As the world’s largest airline, American Airlines needs no introduction; a founding member of the oneworld alliance, the airline flies a fleet of over 900 aircraft to over 300 destinations worldwide. On this occasion, I was booked on American Eagle, the regional arm of American Airlines. Confusingly, American Eagle flights are itself operated by six different regional airlines on behalf of American, all while wearing the livery of the chartering airline. This flight, for example, was operated by SkyWest Airlines, which also operates regional flights for Alaska, Delta, and United.

Booking American Eagle

I was booked on this flight as part of a wider itinerary on Japan Airlines. In particular, I managed to grab a roundtrip Japan Airlines Economy Class roundtrip ticket from Jakarta to Seattle for IDR16,843,800 (~USD1,075, GBP852). To sweeten this spectacular price, I got to route the return via Los Angeles with this American Eagle flight for no extra cost. Due to the timing of the flights, I even managed to cram a one-night layover in LAX for the same price! However, as this ticket was issued by Japan Airlines, I was inadvertently booked in Basic Economy (gulp).

Check-in

After checking out from the Grand Hyatt Seattle, I took a cab straight to SeaTac. Although it was an easy ride to the airport, I was dropped off at the Arrivals Level, meaning I had to go up several escalators to get to the departures check-in area. Thankfully, the check-in American Airlines was easy enough to find.

Although I was booked in Basic Economy, I still managed to select seats in advance thanks to my oneworld Emerald status with Cathay Pacific. This status also has the benefit of getting three free checked bags. Either way, bags weren’t a problem, since my Japan Airlines ticket already has an allowance for two bags.

As there wasn’t a queue, I was helped instantly by a courteous check-in agent. She tacitly acknowledged my oneworld Emerald status and I had no issue using the priority queue or checking in bags. Furthermore, I was invited to use the premium security queues, which was certainly appreciated.

Lounge

Although American Airlines does not traditionally maintain a lounge offering at Seattle-Tacoma, this changed in 2021 when Alaska Airlines joined oneworld. Due to that, Admirals Club members and eligible frequent flyers can use the three Alaska Lounges at the airport. I’ve reviewed two of these lounges in previous instalments, including the flagship Alaska Lounge at the North Satellite, as well as the Alaska Lounge Concourse D. As American Airlines flights depart Concourse D in Seattle, the latter lounge would be most convenient for American Airlines customers.

Boarding

After spending a couple of hours between the two Alaska Lounges I visited, I headed to Gate D10, from where our flight would be departing. I reached the gate about 10 minutes before our printed boarding time of 11.19. However, once there, the gate agents announced that boarding would be delayed to 11.35 due to the late arrival of our aircraft.

Sure enough, our American Eagle Embraer E175 only showed up at the gate at 11.27, after flying in from Los Angeles. Our flight today is operated by N514SY, an Embraer E175 delivered new to SkyWest Airlines in December 2021.

General boarding finally started at 11.37, starting with Group 1 passengers. As I was in Group 2, I managed to get on board straight after First Class, allowing me to quickly snap some pictures of the empty Main Cabin! At the door, I was greeted by Ruth, the purser on our flight.

American Eagle E175 Main Cabin

American Eagle Embraer E175s are equipped with a typical configuration of 76 seats, similar to that offered by the regional arms of other legacy US carriers. Of those, 64 seats are in the Main Cabin (Economy Class), with the first five rows marked as Main Cabin Extra.

While regional jets are notorious for being cramped, the Embraer E175 is one of the most comfortable ones out there. The cabin is configured in a standard 2-2 configuration, with each seat completely decked in American’s signature grey and red-trimmed leather upholstery.

What I liked best about the cabin, however, was how comfortable and well-padded the seats were. Better yet, each pair of these 18-inch-wide seats features a universal power outlet, which is much appreciated. Mix the seat comfort with the 2-2 configuration, and you have a winning combination!

On this flight, I was seated in 13A, in the first row of Main Cabin, featuring no extra legroom. Despite the 30-inch seat pitch, I was quite surprised that there was only a gap of 2.75 inches (7 cm) between the seatback and my knee. For reference, I am 5’10 (180 cm). Despite that, I suppose this was still a lot better than a seat with no padding.

I also liked the tray table, which I found to be spacious and sturdy enough for a laptop. Meanwhile, in the seat pocket, you’ll find provisioned a waste bag, an inflight entertainment guide, as well as the mandatory safety card. Finally, I’ll note that the cabin is equipped with individual air nozzles, which I always appreciate.

Departure from Seattle

After 15 minutes, boarding was completed with the cabin about 90% full. At 11.53, just four minutes past our scheduled departure time, the door was closed, prompting the captain to welcome us on our flight to Los Angeles. As such, although we boarded late, we were expected to arrive on time due to the short flight time and the quick boarding.

We then started the pushback sequence at 12.01. Our purser today, Ruth later came on the intercom, announcing our flight time of 2 hours and 15 minutes and apologising for the non-functioning entertainment and WiFi system. This was followed by a manual safety demonstration. As we taxied to the runway and waited for our turn, we saw a myriad of planes landing on the parallel runway, which really excited the avgeek in me!

After a lengthy takeoff queue, we finally made it to the runway at 12.28, 27 minutes after pushback. As we took off from Runway 16L, we flew past the Japan Airlines departure, which I could’ve flown instead. I’ve also reviewed the product in Economy Class.

During the climb to our cruising altitude, I was very lucky to get a very nice view of Mt. Rainier, which looked incredible this time of year. What a memorable way to leave Seattle…

Refreshments Service

In the end, I settled for a glass of AHA Lime + Watermelon sparkling water, which was interesting. I had the mini pretzels with this, which were fine. For one, I would have preferred the Penn State sour cream and chive mini pretzels served on British Airways, but I digress.

Interestingly, it was only an hour after takeoff were the seatbelt signs turned off by the captain. I was quite surprised by this since there wasn’t any noticeable turbulence otherwise.

Entertainment

Although the aircraft was equipped with an inflight entertainment network, the crew announced and apologised that was not working on this flight. Likewise, WiFi service was expectedly not available due to the same issue. As such, I was unfortunately unable to check out the system on this flight. Had it been available, the below shows a rough guide to the selection on the system.

Lavatory

The Embraer E175 has two lavatories, one in the aft and another in the rear. As the forward lavatory is reserved for First Class, I headed “all the way” to the rear of the cabin to check out the lavatory. Thankfully, the E175 isn’t a very long aircraft. 😉

As you’d expect from a regional jet, the lavatory is a bit small and cramped. Although this lavatory looked bright and new, I was quite sad to see how dishevelled it looked towards the end of the flight. For one, there were many bits of toilet paper and the toilet bowl was, err… rather smeared.

Arrival in Los Angeles

About 30 minutes before landing, the captain turned on the seatbelt signs. However, he didn’t instruct the crew to prepare the cabin for landing until 15 minutes later. Regardless, as we made our approach to LAX, we flew past Hollywood and Downtown Los Angeles, which even allowed me to catch a glimpse of the Hollywood Sign.

We had a smooth touchdown on Runway 7L, landing at 14.47, one minute before our scheduled arrival time. We ended up having to taxi past nearly the entire length of Los Angeles International Airport, passing the Tom Bradley International Terminal before taxiing past Terminals 4-7. Seeing the myriad of different planes, it is no surprise that LAX is an avgeek heaven!

As expected, we ended up parking at the Regional Terminal, alongside all the other regional jets flying into LAX. As I disembarked the plane, I thanked Ruth and the crew for the friendly service.

Verdict

Overall, I had a pleasant experience on American Eagle flight from Seattle to Los Angeles. Apart from the less-than-ideal lavatory situation, I was happy with how comfortable this flight had been. Although two hours might have been a bit too long to go without inflight entertainment, the wide well-padded seats made it possible to take a brief nap. In addition to the friendly service from Ruth and the crew, this flight was perhaps as good as you can get on a domestic American Eagle flight.

Read more from this trip here!