Review: American Airlines E175 Business Class Montreal to New York LGA (via BDL)

Background and Booking

To return from my trip to Montreal, I needed to book a flight to the New York City area. Approximately a 325-mile journey, many airlines operate nonstops on this route. I do wish I could take a bullet train instead, but the current trains are quite slow and take 10 hours. On the plus side, at check-in, I found out that I had been upgraded to Business Class (yay!) with my entry-level American AAdvantage Gold Status. I was excited to fly on the American Airlines E175 Business Class.

But, it seemed that I was upgraded 3 times, on 3 different confirmation numbers. I wrote about in more detail what happened here, but it had to do with the fact that I booked with Capital One Travel and their partnership with Hopper. Somehow they made 2 extra duplicate bookings for me. I eventually ended up cancelling the 2 extra tickets and it all ended up working out and I had no problems boarding the flight.

Delta and American were the same price at $136 for the Main Cabin, and since I have status with American, I decided to choose them instead of Delta.

At the Airport

I got to the airport about an hour early, and the flight departed from the section of the airport that handles just US Transborder flights. The late afternoon was quite empty at security and passport control, and I went through in less than 10 minutes. I have Global Entry, and there was no line whatsoever. It’s nice to clear customs in Canada, that way when you land in the U.S. it’s like a domestic flight and you can be on your way quickly.

The Transborder terminal at Montreal (YUL) isn’t particularly that nice, and there is a limited selection of lounge options. There’s an Air Canada one, which I didn’t have access to, but also a Desjardins Odyssey Lounge which I visited with my AMEX Platinum. I wrote a more detailed review here, but it essentially looks like a restaurant rather than an airport lounge. There is a bar, some food items, and drinks, but you’ll have to go out into the terminal to use a restroom. Not the nicest lounge, but possibly better than waiting at the gate depending on crowds.

Flight Details

American Airlines Flight 4772
Montreal (YUL) to New York (LGA) via Bradley International (BDL)
Date: May 2024
Scheduled Departure: 5:29 PM (Actual 5:19 PM)
Scheduled Arrival: 6:54 PM (Actual 8:34 PM)
Duration: 1 hour and 25 minutes (Actual: 3 hours and 15 minutes)
Aircraft: Embraer 175
Cabin: Business Class
Seat: 3A

Boarding and the American Airlines E175 Business Class

The boarding time for the flight was 25 minutes before our scheduled departure time. I was waiting with a friend a few gates away for their flight, and I arrived at my gate just 5 minutes after boarding had started and was told that I was actually the last passenger to board since the flight was quite empty. Once I got settled, the flight attendant offered a pre-departure beverage (anything I wanted, including alcohol). I just wanted water, and it was quickly brought out. In the Business Class Cabin, only 7 of the 12 seats were full and based on my look at the seat map the day of, the Main Cabin only had 16 people. So our flight had 23/70 seats occupied. It was definitely one of the emptiest flights I’ve been on in a while as they are normally quite full.

The American Eagle operated by Republic Airways Embraer 175 has 4 rows of Business/First in a 1-2 configuration. The seat pitch is 37 inches, while the seat width is 19.9 inches. It’s generally called “First Class” for domestic flights, but since my flight was international to Canada, it’s called “Business Class’.

I’ve flown on E175 many times in the First/Business Cabin and really like how the 1-2 configuration allows you to not have a neighbor when flying alone.

The seat itself has a tiny cup holder that pulls out from the left armrest. Also, there is a full-sized tray table that comes out of the right armrest, which can be folded in half if you’re snacking.

WiFi

A flight pass was $13, or free for T Mobile Customers. It disconnected once we descended below a certain altitude. Also, American offers free streaming of movies, TV shows, and music to your Wi-Fi-enabled device.

The Flight

The captain let us know that the flight would be an estimated 55 minutes in the air. Then, the boarding door closed about 10 minutes before our scheduled departure and we were shortly underway.

We were taxiing for quite a while and didn’t take off for 40 minutes after the boarding door closed and we left the gate.

Once airborne, a beverage and snack service was provided. All business class passengers were given a Blueberry Pomegranate Granola Bake, but I did wish there was a selection to choose from.

About 20 minutes before our scheduled arrival, we were informed that there was an aircraft emergency at LaGuardia and that all flights were grounded. We were told that we would be diverting to Bradley International in Connecticut to refuel.

We landed at Bradley International about 5 minutes past our scheduled arrival time in LaGuardia.While we did connect to a jet bridge, we weren’t allowed to get off the plane but thankfully we weren’t on the ground that long and just waited to refuel. LaGuardia reopened not too long after we landed at Bradley, so we were just really unlucky on timing.

We left the gate at Bradley 30 minutes later and took off exactly 45 minutes after we landed. The captain let us know that the flight would be 20 minutes in the air to LaGuardia. We landed at LaGuardia about 1 hour and 15 minutes late and got to the gate 1 hour and 40 minutes late. Considering we visited a new airport along the way, the delay wasn’t too bad, I guess.

While this delay was annoying, on the plus side, I do get to add Bradley International (BDL) to my list of airports that I’ve taken off from/landed at. Haha. It also does make me wonder how “close” are they cutting it when fueling for these flights. Would love to hear if anyone has more knowledge on that topic.

The Verdict

Other than being very curious why we had such a low level of fuel, the flight was fine and the American Airlines E175 Business Class is a comfortable regional jet to fly on, and the E175 remains one of my favorite planes to fly on. I love how there is a single seat on the left side in first/business, which is great when flying alone.

Have you been diverted on such a short flight before? How was your experience? Comment below!

Cheers,

Ty

Have any questions? I’ve also started working with a travel agency, Fora Travel, and can assist in booking hotel stays or planning trips. Comment below or email me at takeofftotravel@gmail.com. You can also view all my other posts here! Thanks for stopping by!