Gibsons, Ostra, and Flying Flat on a One Hour Flight: AA Transcon Airbus 321 BOS-JFK

[HUGE AL]

Until you mentioned it, I always thought T-bone = Porterhouse! Apparently not! (A very useful article on the difference here.)

Steve is definitely the master. His books are outstanding and will teach you everything you need to know about grilling and BBQ.

Speaking of steaks, I hope someone will do a TR of a visit to one of SaltBae's steakhouses!

Can't see that being very good since he is too busy posing for pictures with fans.

Why do you need power outlets on a short sector anyway?)

Because those flights are almost always delayed, so I'm in the lounge and often forget to have the bartenders plug my charger into the outlet.

[yflyer]

Porterhouse

Until you mentioned it, I always thought T-bone = Porterhouse! Apparently not! (A very useful article on the difference here.)

Speaking of steaks, I hope someone will do a TR of a visit to one of SaltBae's steakhouses!

It totally is! We are now relegated to the E75's (with NO OUTLETS ) up and down the California corridor.

I've flown on Embraer turbroprops, but never the Embraer regional jets. But I am so sick of flying 737's and A320's that a ride on an Embraer, ATR or anything else would be preferable, whether or not they had power outlet. (Why do you need power outlets on a short sector anyway?)

We have had A TON of consolidation, so the ranks ridiculous. AA had to change the boarding procedure…otherwise, they would be like UA and board 90% of the plane at once.

Yes, getting out of hand for some airlines. These days I am not surprised when the priority boarding queue is even longer than the regular boarding queue (Happens on some BA routes too!). So I don't blame airlines for slicing and dicing the priority boarding into ever finer segments...

[HUGE AL]

But that T-bone was a thing of beauty.

Porterhouse

Good to see AA finally doing something good with J class.

A few years too late but still great to see AA finally making movement in the same way United is now doing with Polaris.

AA's transcon J and reverse herringbone seats have been in place for a few years.

The US airlines have so much potential to do a lot better but they seem to be stuck on domestic competition with each other.

Not quite sure what you mean…unless you are referring to their race towards the bottom.

...I want to try United to SFO one day but the 2x2x2 configuration just isn't appealing for such a long flight for the price you pay.

Proof!

More often than not, I have had new cabin products on their 738s, rather than the old cabin products, although HUGE AL insists it is pure luck.

It totally is! We are now relegated to the E75's (with NO OUTLETS ) up and down the California corridor.

Probably too many of their own elites to upgrade before considering SQ*G.

...the screens for upgrades are always full.

We have had A TON of consolidation, so the ranks ridiculous. AA had to change the boarding procedure…otherwise, they would be like UA and board 90% of the plane at once.

[Mlee888]

Still waiting for United to give me an op-up. CX, BA, QF, LH, QR and SQ have all op-uped me at some point over the years, but not UA (Or EK). Probably too many of their own elites to upgrade before considering SQ*G.

Yes!!! I've been waiting a long time too. I've done quite a few US domestic and the screens for upgrades are always full. Saying that, the relationship between UA and SQ isn't the greatest either so I'm always ready to join the long queue for elites which is always longer than the main Y queue.

I'm due to fly out again stateside in August and instead of going direct to SFO for transit to mid-state I've opted to do a stopover in NRT before going to LAX. I find the stopover useful as it allows me to grab a shower during the journey.

[yflyer]

Great photos

Thanks, Mlee888!

I want to try United to SFO one day but the 2x2x2 configuration just isn't appealing for such a long flight for the price you pay.

Yes 2-2-2 is not really state-of-the-art for business class these days. Still better than 3-3-3 in the Y cabin, though!

Good to see AA finally doing something good with J class.

A few years too late but still great to see AA finally making movement in the same way United is now doing with Polaris. The US airlines have so much potential to do a lot better but they seem to be stuck on domestic competition with each other.

I have actually been quite impressed with AA Y when I have flown them domestically in the US. More often than not, I have had new cabin products on their 738s, rather than the old cabin products, although HUGE AL insists it is pure luck. Of course this A321 was far and away the most comfortable domestic flight ever on AA.

Again, maybe just luck, but I have had pretty decent experiences on United too.

The upgrades from economy to first class on Delta, Y to Y+ on United......of course when I'm upgraded I don't mind but there just seems to be something missing still.

Still waiting for United to give me an op-up. CX, BA, QF, LH, QR and SQ have all op-uped me at some point over the years, but not UA (Or EK). Probably too many of their own elites to upgrade before considering SQ*G.

[Mlee888]

Good to see AA finally doing something good with J class.

A few years too late but still great to see AA finally making movement in the same way United is now doing with Polaris. The US airlines have so much potential to do a lot better but they seem to be stuck on domestic competition with each other. The upgrades from economy to first class on Delta, Y to Y+ on United......of course when I'm upgraded I don't mind but there just seems to be something missing still.

Great photos, I want to try United to SFO one day but the 2x2x2 configuration just isn't appealing for such a long flight for the price you pay.

[yflyer]

That New York on the display platter is looking kinda sad.

Mashed Potatoes and Creamed Spinach are the classics.

Yes, that was not the most well proportioned NY strip. I would have picked a different one for their display platter. But that T-bone was a thing of beauty.

OK next time round I will try the mash and spinach...

Told you that pie is INSANE HUGE!! LOL

And the way they stick the steak knife in it when they serve it is quite macabre...very Chicago though.

Can't believe they want a dollar to play the old arcade machine.

I would't pay a dollar to play Galaga. But I would for Galaxians!

[HUGE AL]

Gibson's…and the Galaga Machine

That New York on the display platter is looking kinda sad.

Mashed Potatoes and Creamed Spinach are the classics.

Told you that pie is INSANE HUGE!! LOL



Can't believe they want a dollar to play the old arcade machine.

[yflyer]

The bathrooms were done in stylish dark tones.



For those on the right side window seats, a very scenic flight along the East Coast and over Long island.





Views of Manhattan in the distance after landing at JFK...



At the gate...



A retro arcade machine in the JFK airside area after arrivals. A nice touch.



Overall a very pleasant flight. On an hour long sector, with a Y ticket, you could not have asked for more.

The fact that the J hard product was available to Y pax also highlights the occasional opportunity to fly in greater comfort than usual on some flights where airlines operate aircraft with cabin configs different from classes of travel sold. In the context of SQ, there are probably opportunities where aircraft with a PEY cabin fly routes where PEY tickets are not always sold -- there are probably opportunities where PEY seats are available to Y pax, e.g. SQ956 SIN-JKT, which is sometimes (Maybe always?) operated by an A350, although no PEY tickets are sold.

Back in Singapore, I googled Catherine Chevalier Woods, and found that it was indeed a forest preserve with a large deer population. My eyes weren't deceiving me when I thought I saw a deer ahead in the vegetation. There were trails and picnic areas, but none of these appear to be accessible from the Western side of the woods. You would need to access them from the South or Eastern sides of the woods. A run to plan for next time, then, during daylight hours.

As for Gibsons and Ostra, both of these are restaurants I would want to return to again. I would want to head to Gibsons for their steak, maybe with several other dining companions in order to share their gigantic desserts. As for Ostra, it is one of those places which I could return to over and over, just to try different things on their menu.

Thanks for reading!

[yflyer]

A very short flight, but there was still enough time for me to take a few pics of the seat in "seat" mode...



...and what is the use of a fully flat seat if you don't check out bed mode?

Now this was a 1 hour flight. I am pretty sure I was the only person who fully reclined the seat. Bed mode on this short sector? Other pax would look at you in a funny way. "What a sua ku" would be an appropriate Singlish expression. But if I didn't do it, this TR would not be complete, would it? Not an FAA violation either!



A very comfortable sleeping surface. On a transcon sector, it would probably be possible to get a few good hours of sleep. At least for those people who can sleep on planes. A surprising number of people I know cannot sleep on planes in any class of travel. Let's see if SQ's future A380 premium cabins can remedy that...

[yflyer]

I explored the IFE, which had a good selection of movies and television...





...including episodes of the hit series Game of Thrones...



...where I rewatched highlights of Season 6...



A large and sturdy faux wood tray table...



Just drinks and a snack on this flight (Still far more than what SQ provides on the SIN-KUL sector,)

[yflyer]

My seat was 6C, a bulkhead aisle seat.



Seat controls, including a button to recline to fully flat bed mode.



Reading light...



Universal A/C power, USB charging, and both 3.5mm and airline headphone sockets...



Large clear AVOD IFE screen...



...and handheld controller...



Take-off from BOS...

[yflyer]

My flight from Boston to New York was an early morning AA service.



This was just a 1+ hour flight, however it was operated by one of AA's transcontinental-configured Airbus A321. I am guessing this plane would then continue from JFK to SFO or LAX, where the full benefits of the 3-class configuration would be apparent.

On the lucrative US transcontinental routes, American Airlines' competitors include UA's P.S. (Premium Service...TR here) and Jetblue Mint (See Carfield's wonderful TR here.).

When I selected my seat on the self-service check-in kiosk in BOS, I was first presented with the usual 3-3 economy seat map on the A321. But I had itchy fingers and pressed the up and down arrows to scan other parts of the cabin.

What's this? There were seats configured 2-2 that were available for me to pick? I grabbed a bulkhead aisle seat in the 2-2 section.

I am not sure if these seats were open to all Y pax to select, or if it was because I had Oneworld Sapphire status, but I was quite happy to snag one of these seats. At that point, I had no idea what the cabin config looked like.

When I boarded, I was pleasantly surprised to find that this was not your ordinary A32x narrowbody config.

There was an F section, with the highly regarded Cirrus seats arranged 1-1 (These are what AA and other airlines use for longhaul J).



And then, there was J cabin configured in 2-2 using B/E Aerospace Diamond seats.



On today's short BOS-JFK sector, this J cabin was sold as economy. A very comfortable cabin for a short flight!

This was not unlike how in the "good old days" when SQ operated 3 class aircraft (Whether A310 or 772) but sold only F and Y tickets, and where it was sometimes possible to snag J seats on SQ's SIN-KUL service when flying on a Y ticket. (In those days, everyone had different strategies about how to get these SQ J seats allocated when flying on a Y ticket. Some folks said check in super early. Others said check in at the last minute. It all seemed quite random.)

[yflyer]

Rather than have a single main, I opted for two starter-sized courses, beginning with a richly flavoured coastal fish soup...





...which had amazingly fresh seafood and a deep umami flavour...

...and then spaghetti with clams and garlic...



...which was another winner, with very plump clams.



This time round, I had space for dessert...



I picked the Snow Egg...



...and was not disappointed...a crisp meringue shell encasing tangy lemon curd mousse...heavenly!



I ended dinner with a chocolate praline.



A top restaurant. One of the nicest meals I have had in Boston.

[yflyer]

The next day, after an early morning flight out of ORD, I found myself at the dinner table in Ostra in Boston. Ostra is a restaurant serving ultra-refined modern American/European cuisine, with fresh seafood being a speciality.



I was quite impressed by the large monkfish, nestled on crushed ice alongside the other fish on display. You don't often encounter monkfish outside of Japan and Korea.

Ambience was wonderful, with a spacious dining room, done in off-white, and separate bar/lounge area, where an outstanding jazz pianist was playing.



The day's menu...



...with an intriguing selection of starters, first courses and entrees...





I began with a Gruner Veltliner from Landhaus Mayer, an Austrian white wine, picked out from an extensive list of wines available by the glass...





A wonderful ciabatta-style bread with onion and potato topping...



For my first course, I opted for the sea bass tartare, topped with black truffle carpaccio...



Tartare AND truffle may seem like too much of a good thing, but these constituent ingredients worked well together, with a delicate texture and rich subtle flavour...



This went beautifully with the Gruner Veltliner...