seat for your personal item/carry-on.

The seats had two universal power outlets in the middle along with USB ports with easy access.

Alaska airlines first class 737-900 MAX cabin power outlets

If you want to recline you can do so with the push of a button.

To get the seat to go back I had to really push hard so I’m not sure if I just had an issue with my seat or if that’s how the seats tend to be.

Alaska airlines first class 737-900 MAX seat controls

There were no seatback TVs in the back of the first class seats as Alaska Airlines is one of the US airlines that do NOT provide seatback TVs in any aircraft.

Alaska airlines first class 737-900 MAX seat

Alaska provided the standard Boxed Water cartons at our seat which I honestly don’t care for. Something about the taste of the water out of those cartons just doesn’t feel right.

Alaska airlines first class 737-900 MAX boxed water

We ended up departing at around 6:25 AM after sitting stationary for quite some time.

I’m not sure exactly what the delay was but it seemed like there was just issue after issue with passengers coming out to the front and having to work stuff out. It even sounded like one person thought they were on the wrong flight or something.

This was my first time departing south from Seattle and I was absolutely in love with the PNW mountain views. We caught a nice view of what I believe was Mount Saint Helens along with a stunning morning view of Mount Adams. Definitely worth grabbing a window seat in this area of the country.

Dining

Something cool about the Seattle to Phoenix route is that it is 1,106 miles. This means it is just a few miles over the 1,100 mile threshold to get a true dining experience.

When it came time for dining the tray table easily came out of the armrest.

If you only want to utilize the tray table for a drink it does have the fold over option which offers a little holder for your drink.

As usual, to help with the review, Brad and I mixed up our meals so that we can try something different.

Brad went with the Signature Fruit & Cheese Plate while I went with the strata, potatoes, and ham.

Alaska airlines first class meal cheese platter

The savory strata was pretty tasty although I did not care for some of the crusty cheesy exterior on it. I really enjoyed the juicy ham and it was by far the favorite piece of the dish. And the potatoes? They were okay but a slightly mushy for me (as you might expect with airline food).

One thing I did notice about the trays that they use is that they are tackified so that your plates are not gonna go slipping away.

At first, I honestly thought it was just sticky due to being dirty. Then I felt Brad’s tray and it felt the same and we realized that that is just how the trays come out (I’m assuming for anti-slip purposes).

As far as drinks go, Brad was able to put together his own Bloody Mary and screwdriver with a little bit of help from our friend Tito.

Alaska airlines first class bloody Mary drink

Alaska airlines first class screwdriver drink

I went with my usual sparkling water (seltzer) which fittingly was the Polar brand. I really liked the little lime packs that they served with the seltzer for a nice kick of lime and I may have to pick up some of those myself!

Alaska airlines first class sparkling water drink

The seats have a small drink tray that you can pull out from the middle of the seats if you need a little bit of extra real estate for your glasses.

Alaska airlines first class sparkling water drink tray

As we started to approach Phoenix, we had quite the spectacular view of the Grand Canyon from above. It’s one of my favorite aspects of living in Arizona.

And then, before I knew it we were approaching Phoenix and our great Alaskan adventure had come to an end.

Final word

Alaska Airlines first class on the 737 delivered the standard domestic first class experience that I was expecting.

I would say that it was about one notch above the baseline experience because the food was pretty solid, the service was on point, and I liked that they did something a little different with the cabin accents.

The only drawback was that the seats/cabin felt a bit worn and the seats did not function optimally, so that brought it down a little bit.

Daniel Gillaspia

Delta First Class Review (PHX-MSP) A321-200

Flying domestic first class is convenient but not terribly exciting, especially after you have flown domestic first class quite a few times.

With that said, trying a new airline is always exciting on some level and in this case we got to try Delta First Class for the first time.

In this review, I’ll walk you through the experience flying Delta First Class (PHX-MSP) on the A321-200 and also on the 737-900. I’ll touch on some of the lounges that we visited like the Sky Club at PHX and give you a sense of what the cabins are like on the two aircraft.

Trip overview

This flight kicked off a super busy trip to the Northeast where over about 10 days we hit up basically every state and got a good taste of what the region had to offer.

Here are some of the trip highlights:

Hotels:

Booking

We’ve done a lot of first class domestic trips on United and American but had never flown first class on Delta until this trip.

After looking for some different flight options from Phoenix to Baltimore, I found that Delta was consistently offering the cheapest first class routes and so it made sense to go with them.

In fact, I’ve often seen Delta First Class as the cheapest option for a lot of routes and it has me wondering if they consistently offer cheaper first class options.

Could be a coincidence but I might need to look into that for a future article….

Tip: Use the free app WalletFlo to help you travel the world for free by finding the best travel credit cards and promotions!

Lounge at PHX

We decided to give a visit to the Delta Sky Club at Phoenix at Terminal 3.

Because we were both Platinum cardholders and flying Delta we were able to get in for free, which was really nice. Just remember that if only one person has the Platinum Card the guest does not get in for free to Delta Sky Clubs.

Overall, this was a very solid lounge experience.

I thought that the lounge was beautiful, clean, and not overcrowded. The breakfast was hearty and had some nice additional options like fresh berries. The Wi-Fi was fast and there were no issues with anything really. Just a great lounge visit.

Boarding

As a Delta First Class passenger, you get priority boarding so we were among the very first to board. The entire boarding process went very smoothly with no issues whatsoever.

The cabin

I was really surprised whenever we entered the cabin at how nice the first class cabin looked. The A321 has five rows in a 2–2 configuration for a total of 20 seats in first class.

Both United and American have pretty boring looking domestic first class cabins in my opinion with very ordinary black or charcoal gray seats.

But the seats in Delta First had a little bit of color and personality to them with red branded accents which I really liked.

We took our seat and then I was pleasantly surprised once again to see that we had a seatback TV considering that on the last few first class flights on both American and United we did not have seatback TVs. (Delta is one of the best airlines for seatback entertainment.)

Everyone seems to have an opinion on the necessity of seatback TVs but I’m in the crowd that believes airlines should be trending towards adding them rather than taking them away.

Delta First Class cabin A321-200 seatback TV

They also issued mini water bottles with Delta branding on them.

The seat back TV had a headphone jack and USB port and there were two power outlets and two USB ports in the back of the two seats in front of us.

Delta First Class cabin A321-200 power outlets

Just like any other first class domestic product, the seat offered plenty of legroom.

In fact, you’ll have 36 inches of legroom along with 21 inches of width. You can get a good amount of recline if you would like although I typically don’t recline on short flights (unless the person in front of me forces me to).

Delta First Class cabin A321-200 leg room

I enjoyed the in-flight entertainment selection, which gave a good selection of movies and series. The screens were responsive and quality which is all you can really ask for.

You can always get a heads up on what will be playing by checking out the entertainment page for Delta.

During takeoff, we had some amazing views of the desert landscape around Phoenix. I can never get enough of these takeoffs at sunrise!

The tray table comes out from the armrest and it’s pretty easy to pull out. You can fold it over to only utilize half of it to hold a drink if you’d like.

Delta First Class cabin A321-200 tray table

Or you can just pull out the whole thing to get some work done or for a meal.

Since this was during the pandemic, we still had to wear a mask and the food was provided via a snack box.

To get things started, Brad ordered a bloody Mary but I don’t think it was one of the better ones he has had in first class.

It was essentially a charcuterie board with a variety of cheeses including smoked gouda, sharp cheddar, and alpine style. We also had some olives, fig spread, and almonds. Overall, I thought it was a pretty solid “snack meal” but will be interested in trying out a hot meal from Delta in the future.

During the meal, we were treated to some amazing views of the southern Rockies. I really struggled to take my eyes off the window view.

We also got a nice glimpse of a full rainbow.

I connected to the Wi-Fi during this flight and was pretty happy with the connection speed which was 34 Mbps for downloads.

I actually had a good enough connection to participate in a Google Meet conference call although I did not talk during the call because that is annoying/rude and technically against the flying rules.

Eventually, we would touch down at MSP.

It was here that we got to visit the MSP Escape Lounge, which was yet another perk of the Amex Platinum. The service was pretty solid in there and they had some decent offerings which made it a worthwhile visit on the layover.

After the layover, it was time for our final leg to Baltimore which was also in first class but on a 737-900.

I really liked the mood lighting in the cabin.

Once again, I just thought Delta First Class was one of the sleeker domestic first class cabins, especially when compared to American and United.

I also liked being able to start the flight off with a new brand of sparkling water/club soda: Fever-Tree. Even though these are made for mixed drinks they mostly satisfy my sparkling water fix on flights.

If you don’t have headphones, you can get some issued to you.

Finally, we took off and made our way to Baltimore to kick off this crazy trip!

Final word

Domestic first class flights only get so exciting after you’ve done them a lot of times.

With that said, this was our first time flying Delta First Class so it was interesting to see how it would go.

I walked away pretty impressed by the cabin/experience and would probably say this is one of the best standard domestic first class products.

Daniel Gillaspia

EVA 777 Business Class (Royal Laurel Class) Review [2022]

EVA business class (Royal Laurel Class) is considered by many avgeeks to be one of the best business class experiences available. The product has got a little bit of everything that a good business class should have: comfort, privacy, good dining and drinks, quality service and more. But is the experience a little bit overrated or does it live up to the hype?

In this detailed review, I’ll cover a trip on the EVA 777-300 in business class from IAH to TPE.

The trip routing

This particular segment to Taipei was part of a mini round the world trip which included the following routes: IAH->TPE->BKK (layover)->FRA->IAH.

IAH->TPE: EVA 777-300 J
TPE->BKK: Thai 777-200 J
BKK->FRA: Thai A350-900 J
FRA->IAH: Lufthansa A380-800 F
~~ORD->IAH: United 737-900 F~~ (changed)

Round the world trip routing. Round the world trip routing. Image via Gcmap.com.

I booked this entire round the world trip about 48 hours before I departed, which was the polar opposite of what I’m used to doing since we usually book big trips eight to 12 months out. The last-minute nature of the booking added a level of excitement to the trip. One moment I was psyched about taking off around the globe on such short notice and the next, I was wondering if I had lost my mind.

Tip: Use the free app WalletFlo to help you travel the world for free by finding the best travel credit cards and promotions!

Flight details

Here are the details for the flight:

Route: Houston (IAH) -> Taipei (TPE)
Flight No: BR 51
Aircraft: 777-300ER
Date: June 10, 2019
Departure Time: 12:58am
Arrival Time: 5:46 am
Flight Time: 15 hours, 48 minutes

Booking EVA business class with points

EVA is known for having great availability a week or two before departure. And for this flight, I’d been monitoring the award inventory for quite some time. I found consistent awards open up about seven days prior to departure and decided that I’d jump on one of these when it suddenly occurred to me ready I was ready for this trip.

I booked EVA business class with Air Canada Aeroplan miles that I transferred from my American Express Memberships Rewards account.

From IAH to TPE, the booking required 75,000 miles which was 5,000 fewer miles than United required. Not only that but I only paid $7.50 CAD or about $5.60 in fees since I was able to avoid the United close-in fees. I found these flights for $3,292 in cash, so that’s about 4.4 cents per point for my Aeroplan miles/Membership Rewards which is nice.

As I’m able to travel full time more now for essentially unlimited durations (working remotely), the idea of paying cash for reasonably priced business class tickets to take me somewhere makes more sense and so this 4.4 cent valuation isn’t so “aspirational” as it used to be.

Heading to the airport

On our way to George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH), a stunning pink sunset stretched along the horizon. It lasted the entire drive and I took it as a sign that this was going to be a great trip. It definitely gave me some good vibes.

Check-in

Check-in for EVA opened up at 9pm (four hours prior to departure) and I was already in line at about 8:40pm, so I was the very first one to check-in.

At the time of booking online, the seat map showed no open window seats, but at check-in I promptly asked if they had any available bulkheads on the window and the agent told me “yes, we do!” I was pumped about getting a window bulkhead since those are pretty much my favorite business class seats and was stoked I could avoid a middle seat. Once again, I felt even better about the trip.

The lounge experience

Since this was a late flight departing at 1am, I didn’t have the best selection for lounges. I would’ve loved to have gotten to the airport early enough to spend meaningful time at the United Polaris lounge but that wasn’t practical. This flight is the only EVA flight out of IAH and check-in didn’t open until four hours on the dot before departure.

So I checked my one bag at 9pm, got through TSA Pre-Check (lite), and then promptly made my way to Terminal E to check out the Polaris Lounge with about 40 minutes to check it out.

I knew the United Polaris Lounge would be nice but I was even more impressed by it than I thought I would be. It’s just a beautiful place and seems to be on par with some of the high quality business class international lounges I’ve visited. It’s lightyears above a United Club, and I’d prefer it over the Centurion Lounge at IAH.

I didn’t have time to indulge in the dining room, so I was limited to trying out the buffet. Many items were missing or not fresh (understandably given it was so late) but there were some decent items I got to try like the sandwiches and wraps.

There was also a pretty solid line-up of desserts that utterly derailed my plan to eat completely healthy on this trip (I eventually recovered somewhat).

Even though I was disappointed I didn’t get the full dining experience, just checking out the lounge and seeing what it was all about was great. I also took a peak at some of the other amenities like the quiet rooms which looked very comfortable and would be heaven on a long layover.

But before I knew it, I was kicked out since they were closing and so I went next door to the United Club, which pretty much felt like a hospital waiting room compared to the Polaris Lounge.

I sat there until about 11:30pm when they closed and then made my way to the Executive Club, which was the lounge I was given a pass for by EVA. This lounge was located near my gate (D4) and I would’ve gone over there sooner but a United rep told me that lounge had already closed….

Anyway, this little lounge was pretty packed with EVA and Air China passengers. It did offer some okay hot food items (chicken, beef, dips), potato chips, and a bar area, though. It definitely had more to offer than the United Club lounge in terms of food and snacks.

Finally, about 20 minutes prior to boarding, I made my way over to the boarding area where I was the first one awaiting the jet bridge to open. Boarding first is helpful for doing reviews but it also just feels good to be among the first to get on the aircraft. However, just after I showed up, a gentleman came and stood right next to my side as if to challenge my boarding position — he did not prevail.

Boarding

Boarding was slightly delayed but we ended up departing around the expected departure time (a little early in fact).

I made my way into the business class cabin and then turned left, heading all the way to the front to seat 1K. The cabin filled up very quickly so I wasn’t able to get clean cabin shots but I did get a couple of them.

The business class (Royal Laurel Class) cabin on the EVA 777 is made up of two cabins in a 1-2-1 reverse herringbone configuration. SeatGuru generated the seat map below when I input my flight info but there was actually a fourth lavatory on the other side of the bulkhead in front of 1K on my flight.

The EVA Royal Laurel Class cabin seat map.

I loved the hunter green accents in the cabin and the nice photograph of Taipei 101 in the front.

The EVA business class seat

I had heard good things about the EVA business class seat but I still had reservations. I’ve still flown mostly first class versus business class on long-hauls and the biggest thing I love about first class seats is that they usually have much more legroom versus the tight footwells often found in business class (check out: first vs business class).

But in this case, I noticed how deep and wide the footwell was and was pretty impressed. I had plenty of room.

In my opinion, the EVA business class seat is just well designed all the way around.

You’ve got plenty of counter space to put items, including large electronics. At one point, I had my laptop and large DSLR camera on the counter along with a book and my phone and there wasn’t an issue.

I also like how you have two armrests.

There’s also pretty good-sized storage areas you can put things like bottled water in or other items. Below on the side of the seat there’s more storage as well, perhaps best suited for things like shoes and clothes.

The crew was very strict about not having items in the storage areas or loose items on the counter during take-off. I don’t think I ever saw a crew do such a tight sweep for those things before (but it’s not necessarily a bad thing).

If you need to hang any garments they have hooks on the side in front of you that you can use.

I really loved how accessible the ports were, too. You can easily plug into the two USB ports, power outlet (10V power sockets), or headphone jack unlike some of those abominations out there that have you reaching behind your back or under your legs. There’s also a reading light you can turn on as well.

If you’d like you can control your IFE with the handheld controller and even watch media on it. It’s a touch screen but I only used it to turn on the overhead lights or to call a flight attendant over.

The seat controls look a little crazy at first glance. They have quick controls for getting into the main positions like take-off/landing and sleeping but you can also control parts of your seat individually. I go for the simple approach with these type of controls and just stick to the main three types of positions.

Seat comfort

All in all, I was instantly pretty comfortable in the seat when reclining. I could tell that this was going to be a comfy flight. As I mentioned, I liked the arm rests on both sides of the seat and it’s nice you can push one side down to open things up a bit.

The only drawback with the design is how difficult it is to get out of the seat, especially if you are reclined a little bit. Unless you are a pygmy, you’ll need to squeeze through which can get a bit annoying.

Privacy

One of my favorite features of EVA business class on the 777 is the privacy. You can tell from the photo below that I had a lot of privacy in seat 1K. It felt extra private because nobody was in the middle seat next to me (remember, sometimes you have to specifically request bulkhead seats and if the cabin is not full, those can be the most likely seats to be empty).

There was also minimal foot traffic through my aisle which kind of surprised me, so overall I felt like I had a ton of privacy in seat 1K. It definitely felt like I made a good decision on where to sit.

Amenities

Waiting for me on the seat was a thick pillow, amenity kit, (small) slippers, and headphones.

The staff also came around asking about pajamas and I promptly told them that I would happily be taking pajamas for the flight. They handed me over a sack with “Large” PJs and then dropped me a stick of chocolate, which was promptly devoured. Dark chocolate is a health food, am I right?

The pajamas are made by Jason Wu, the designer of Michelle Obama’s inauguration dresses or something like that.

The amenity kit isn’t the design I really like (which is reserved for flights departing Taipei) but it’s still very nice and comes with a bag within a bag.

The amenity kit came with hand lotion, body lotion, and lip balm from Salvatore Ferragamo. In addition, it had a comb, dental kit, ear plugs, eye mask, sleeping socks, and a glass screen cloth. For a business class flight, this was a high quality amenity kit, as were the pajamas that don’t always get offered on a flight in J.

The headphones were “Thunder” and I thought they were at least decent quality.

The TVs were a perfect size for the distance and came with very responsive touch screens. They are hard to watch (comfortably) when stowed so that can make things tricky when trying to finish up your movies close to landing. the benefit is that the space really opens up when the monitors are stowed.

I found the movie selection to be solid and overall the in-flight entertainment package was very good.

Take off (cabin mood lighting)

For take-off they dimmed the cabin and turned on the ceiling star lighting.

I know a lot of airlines have these star lights now but they never get old to me.

EVA business class wifi

I purchased the most expensive wifi plan at around $30 expecting to get some work done and to stay connected with the hubby. But the connection was weak and I was barely able to get anything done. I tried to test the wifi speed but it didn’t even register. I was pretty bummed about the wifi and that was the one major negative to the flight.

EVA is known for serving up premier champagne like Krug in its business class. I don’t currently drink and it’s been over one year since my last sip of alcohol, so I can’t comment on the quality. (I stopped drinking due to health reasons and just sort of adopted the lifestyle over time.) I was never a huge drinker, and I might make exceptions for champagne in the future but to be honest, it’s been a welcomed change.

Anyway, in case you were wondering the Veuve Clicquot La Grande Dame 2006 goes for about $150 per bottle.

EVA business class dining

I pre-ordered a special meal when I booked these tickets and went with the lobster, as I’m sure many people often do but I’ll start with the appetizers. These consisted of smoked salmon with potato and almond and cheese with tomato on a skewer. The almond cheese ball thing was a small ball of heavenly goodness.

After the prelude they came out and set the tray table, which was pretty large.

Next were the hor d’oeuvres. These were marinated herb scallops and shrimp with some sort of sauce on the side. I didn’t care for the bland shrimp but the scallops were a very nice touch.

They then came around offering bread and I obliged to only one of the smaller pieces of bread trying to act in good faith with respect to the diet, which I was mostly successful-ish in doing.

Next, it was time for the main dish. The lobster was a little smaller than I had imagined but what it lacked in size it, well you know the saying… This thing was so soft and buttery, I didn’t even need a utensil. I did my best to savor the bites but it was gone all.too.soon. I chose to forgo the potatoes though I did chomp down the deliciously seasoned asparagus. In terms of business class meals (or even first class meals), this was just a fantastic dish.

I decided to pass on dessert because once again I decided that on this trip I was going to be semi-disciplined when it comes to the diet. Basically, I’m no longer using the “it’s for the blog/readers” to justify my 4,000 calorie meals. (It probably helped dessert was some sort of pistachio mousse cake. I had zero interest in.)

After dinner, it was time to relax and catch up on movies I hadn’t seen. I started with Aquaman and though I’m not a huge super hero type of guy, I loved it.

Eventually, I went to sleep for what had to have been around four to six hours, which is very rare for me and probably only happened because the flight was at 1am. But still, it was great. (More on the sleeping experience below.)

After a few hours of sleep, I requested a snack, which was the stir-fried udon noodles with pork and assorted vegetables. This really hit the spot and I loved how fresh the peppers tasted and how soft the noodles were.

Breakfast was pretty impressive, too. They first brought out a fruit platter and also offered cereal and breads along with orange juice.

It felt like they’d offered me so much to eat already that I honestly thought they had forgotten about the meal I had chosen.

But then a minute later they brought out the caramelized onion and brie cheese omelet. The brie cheese was delicious as were the caramelized onions. The omelet was a bit too spongy for me but I guess they don’t have that much to work with in the sky. The sausage was flavorful but after a couple of bites, I wasn’t into the rubbery texture and left them alone.

Overall, the entire dining experience was impressive. It’s one of the best business class dining experiences I’ve had and I’d say it even competes with some first class flights. Getting lobster in business class is just special and I think EVA really knows what it’s doing when it comes to dining.

EVA business class service

The service from EVA was top-notch. I’d still peg Singapore above EVA but I’d put EVA pretty high. Most of the staff seemed to speak decent English unlike some past flights like Korean Air but not quite as good as Singapore. They were attentive, extremely efficient, and also very warm and nice. I felt at ease with them and they definitely added value to the experience.

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EVA business class lavatory

I only used one lavatory the entire flight, located in the very front of the plane (even though there was one right next door to my seat). The lavatory I used was never occupied when I went, which was nice. It was also in an open area where I could stretch out easily and I enjoyed having all that space on this nearly 16 hour journey.

It’s nothing too special in the EVA lavatory but they did have some amenities I used like the facial mist (I highly recommend to freshen up) and I also used the mouthwash that came in a package.

There was also a nice floral touch to the walls in there.

As you can see, nothing too special in there.

EVA business class pajamas & bedding

The EVA pajamas were nice and comfy. My favorite pajamas are still the old Givenchy PJs issued with the old Singapore Suites but these were still quality enough that they were worth keeping (which I did). They’ve got a weird neck button design which you can see in my fantastic bedhead photo below.

The fact that I actually slept should tell you a lot about the EVA bed. At first, I was very suspect because they simply supplied a very thin mattress cover on the seat that provided virtually no padding.

But then I unpacked the comforter which was pretty fluffy and that’s how I really got comfortable.

The flattened armrest area helps to open things up a bit and give you a little bit more room to work with when trying to get comfortable which is really nice.

After wrapping myself up like a taquito, I was able to get comfy on my side easily (the EVA pillow helped a lot, too). I even slept on my stomach for a little while but that got tricky since I’m 6’1″. Overall, I don’t think you should have trouble getting comfortable.

I loved that the cabin temperature was so cool. I can’t stand when cabins are kept warm since it makes sleeping so uncomfortable (lookin’ at you Singapore) but they kept this cabin at the perfect temperature.

Landing in Taipei

After finishing breakfast, I got cleaned up, freshened up, and then prepared myself to land in Taipei. Here are a couple of shots I got coming in to Taipei on a rainy morning.

Our flight touched down around 5:30am and we deplaned from the front of the plane, so I was among the first to exit. Customs and immigration was a little long but I probably got through in about 20 to 30 minutes, so it wasn’t the worst wait.

After making my way through the airport, I was greeted by a W Taipei member who showed me the way to their BMW and just like that, I was on my way to the hotel and ready to explore some of Taipei.

Final word

The EVA business class experience on the 777 definitely lived up to the hype. I had high standards for it and it delivered. I’d say the strengths were dining, comfort, and service. I love both the hard and soft product and I think EVA blurs the line between first class and business class with its soft product. I’d have to rank EVA as one of the top business class experiences I’ve ever had, especially considering the amazing value I got for my points that came with only about $5.60 in fees.

Daniel Gillaspia

Hawaiian Airlines First Class A330 HNL-PHX Review [2022]

Flying between Phoenix, Arizona and Hawaii is in that medium-haul flight range. It’s not quite the convenient flight that it is from the West Coast and it’s not a long-haul flight like it would be to the East Coast of the US.

You’re talking about 5.5 to 6 hours.

So while you could get by with a standard recliner seat, we really wanted to try out Hawaiian Airlines First Class on the A330 from HNL to PHX.

In this review article, I’ll give you the complete review including how we booked it without paying a single dollar and what the experience was like when it came to things like in-flight entertainment and dining.

Hawaii Trip Overview

This trip came at the end of a 10 night trip to Hawaii where we spent five nights in Oahu and five nights in Kauai.

The goal of the trip was to capture a lot of content related to Jurassic Park and Jurassic World filming sites and to also do a detailed write up on Pearl Harbor (coming soon).

It was a super fast paced 10 days in which we got very little rest but thoroughly enjoyed the experiences with some hiking, off-roading, hotel-hopping, and all-around exploring.

We were very fortunate that the weather cooperated with us and allowed us to capture a lot of additional content including what you can find in the links below:

Here are some of the Hawaii hotel reviews from the trip:

Booking

We used American Express Membership Rewards to book these Hawaiian Airlines tickets.

With the Amex Business Gold Card, I spent 80,751 points per ticket after factoring in the 25% points rebate on business class tickets.

I figured this would make more sense than transferring 80,000 points to Hawaiian Airlines because I’d also earn 4,375 Hawaiian Miles on the flight and would not have to pay the small $5.60 fee.

It also meant I would not be limited to award seats which would make the booking easier for the two of us.

So while I was not in love with cents per point I got (1.25), I still felt pretty good about the booking.

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Check-in

Check in at HNL was pretty smooth as there was no line when we arrived.

The first class check in area for flights back to the mainland is in a slightly odd location since it’s not by the main check-in desks.

It’s also in a completely different part of the terminal from inter-island first class flights.

Hawaiian Airlines First Class HNL check-in

We were checked in by a slightly less than pleasant Hawaiian Airlines agent.

Every staff member that we dealt with during our flight was awesome so this was the only service shortcoming we experienced when on Hawaiian Airlines.

After weighing our bags, we were told to bring our checked bags to TSA.

But right after that a staff member came by to load up our bags onto a cart and to take care of it for us.

The check-in agent also did not mention anything about lounges that we had access to which is usually customary when checking in for business class or first class.

Luckily, I knew we would be headed to the Plumeria Lounge by utilizing Priority Pass.

However, if we were not aware of what lounges we could access it may not have even occurred to us to go to a lounge so check-in agents need to do better letting passengers know what they are entitled to.

Boarding

We were among the very first to board on the A330 and the boarding process went smoothly and on time.

The A330 First Class cabin

As we entered the forward cabin, it was nice to be greeted by such nice and friendly crew members.

The first class cabin on the A330 is arranged in a 2-2-2 configuration. There are three rows for a total of 18 passengers.

Hawaiian Airlines First Class cabin A330

This means that some passengers will not have direct aisle access when they choose a window seat.

With Hawaii being such a big leisure travel destination this is not that big of a deal for lots of passengers and in our case we were flying as a couple so it worked perfectly. It truly does feel like a honeymoon cabin.

If you are flying solo I don’t think a middle seat would be bad because you have direct aisle access and (as you’ll see below) the privacy partition you can raise is pretty big.

Thankfully, the seats are angled from each other which provide you with a decent amount of elbow room between seats — something that some business class seats really lack with similar configurations.

As far as the seat goes, it has some pretty simple functionality.

You’ll find a power outlet and two USB outlets on the side of your seat for easy charging.

Hawaiian Airlines First Class A330 seat power outlet usb

The seat control is limited to one wheel control and you simply push it one way to recline and the other way to go back up. Some people will love the simplicity and others will prefer something that gives them a more customized feel.

There was one point where I felt like the control was broken since my seat was not going back up.

Eventually, it did work but it took several attempts so sometimes the seats might be a little tricky, despite the apparent simplicity. Also, I might just be an idiot sometimes.

Hawaiian Airlines First Class A330 seat control usb

Directly under the seat control, you have another USB port and the controls for your overhead light and service needs.

Hawaiian Airlines First Class A330 seat usb

You’ll have a little ottoman along with a storage net by your feet.

Usually, an ottoman like this is covered so that your feet don’t slip off the edge so having one uncovered was a little bit different. Those people with longer legs or Jolly Green Giant feet might prefer this type of set up since your feet don’t feel so constricted.

Hawaiian Airlines First Class A330 seat ottoman

For me, it felt like a perfect fit.

Hawaiian Airlines First Class A330 seat leg room

You have a decent amount of storage underneath the seat in front of you and as mentioned you also have some storage space in the netting on the side.

There’s not that much space under the seat in front of you. There was no way my backpack was going to fit in that space and you can take a look at the image below to get a sense of how limited the storage space is.

Hawaiian Airlines First Class A330 seat storage

If you have any kind of normal sized backpack/carry-on bag you’ll most likely have to store it above.

Hawaiian Airlines First Class A330 seat overhead storage

In-flight entertainment

One of the knocks of Hawaiian Airlines First Class is that they don’t offer TV screens.

At first, this was an extremely odd concept to me to have a lie-flat first class product with no TV monitors. To be frank, it was a bit of a turn off.

However, it’s actually not as bad as you might think.

Instead of TV monitors, they will bring you out large tablets that you can use to pull up movies, TV shows, etc. These tablets rest on a little stand that pops out.

You basically push down on a little circular button between the seats and a rod extends out that allows you to display your tablet or other device.

You can swivel it but it does not stay which is kind of a drawback, especially whenever you are lying down.

Hawaiian Airlines First Class A330 seat tablet holder

Brad decided to just use his phone for his entertainment needs.

Hawaiian Airlines First Class A330 seat tablet holder phone

However, I wanted to give the tablet a try so I went with that.

They’ll give you your tablet and also a pair of somewhat decent headphones if you opt-in.

It took about 15 minutes for them to bring out the tablets so you do lose a bit of in-flight entertainment time in the beginning although it’s not that bad.

Hawaiian Airlines First Class A330 seat tablet headphones

They had a pretty decent selection of movies and I felt almost obligated to watch Disney’s Jungle Cruise since we were just at the Luau Kalamaku which was used as the train station in the movie.

Hawaiian Airlines First Class A330 seat movies

Here’s a look that gives a good contrast of how the tablet compares to using an iPhone 13 Pro Max.

Hawaiian Airlines First Class A330 seat tablet phone

They also had a decent selection of TV shows and other things you could try like Hawaiian music and games.

The only real drawback of the tablet experience is that they don’t bring them out until after you are up in the air and they take them back before you descend so it cuts down on your overall in-flight entertainment time.

Dining

When it comes time for dining it’s pretty easy to pop out your tray, which is thankfully much more sturdy than the tray used in inter-island first class.

Hawaiian Airlines First Class A330 seat tray table

As they came around with the tray table cloth, they also passed out the tablets.

They first brought out some crunchy macadamia nuts and I went with a sparkling club soda to kick things off.

Hawaiian Airlines First Class A330 dining nuts

Brad decided to try out one of the signature drinks: the mai tai. It’s worth noting that they did not do pre-departure drinks on this flight but that might change after the pandemic maybe?

I really enjoyed the dining experience on this first class flight.

We decided to try each of the main course options which included a fine herb ravioli with roasted pepper and balsamic sauce and also wine braised chicken with olive tapenade and Negi Panisse.

Hawaiian Airlines First Class A330 dining menu

I liked the ravioli but some of the pieces were a little bit undercooked.

Hawaiian Airlines First Class A330 dining main course

Brad really enjoyed the chicken dish, although it had way too many mushrooms for me.

The rolls and desert were both on point.

They had a few snacks you could grab at any time during the flight and I tried out the Maui Style potato chips and this little pineapple shaped cookie which was very good.

Hawaiian Airlines First Class A330 dining snack

Service

I really can’t say enough nice things about the crew. They offered exceptional and friendly service throughout the entire flight and I was highly impressed by them.

They issued each of us a blanket and a pillow for the flight.

If you’re taking a longer flight you may be issued more extensive bedding amenities like a bedding pad and perhaps thicker blankets. But you also might have to ask for that.

Being limited to a pillow and a blanket on a flight of this duration seems pretty standard because I’ve flown short international first class flights and received similar “bare-bones” treatment.

Hawaiian Airlines First Class A330 lie flat

Without any additional bedding, it’s not the most comfortable experience in the fully reclined position but given the duration of the flight it’s enough to get you by and a hell of a lot better than being in economy so….

Privacy

As for the privacy shade, I feel like it would do a pretty good job if you needed your own privacy from a stranger.

Here’s a look at the privacy you would have.

Hawaiian Airlines First Class A330 privacy shade

If you’re wondering what it looks like without direct aisle access here’s a picture of my perspective with Brad having his feet propped up.

If the person next to you pulls their legs up a little bit you should be able to get by relatively easy but again if you’re flying solo, a middle seat might just be better.

Hawaiian Airlines First Class A330 aisle access

I took a second to check out the lavatory which was a pretty standard one although it seemed a little bit more spacious and had a few Hawaiian accents to it.

Hawaiian Airlines First Class A330 aisle lavatory

Final word

I really had no idea what to expect with Hawaiian Airlines First Class on the A330. All things considered, I’d say I was pleasantly surprised. The level of service was better than I expected and probably the biggest thing that stuck out to me.

Dealing with the tablet for in-flight entertainment was not a major issue at all and the only thing that bothered me was that you lose out on some time when taking off and landing so you have to time up your movies.

Dining was good but not great and I enjoyed having the lie-flat seat although I’m not sure it was the most comfortable when lying down. Maybe that was due to minimal bedding or maybe it was due to the seat I’m not sure.

But overall, I was definitely pleased with the flight and would happily fly again.

Daniel Gillaspia

Hawaiian Airlines First Class Inter-Island (HNL-LIH) Boeing 717-200 Review

If you’re flying between Hawaiian islands you might be tempted by the Hawaiian Airlines first class experience.

Could it actually be worth it to fly first class on such a short flight or are you better off just saving money in economy?

In this review, I’ll give you a detailed look at the first class experience on the Boeing 717-200 when flying Hawaiian Airlines between neighbor islands.

Trip overview

We recently took a 10 night trip to Hawaii in order to get some awesome content tracking down all of the Jurassic Park filming sites on Kauai and also documenting a lot of the Pearl Harbor sites.

Other content opportunities we came across included:

All of our content objectives were met without any major issues which is always a plus when you’re out capturing content for ten days in a place with pretty volatile weather. So this trip was very much a success!

Booking

Initially, we looked to book this flight through AmexTravel.

I’m definitely glad that we did NOT do that though because when we checked the prices on the Hawaiian Airlines website the prices were like 50% cheaper.

I could not believe the price difference but it’s definitely good to know that AmexTravel sometimes will show you prices that are way higher.

The total price came out to $137 per person including all of the fees. I used my American Express Platinum Card to book this so that earned us almost 700 Membership Rewards. Not bad.

This would also be the only flight on our trip that we paid out-of-pocket for. All other flights were paid for with points.

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Check-in

After dropping off our Turo vehicle we took an Uber to the airport.

Initially, they dropped us off at the drop off for Hawaiian Airline trips to the mainland so we had to walk a little bit to get to the check-in area for neighbor island flights but it’s not far at all.

The check-in area for mainland flights was really busy but when we got over to the check-in station for inter-island flights it was pretty much a ghost town.

We utilized the first class check-in desk and got our bags checked for no additional cost.

For flights within Hawaii, baggage fees are $25 each way for the 1st checked bag and $35 each way for the 2nd check bag. I was going to be checking two bags so I would have been paying $60 in baggage fees.

That was almost the exact price difference between economy and first class so in my opinion it actually made sense to fly first class. Why not pay basically the same amount but get extra comfort?

The big thing to note is that Hawaiian Airlines does not give you a bigger weight allowance when flying first class. Most airlines bump up your weight allowance to 70 pounds but they keep it at 50 pounds.

Hawaiian Airlines First Class check-in hnl

With the short line, we got through security very quickly and then it was time to head to one of the HNL lounges.

Initially, I was kind of surprised we had lounge access because a domestic first class flight usually does not grant you access to a lounge and flying between islands is akin to flying between states.

But the first class inter-island ticket would get us free access to the Hawaiian Airlines Premier Club lounge.

I did a breakdown on the Hawaiian Airlines lounges at HNL so be sure to check that out but basically the Premier Club is an extremely basic airport lounge.

They have coffee, tea, and soda and little snack packs but that’s all. After visiting only a few minutes we were ready to check out the Plumeria Lounge, which is the more equipped airport lounge.

Our tickets did not get us access to the Plumeria Lounge but Priority Pass did.

It was at that lounge that we were actually able to enjoy some food and much better drink selection. I would highly recommend you go to that lounge instead of the Premier Club.

But keep in mind that the Plumeria Lounge is still very much a standard airport lounge.

Close to boarding we made our way over to the boarding area where we stood first in line as we normally do unless we get beat out by some other over-eager passengers.

It was interesting because on the way there you are partially outside and get to take in some beautiful garden views.

But this exposes the gate area to the outdoors and so birds get into the gate area. We watched a number of birds just hop around which was a first for me.

Eventually, it was time to board our Boeing 717-200 and because we were first class passengers we got to hop on the plane first (after pre-boarding).

Immediately, I was a fan of the plane’s color scheme. I love the teal economy section contrasted with the brown first class seats.

One thing I noticed quickly was that economy was configured in a 3-2 configuration.

So for a lot of couples you may think about just flying economy and saving since you can lock down a row with only two seats.

If you want one of those seats close to the front of the cabin you’ll need to pay extra and in this case it would have been $10. But it looks like you can select some of those two person row seats further back for free.

Just be sure to act quickly because I think those seats get taken up pretty fast!

The seats in first class are pretty spacious and felt like any other domestic first class product. You’re looking at a pitch of 37 inches and width of about 18.5 inches.

The seats are basic with no seatback TV and no USB or power outlets from what I could tell. It’s all understandable considering that these flights are usually only about 30 minutes long.

Hawaiian Airlines First Class Boeing 717-200 leg room

The entire first class cabin only had two rows for a total of eight seats. So it’s a pretty small cabin on the Boeing 717-200, which I always love because it’s easier to get service and it just feels more exclusive.

Hawaiian Airlines First Class Boeing 717-200 seats

When we finally sat down I tested out the recliner which you can control with a button on the side of the armrest.

The seat reclines in a different way than a normal domestic first class seat does. It’s hard to explain but it’s like the entire seat sort of slides.

I’m not sure if I liked it more but it did not really matter because you’re talking about such a short flight that you don’t even really need to recline your seat.

After a pretty quick boarding process we were ready to head to the runway.

During takeoff we had some nice views of Honolulu and Waikiki. I would definitely try to always snag a window seat when flying between islands in Hawaii. The scenery is often breathtaking.

While on the left side we had good views of Honolulu we would miss out on most of the views when landing in Kauai.

You’ll be able to pull out your food tray directly from your armrest.

It’s one of those thin and wobbly food trays though. Definitely not the type you would feel comfortable leaving a drink on during a really bumpy flight.

Hawaiian Airlines First Class Boeing 717-200 tray table

The good news is that they have a little slider tray that comes out between the seats so you can rest your drink on there. You also have plenty of room for drinks between the seats.

Hawaiian Airlines First Class Boeing 717-200 tray

Speaking of beverages, I was surprised that they actually served up drinks (alcoholic and non-alcoholic) on such a short flight. I tried out some sparkling water and also went with a cup of juice.

The crew member serving up the drinks was very friendly and offered some great service on this very short hop to Kauai.

Hawaiian Airlines First Class inter-island drinks

Hawaiian Airlines First Class inter-island juice

They also brought us out a small pack of snacks. I tried out the Pau Hana snacks a few times during our time in Hawaii and they did start to grow on me a little bit but I never fully acquired the taste for them.

Hawaiian Airlines First Class inter-island snacks

As soon as I finished up my beverages, it was pretty much time to put everything back up and get ready for landing in Kauai.

Like I mentioned before, you have very little views from the left side of the plane until right when you approach the shore.

After landing, we would make our way on a shuttle bus to the rental car station for Thrifty.

We found an awesome deal on Thrifty for a Jeep Wrangler and I was actually pretty nervous about using Thrifty for the first time.

Not only did we book with Thrifty but I made the booking through Expedia and I was going to have to change the name of the reservation to Brad when we arrived. So I was fully expecting things to go wrong.

But actually, check in went really smoothly and our vehicle ran really well throughout the trip. Overall, it was definitely a success.

Final word

I feel pretty good about this Hawaiian Airlines First Class Boeing 717-200 inter-island flight.

It’s such a short flight that it’s kind of hard to justify flying first class in a lot of cases but we found a decent deal and we also were checking multiple bags so the net price for flying economy probably would have been the same.

If you don’t have to worry about paying for bags then you might want to just think about flying economy and securing one of the seats that only have two seats. You might be able to choose them with no additional fee.

Daniel Gillaspia

American Airlines A321 First Class Hawaii Review (PHX to HNL) [2022]

Are you thinking about flying first class from Phoenix to Hawaii?

You’ve got a few options to choose from but if you end up going with the American Airlines A321 First Class product which offers a standard recliner seat, I’ll show you exactly what you can expect below.

Trip overview

We recently took a 10 night trip to Hawaii in order to get some awesome content tracking down all of the Jurassic Park filming sites on Kauai and also documenting a lot of the Pearl Harbor sites.

Other content opportunities we came across included:

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Booking

Getting to Honolulu from Arizona is about a six to seven hour flight time so it’s not quite a true long-haul flight and so it’s harder to find lie-flat seats.

It wasn’t until after I had already gone through booking that I later realized American Airlines flies nonstop flights from Phoenix to Maui with lie-flat seats.

I thought about making the flight change but the price did go up a good amount and they did not have two window seats available for us which was kind of a dealbreaker.

I was surprised to find out how cheap some of these first class tickets could be from Phoenix to Honolulu, though. For a one-way first class ticket, we were looking at around $400 per person.

We had $500 credits with Citi’s Travel Portal from a botched experiment that we had attempted a few months prior so this was a perfect way to dump those credits.

At the time of our flight, Hawaii was requiring you to comply with the Safe Travels program. This meant you have to show proof of vaccination or a negative Covid test.

I never found the process to be very clear from start to finish on what to do and it didn’t help things changed just before our trip.

For example, they ditched the pre-flight survey and QR-code requirement although a different QR code was later needed, which was confusing.

Also, they announced boosters would be required at any moment but then clarified that they would give a two week warning only for them to backtrack and state boosters would not be needed.

It was a lot to keep up with and a bit challenging because you’re having to make decisions that could greatly impact your health but with limited information.

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Check-in

We arrived about three hours before take-off and nobody at check-in mentioned it to us about where to go to get a wristband for proof of vaccination.

One agent mentioned something about a QR code but it sounded like it was in reference to the dropped QR code requirement which again led to some confusion.

So we first spent time relaxing in a lounge and then showed up to the gate 25 minutes early expecting to be issued a wristband only for them to tell us that they had already closed it down.

That meant that we would have to deal with all of the wristband stuff whenever we arrived at Honolulu.

It did not end up becoming an issue because the lines were basically non-existent in Hawaii but it was a little bit confusing and stressful because we never received any kind of clear guidance on what to do once we got to the airport.

Lounge

Flying first class to Hawaii on American Airlines from Arizona does not give you lounge access so we decided to hit up the American Express Centurion lounge.

We did not have a wait time but the lounge was fairly crowded. I wasn’t overly impressed with the food options which has been a bit of a common trend for me at Centurion lounges.

There’s been enough quality side-dish items (like meatballs) to get me by but it’s been a while since I’ve truly been impressed by the overall food offerings.

Anyway, our flight ended up getting delayed by about 40 minutes or so which meant we would be landing after sunset which was a little bit of a bummer for photo purposes but at the end of the day we were still going to Hawaii so it was hard to complain.

Boarding

After arriving at the gate and being slightly disappointed that we would not be issued wrist bands we were first in line and were able to board smoothly.

This A321N had five rows of seats in first class arranged in a 2-2 configuration. I was in seat 3D which is a window seat on the right side looking forward.

My first impression of the aircraft was very positive as it looked very new and I was digging the mood lighting. In case you were wondering, there was nothing special going on in the cabin in terms of anything Hawaiian.

American Airlines A321 First Class Hawaii cabin

Each first class seat had a small pillow and a blanket for this medium-haul flight.

American Airlines A321 First Class Hawaii seat

I noticed that we had plenty of space in the overhead storage bin compartments in first class even with a full cabin.

American Airlines A321 First Class Hawaii overhead storage

Once I got settled into the seat it was time to inspect all of the little controls.

The first thing I noticed was that there was no seatback TV which was kind of a bummer considering how long this flight was.

Instead, they had a USB port on the seatback and a few different options for displaying your device.

So if you’re flying this be sure to download your IFE. I finally remembered to download everything offline on Disney Plus and other streaming apps, so I was pretty set with a line-up of Hawaiian movies and shows.

American Airlines A321 First Class Hawaii seatback

American Airlines A321 First Class Hawaii seat usb

As far as legroom, I had plenty. You’re looking at a pitch of about 37 inches and a seat width of 21 inches. The recliner range was pretty good as well although I don’t know that I ever fully reclined.

American Airlines A321 First Class Hawaii leg room

My North Face backpack usually remains pretty packed on flights like this and it was able to easily slide under the seat in front of me.

Underneath the middle armrest there is a storage compartment of pretty decent size where you can store things like large water bottles.

American Airlines A321 First Class Hawaii storage compartment

It’s also where you will find a 110V universal power outlet.

American Airlines A321 First Class Hawaii power outlet

You have some additional storage space on the bottom of the seat in front of you.

American Airlines A321 First Class Hawaii storage

The crew came around offering the agricultural forms that are required for you to fill out in order to gain entry into Hawaii. They are very protective about bringing in things like produce and plants so be careful on that end.

Initially, I thought we would be responsible for handing the forms over when we arrived but instead the crew took them from us close to landing.

The forms are very simple to fill out if you have nothing to declare. You basically just check “none of the above” and then input some information about you and your flight/hotel. It takes like one minute.

There is a survey on the back that is optional and I chose to do it just because I appreciate when people give me feedback when I need it.

After taking just a minute or two to fill out the form, we were off and in the sky above sunny Phoenix.

Dining

To get your tray table out, you’ll look under your right arm rest and you’ll see a little dining button to push that will pop out your tray.

American Airlines A321 First Class Hawaii tray table

With the pandemic going on I never know what to expect in terms of dining and I’ll say that overall it was pretty good.

I thought that we would be offered a warm meal on such a long flight but instead the sandwiches were served cold.

Initially, we were served our dishes wrapped with plastic.

American Airlines A321 First Class Hawaii meal wrapped

I chose the turkey and cheese sandwich along with a salad, platter of hummus and vegetables, a package of cream crackers, and a cookie/brownie hybrid bar.

American Airlines A321 First Class Hawaii meal

Brad went with the pesto.

After the meal they brought us out some snacks which included these little Brownie Brittle bites.

American Airlines A321 First Class Hawaii snack

And then later they brought us some more snacks and some Aha sparkling water which I really love. Props to American Airlines for knowing good sparkling water.

American Airlines A321 First Class Hawaii snack and water

Overall, I was not blown away by the food quality but it did not let me down in any major way. So I guess you could say it was par for the course on a domestic first class product from a legacy carrier.

In-flight entertainment

Okay, so let’s dive back into the in-flight entertainment viewing options. You essentially have a couple of options when it comes to your device.

You can use the holster in the seatback and adjust the slider so that it fits your device perfectly. Just watch out if you have an iPhone because the slider might press down on your volume or your other side buttons.

American Airlines A321 First Class Hawaii phone holder

You can have your device plugged into the USB to preserve power and here is what it looks like when you’re eating.

The other option that you have is to use the backside of your tray table to prop up your device.

This was my preferred way to watch movies and TV on my phone. The only drawback is that you can’t really place your device directly in the middle so you are kind of looking off to the side.

Next, I decided it would be a good idea for me to try out the blanket and pillow. The pillow is not very big and I feel like you sort of struggle to make use of it in a standard recliner seat.

The blanket is thin but not paper thin like some airlines issue so it is still usable with a moderate amount of comfort and warmth added.

American Airlines A321 First Class Hawaii blanket

After enjoying a couple of movies I was ready to land and we arrived in Honolulu.

Upon arriving, we did not have any issues getting our wristbands which was very nice.

And after retrieving our bags we made our way to the rideshare station at HNL and took an Uber directly to the Holiday Inn Express Waikiki which was our first hotel to stay at.

Final word

I enjoyed flying on the A321 to Hawaii.

I liked that the seat had a little bit of extra storage space compared to a lot of domestic first class products but there was really nothing special about the flight other than that. There were no seatback TVs, nothing especially Hawaiian, and the food was just okay.

But I did like that we were able to snag this flight for so cheap so overall I was not overly impressed but definitely pleased with the flight.

Daniel Gillaspia

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