Background
For my outbound, I flew BermudAir from New York (LGA) to Bermuda (BDA) and had a pleasant flight. For my return, BermudAir was not offering any flights to the New York City area on Presidents Day Monday, so the nonstop options included Delta, American & United. While I preferred the slightly later times of Delta & United, American was the cheapest, so it was booked.
Flight Details
American Airlines Flight 281
New York (LGA) to Bermuda (BDA)
Scheduled Duration: 2 Hours 30 Minutes (10 minutes late)
Seat/Cabin: 26C, Economy
Aircraft: Boeing 737 MAX 8
At the Airport
We were running a bit late leaving the St. Regis, but thankfully, the taxi ride was only about 15 minutes, and there was no line at security or the US Customs Preclearance Facility. So, we managed to clear security and customs in 5 minutes and had time to lounge at the Primeclass Lounge, which I had also visited during my September 2025 trip. The airport terminal is new, having only opened at the end of 2020, and while the lounge is small, it’s not a bad spot for a quick drink. Here’s my review from my last time, if you want to check out my review of the Primeclass Lounge Bermuda (US Departures).
Our inbound flight arrived about 35 minutes late, so our boarding was delayed as well. We waited in the Lounge, and they said they were tracking the flight and didn’t make any announcements. Then, I saw on my app that boarding had started, so we headed to the gate, and the gate itself was already showing final boarding. Oops. There were probably another 10 people after us that hadn’t boarded yet.
I did appreciate how, before boarding, they asked for 15 people to gate check bags so that they didn’t need to stop the latter groups from boarding with a carry-on.
We ended up leaving the gate about 25 minutes past our scheduled departure time, and took off about 40 minutes past our scheduled departure time.
American Airlines 737 MAX 8 Economy Cabin
The American Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 8 has 16 First Class Seats, 24 Main Cabin Extra Seats, and 132 Main Cabin Seats. According to AeroLOPA, the Main Cabin has 30 inches of pitch with a seat width of 17 inches. Pretty standard for a narrowbody, but a bit on the tighter side, especially when my BermudAir flight to Bermuda had 32 inches of pitch. The legroom felt ample to me for this short hop, perhaps due to the slimline seats. Our plane was quite new, only a little over a year old.
The seatback offered an older USB-A next to the tray table and a device holder for you to stream your own entertainment. And, it has been long-awaited, but American has finally caught up on Wi-Fi and now offers free Wi-Fi for AAdvantage members sponsored by AT&T. The speeds were alright, but at least it is free now!
There was a power plug underneath the seat for each passenger, which was nice, rather than 2 to share for the 3 seats.
A beverage and snack service included a full can of soda & both a Biscoff cookie and pretzels.
I had to use the lavatory once, and it was quite tight, with a small sink basin and no automatic sinks.
We ended up arriving at the gate just shy of 10 minutes late, so not too bad at all.
The Verdict
Overall, my American Airlines 737 MAX 8 economy experience was perfectly sufficient, especially with the new rollout of free Wi-Fi for AAdvantage members. While the hard product offers no frills, it was perfectly fine for a short 2-hour hop.
Have you flown on the American Airlines 737 MAX 8 before? How was your experience? Comment below!
Happy travels,
Ty
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