[DFW] Glad I switched to the Preferred Suite

This was my first time flying American, I usually fly BA Club World or First. I was on the new 787-9P out of Dallas to London Heathrow and I was lucky in that I noticed the equipment change and was able to switch to one of the Preferred Suites.

The seat was 10D, so no window and close to the galley, crew storage, and toilet. Lots of traffic and distractions. In hindsight I should have gone for 10H as it was less busy. Unfortunately those were the only available Preferred Suites when I switched, otherwise I would have definitely gone for a window.

The seats is noticeably bigger than the standard business class seats, and some people were visibly annoyed by that! There’s a lot of space in the footwell and either side. There are a lot of recline options so it’s a nice comfy space.

There are some odd choices in terms of the controls/features. The headphone socket is in the headphone cubby and is integrated into the hook in a way which makes it very hard to find. Even the crew don’t know where it was. The screen seems to go into sleep mode every 10 mins as well, which is probably a bug, I had to keep tapping the screen or handset to bring the movie back up.

For some inexplicable reason, part of the table glows. The white marble effect bit has a light inside, and the button next to the seat controls switches it off and on. It’s a weird choice because the light is so subtle you don’t really notice what the button is doing and you expect it to be for the reading light.

Everything else is controlled by the handset, which is super light and responsive. The main display is a touchscreen and can also be used, but it is a bit far away and does feel a little bit small because of that. You can’t angle the screen at all. For some reason ours were set to Japanese as well, which made for a fun activity when we got on board.

The mattress pad for the seat was apparently really great, it definitely makes a difference and I wish it was something all business class seats had. The bedding was nice, there’s a pillow and a cushion.

You also get pyjamas and slippers, which are much nicer and softer than the ones you get on BA in First. I haven’t really explored the amenity kit, seems pretty standard with socks, eye mask etc.

BA gives everyone free WiFi for messaging, which I was annoyed wasn’t included with AA.

The thing that let the experience down for me was the service and the food. The staff were rushed, curt and didn’t know how the new seats worked. I had the all day roast, and it did feel like it had been cooked all day, it was dry and tough. It might be a one off, but BA Club World service beat them by a mile.

Overall the seat, equipment and amenities are better than BA First in my humble opinion.

I would definitely recommend grabbing one if you can, and especially while they’re no more expensive than regular business was class seats. There’s no way they’re not going to start charging more for them.