I wagered on clearing my upgrade to London and lost. (I successfully “won” in September 2012 on a similar-looking trip to Dublin on American Airlines.) While the 777-300ER has a new plane smell to it, that’s about the only thing I was looking forward to for my journey across the Atlantic.
As an Executive Platinum member, even in coach, I was able to visit the American Airlines Flagship Lounge, which I last reviewed in 2012. I chose to have dinner at the lounge, with the intent of falling asleep after takeoff.
Shiny:
I had an exit row seat sitting across from one of the flight attendants. She seemed…quite worried that I was skipping dinner and eventually, breakfast. My seatmate was another Executive Platinum who had booked her ticket months earlier–American prioritizes upgrades by time of request–and had failed to clear.