American Airlines 757 Business Class Review: Blast from the Past!

My American Airlines 757 business class review is a blast from the past! This is an old review I never published before I started a new job. Since then, I decided to publish it, given American’s issues with long-haul aircraft. American has started introducing the A321XLR, the replacement for the 757, I felt this a fitting tribute to my favorite American Airlines aircraft.  These birds were always a unique aircraft. The last set of 757s, the international ones, were configured with 16 lie-flat business class seats in a 2×2 configuration. Although narrow and lacking aisle access, the seat was competitive with United and Delta. Like the A330s, American retired the 757 during COVID.  

Arrival at Dallas Airport

I was flying in from an otherwise uneventful flight from Houston Hobby airport on my way to Philadelphia. The DFW-PHL route is notoriously difficult to get upgraded on. I had hoped to get cleared at least a few hours in advance but by the time I was at the gate, I was still the second one on the upgrade list. I got really lucky when the first person and I were upgraded from the list. He ended up being seated in an aisle seat and I in a window seat. One of the few times I ever got to fly upfront in the international 757s! I did not expect it to be my last. 

Cabin and Seat

I was one of the first to board, and that gave me a chance to take a few photos of the empty cabin. The seat is nearly identical to the transcon business class seat on American’s A321T. The biggest difference: no seatback IFE screens. This is a glaring omission, especially on international flights. Way back when, before the AA-US merger, the LAA 757s that flew internationally had IFE screens with angle flat seats. The new seats, though lie flat,  also lost their IFE screen. Each seat has a side storage compartment that fits very small items, such as a phone or a water bottle. The mini privacy partition was mostly for show. 

Seat controls were next to the armrest table. They were really simple to use and  had two pre-set settings. The seat is the same as the one on Air China’s 777-200 business class. (This aircraft has also since been retired.)  Surprisingly, neither seat (AA nor Air China) has a built-in IFE screen!

Tray tables were located in the center console. They were larger and sturdier than those on their other narrow-body planes. There are two power ports, one next to the seat and the other in the front of the seat. The second plug is meant for the AA-provided tablet on long haul flight. This is a similar set up to the also-retired 767s. The tablet holder works with other tablets as well. There is also an overhead screen on the bulkhead wall. For the flight it showed the inflight map. You could connect to the IFE screens with a regular headphone and control the channels on the side panel next to the seat. 

Departure & Take Off

The flight was full. A couple of passengers got into a small kerfuffle. The crew intervened and the passengers’ carry-on bags were accommodated. between a passenger and the crew about overhead storage. We departed on time and after a long taxi took off. 

Service

Since I was upgraded last minute, I wasn’t able to pre-order a meal for the flight. I was the last to order. By the time the crew made it to my seat, they were out of the hot option. The cold salad ended up being delicious, one of the best domestic flight meals I have had on AA. The dressing added flavor and the chicken was not as dry as it looked. The lemon cake was also pretty good!

Landing and Arrival

By the time we landed in Philadelphia, the sun was beginning to set. On our way to the gate, I got to see more soon-to-be-retired aircraft types: the A330-200 and the A330-300. I never expected them to be retired less than 4 months after this flight. 

Conrado’s Thoughts

I think the 757 is an irreplaceable aircraft. The A321XLR is still a few years away, so a lot of thin long haul routes won’t return until then. The COVID19 downturn has, likely, made the need for the 757 more attenuated. Regardless of when they are replaced, I think that the 757 was one of Boeing’s most successful projects. Sad to see them fly off into the sunset at American and sooner than at other airlines. 

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