How was American Airlines E175 First Class from New York to Washington DC in 2015?

Back in 2015, I decided to visit friends in Washington DC. As one who tries to pick up cheap business class tickets, it usually means a connection at one or both ends. This trip report about the flight on an American Airlines E195 was originally published in 2015, so enjoy the throwback.

I arrived in the USA on British Airways BA001 – the all business class Airbus 318 from London City Airport. Crossing the Atlantic on an aircraft with 32 seats was an experience which you can read about in my extensive report here.

My destination was Washington DC and I was booked on British Airways codeshare flights with American Airlines between New York JFK and Washington National. Changing terminals at JFK is very easy, you just get the AirTrain one stop and you’re at the next terminal.

For me it was even easier I did not have to clear immigration – that had been taken care of during a stop in Shannon, Ireland on the flight between London and New York. I checked in and passed through security very easily and spent some time in the Admirals Club, before boarding my flight.

AA263 – New York JFK to Washington Reagan (JFK-DCA)
16 July 2015
Embraer 175 – N424YX
Seat: First 1A
Departure: 16:55 Arrival: 18:16

I was greeted as I boarded by a member of the cabin crew who was very pleasant throughout this flight.

American Airlines E175 Cabin

The Embraer 175 has First Class setup in a 1 x 2 layout and I had pre-booked seat 1A – one of the seats on its own on the left side of the cabin. Leg room is fairly ample in the front row, with the added bonus of no seat in front.

Looking across the aisle, you can see the seat pair and have another view of the leg room. Directly in front of me was this notice, which I recorded for posterity. Boarding took less time than I remember from previous flights within the United States, which I put down to the fact that I was on a small aircraft. Once everyone was on board, we closed up and had the safety demonstration, then proceeded to our runway and took to the air. It was a lovely day for flying! The service began soon afterwards and drinks orders were taken.

American Airlines First Class Service

First to arrive on my tray was this napkin providing some knowledge about the new American Airlines.

I began with a white wine, and after this was delivered I was permitted to pick from the Snack Basket. Of course, I chose crisps! Once my wine was done, I was asked if I wanted another drink and I said yes. When I asked what I wanted, I asked the crew member to, “Make me your favourite drink!”. And so she did… It was rum and… well, that would be telling now, wouldn’t it? It was quite delicious though – much better than the wine! Soon we were approaching Washington DC. We landed uneventfully and I toddled off to baggage claim to find my bag and then to head into DC to check in to my hotel and head out with friends.

Overall Thoughts

That is how I reported it at the time. The American Airlines E175 is quite fine for a short hop. I’ve always found the wine and “Champagne” on AA to be pretty bad, so I was delighted to have the crew member make me something that actually tasted good.

Have you flown on an American Airlines E175 in first class before? What was it like? Thank you for reading and if you have any comments or questions, please leave them below.

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Featured image by Nathan Coats from Seattle, WA via Wikimedia Commons.