American Airlines Flight 785 First Class New York LGA – Dallas/Fort Worth – Review

LGA Admiral’s Club

LaGuardia Airport, named after former New York City Mayor Fiorello La Guardia, is the busiest airport in the United States that does not offer non-stop flights to Europe.  Its chaotic and frenzied pace is no surprise, nor are its origins: plans to develop the airport started after Mayor La Guardia found himself disembarking from a flight to New York – in Newark, New Jersey.

American Airline’s history in New York City is inexorably tied to this event.  Mayor La Guardia convinced the airline to start offering flights to Brooklyn’s Floyd Bennett Field, an airstrip to which his Newark flight eventually continued, and, during a trial period of flights to Floyd Bennett, La Guardia and executives from the airline began to plan a new airport in Queens.

I arrived at La Guardia during the height of rush hour in New York City for my 6 p.m. flight to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport.   After quickly clearing the security checkpoint (American has a special Priority AAccess line for first- and business-class passengers as well as higher-level members of its AAdvantage frequent flyer program), I had plenty of time to relax in the quiet surroundings of the Admiral’s Club.  LaGuardia Airport was the site of the first Admiral’s Club, which was also the first private airline club in the world.

BOARDING

Boarding started promptly half an hour prior to departure and I arrived at the gate when boarding was already underway.  American also has dedicated Priority AAccess lines for first class and higher status passengers so I was able to bypass a fairly long line and promptly get settled in my seat, 3A.  I tend to like bulkhead seats since there is no one in front who can invade your personal space by reclining, but I know that many flyers dislike them because there’s no space in front for storage.

As I entered the aircraft, I received a warm welcome from two crew members.

The first-class cabin was quite full when I got on but one of the flight attendants came over and helped me locate a nearby overhead bin for my roll-aboard.

No pre-departure beverage was offered but drink orders for later were taken prior to departure. I asked for a glass of water and this was quickly delivered.

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