Tier Point Run to Phoenix in Nov 2017

I headed away to Phoenix for one night via Bucharest, Helsinki, Heathrow and Philadelphia.

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Taking off from Los Angeles LAX heading to New York JFK
Taking off from Los Angeles LAX heading to New York JFK
Taking off from Los Angeles LAX heading to New York JFK
Taking off from Los Angeles LAX heading to New York JFK

Tier Point Run to Hawaii in Jan 2023: Day 5 – Los Angeles (LAX) to New York (JFK)

By Nige on Mon 30 Jan 2023 at 20:11
Type: Post
Story: Tier Point Run to Hawaii in Jan 2023
Tags: American Airlines | JFK | LAX | Los Angeles | New York | Trips | USA

As it happens, the Starbucks queue at TBIT wasn’t long at all.  Since they opened the second store further up the concourse, perhaps it has distributed the volume of passengers wanting a Starbucks.  I was happy with that.  Having seen the first few passengers quickly place their order and wait at the end of the counter, the two ladies in front of me must have ordered for their entire female soccer first team (plus reserves)!

Crikey - I needed this
Crikey - I needed this
Crikey - I needed this
Crikey - I needed this

Having picked up my caramel macchiato, I tasted it and the sweetness wasn’t there.  So I had to ask for some vanilla to be added.  I did ask why it hadn’t been put in to start with, but I never got a clear answer.  Surprising how many times the standard approach to making a Starbucks coffee isn’t followed.

Back to the AA Flagship Lounge and a number of the staff recognised me, so I got a warm welcome.  That’s what status is all about (and of course regular flying).

I wasn’t in the lounge for long.  I managed about 20 mins before fitting my contacts and heading off to Gate 47B.  I thought I’d give AA another opportunity to invite me to pre-board.  As it happens there were a significant number of CKs that pre-boarded, then Group 1 was called.

On into seat 01F and I settled in for the transcontinental flight to New York.  Not normally much longer than 4.5 hours and initial estimate was that we would be arriving early.  The captain referred to the maintenance log and that’s never a good sign…

Luckily, this only led to a 15 min delay to our departure, and the captain estimated the flight would only take 4hr 20 min. I noted there were at least 2 empty seats in first class. Normally, AA like to fill up the premium cabins, but not today, unless of course the seats were broken?

Flight: AA0238 Equip: A321T
Sched Depart: 08:30 Actual: 08:40
Sched Arrival: 16:53 Actual: 16:33
Takeoff: 09:03 Landing: 16:26

We took off about 9am heading inland, rather than the norm of taking off over the Pacific Ocean. I was looking forward to getting back home now. It was going to be nice to visit the JFK lounges again, but arriving into Heathrow will be the focus.

The view of LAX after taking off heading for New York JFK, heading east
The view of LAX after taking off heading for New York JFK, heading east
The view of LAX after taking off heading for New York JFK, heading east
The view of LAX after taking off heading for New York JFK, heading east

Onboard service started pretty quickly after take off. I started with tea and some biscotti biscuits with nuts. Odd combo to be honest.

I trawled the movies again and concluded I needed to lower my standards. I chose Midnight in Paris with a star studden class including Owen Wilson and Rachel McAdam. It was a film for Owen Wilson and it was a classic Owen Wilson film.

A lovely looking plate of fruit on board the flight to JFK
A lovely looking plate of fruit on board the flight to JFK
A lovely looking plate of fruit on board the flight to JFK
A lovely looking plate of fruit on board the flight to JFK

Then came a beautifully presented plate of fruit. Followed by an American breakfast.

My American breakfast on board the flight to JFK
My American breakfast on board the flight to JFK
My American breakfast on board the flight to JFK
My American breakfast on board the flight to JFK

The scrambled egg was dry, but the canadian ham was lovely. I also received a pressed juice, which was an unusual flavour. I was then invited to pick up a cheese plate – a collection of them were on the side.

A lovely plate of cheese and fruit on board the flight to JFK
A lovely plate of cheese and fruit on board the flight to JFK
A lovely plate of cheese and fruit on board the flight to JFK
A lovely plate of cheese and fruit on board the flight to JFK

After the relatively short Owen Wilson film, i decided i would try a Denzil film i hadn’t seen before: Remember the Titans. It was a classic American football story, combining a tale of building a new football team and overcoming racial bigotry. Based on a true story.

A hazy view of Manhattan on final approach into JFK
A hazy view of Manhattan on final approach into JFK
A hazy view of Manhattan on final approach into JFK
A hazy view of Manhattan on final approach into JFK

Final approach provided some hazy views of Manhattan. We arrived early on a (convoluted flight path) into Gate 31 of Terminal 8 and the new JFK lounges were only a short walk away.


Follow the whole story here: Tier Point Run to Hawaii in Jan 2023


Comments (1)

  • Avatar photo

    By Graig on Tue 31 Jan 2023 at 04:47 Reply

    There's definitely a lot to find out about this issue.

    I really like all of the points you made.

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Author Bio: About Nige

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Nige is one of the co-founders of The Billingham Blog and works as a freelance management consultant. He loves to fly in his spare time!

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