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I flew first class on American Airlines across the country to see how it stacks up against coach - here's what I discovered

I flew first class on American Airlines across the country to see how it stacks up against coach - here's what I discovered

So, was first-class on American worth it?

But here's the thing. I got my drink faster — not before takeoff, but soon after we leveled off. It arrived in a real glass and came with warmed nuts. Later, I had a glass of wine with a small snack. And I almost finished the book.

There wasn't any fancy in-flight entertainment in the 737. But most passengers were either sleeping (the flight got in at midnight) or using their own devices and the in-flight wifi.

After a brief wait in Dallas, I was again boarded first, but this time to the sort-of-roomy seat of a Boeing 737. Again, a blanket but no pillow.

For a flight like this, you really are getting the bare-bones upscale experience. The biggest pluses are getting on and off the plane first, free drinks and snacks, and a bit more more space.

I shared my two-seat row on this narrowbody aircraft; my one-seat window throne on the 777 was a fading memory.

The meal was a disappointment. There's an explanation.

Due to a problem with its LAX caterer, American isn't able to serve hot food to its first-class customers going out of that airport.

To its credit, American gave me a heads-up about this and apologized.

Instead of the vegetarian meal I normally order if I can ahead of time (I like to go veg when I travel), I was given a turkey wrap with a small amount of pasta and some tomatoes. It got the job done, and in truth, I was able to get back to my book faster.

So how was it?

It was relaxing. However, we were 30 minutes into the flight before the attendant took my drink order. I'm used to having a beverage before takeoff when I've flown in the front of the plane in the past. My drink was of course gratis, but it was served in a plastic cup.

Otherwise, the whole American first-class experience on this short-ish flight was dandy. The seat was quite comfortable, I enjoyed putting up my feet with a book and drink, and I had no trouble dozing off.

BUT ...

And my personal reading light.

What a view of the jetway!

Not one, but two personal window shades.

A blanket ... but oddly, no pillow.

And a lay-flat seat! But also with plenty of other reclining options. I did lay flat and sack out at one point during my approximately three-hour jaunt to Texas.

A stupid amount of legroom.

The book was Ian McEwan's "Sweet Tooth." A great read, seen here on my seat's large folding tray table.

A very nice entertainment system with movies, games, and TV shows. I skipped them all and read an actual book. But my fellow passengers were enjoying the offerings.

A padded seat belt.

Plentiful stowage.

Seat 4A. Yep, much nicer than what I had for the ride out. That said, first class for this flight was objectively more like what I've enjoyed in business class on other occasions. My total ticket price for the round-tripper was only about $750, so why complain?

A few days later I returned as a first-class passenger. This, of course, meant that I was in boarding group number one for American. Our ship for the ride from LAX to Dallas was a Boeing 777-200 — a nice widebody aircraft.

And here's Bob Dylan from the Charlotte to LA leg.

I also broke out my Moleskines and did some drawings. This is the late, great Leonard Cohen from my Newark to Charlotte leg.

I do everything I can to skip using a screen or in-flight entertainment when I fly. So I kept myself entertained by reading about Aquaman.

And the plane wasn't packed, so I had the whole row to myself.

I'm not a big guy — 5'7" — so tight seating usually doesn't bother me unless it's ridiculously tight. My window seat on this American flight wasn't too bad.