My wife and I took this route from San Juan, Puerto Rico to Philadelphia, PA as our very first experience in Business Class. It was a pretty exciting experience for both of us to see what the hype was all about. So here is my American Airlines Business Class Review!

One of the easiest credit card bonuses to receive is that of the American Airlines Red Aviator Card from Barclays. The bonus when I signed up was 60,000 American Airlines miles after making just 1 purchase! However, there is a $95 annual fee and the first year is not waived. So essentially, you receive 60,000 miles (worth roughly $840), for $95. For the one purchase, I simply purchased a $1 gift card to Amazon.

These are some of the easiest points I have ever earned.

Once we had the miles, we had been waiting for the right opportunity to use them. Once we had made up our mind to travel to Puerto Rico, we looked into the best way to utilize miles and points.

Since we are located in Salt Lake City, we decided it would be best to fly out on Delta. However, the returning flight proved to be a great opportunity to use these miles.

Booking American Airlines Business Class

Flying from SJU to SLC, we knew we would have to have a layover. I strategically picked Philadelphia as the layover was pretty short, and we possibly could visit the American Express Centurion Lounge for a few minutes.

I am typically pretty frugal with my points, so flying economy was my first look. It looked to be 12,500 miles for each of us to fly home, and the cash price for these tickets were roughly $250 each. While we would be saving money, it wasn’t the best redemption to maximize these points.

I then looked into Business Class, and I was shocked! It was only going to cost us 25,000 points each to fly Business Class from SJU to PHL and then First Class from PHL to SLC. The cash price for these tickets were just over $700 per person. So not only did I save $1,400 for both of us, I was able to stretch these 50,000 points in value. This redemption got me 2.8 cents per point, which is an incredible value. My final out of pocket cost to purchase these were $95 for the annual fee and $11.20 in taxes.

While saving money is the first layer of points and miles, the next layer is to always try to make your miles stretch as far as possible.

American Airlines Business Class Review – The Boeing 767-300

This Boeing 767-300 (tail number N346AN) primarily flies between SJU and PHL, and has been in the air since 2003. While it is a bit of an older plane, it did not take away from the experience. Here’s a few photos from our 4 hour flight.

We sat in 4D & 4G

Seat 4D, the more exposed side. My wife of course got the more private seat, 4G.

View from my seat.

This is the oldie part of the plane. For international flights, they will give out entertainment tablets. Since this flight was domestic, there wasn’t much to do. So I slept most of the flight.

Lunch wasn’t too bad! 7/10.

This is one important thing to note about this plane. The “A” and “J” seats have much bigger overhead spaces. I couldn’t fit my backpack in mine so my neighbor had to share with me.

There is a large difference in storage space above depending on seat.

Plenty of legroom. I’m 5’11” for what it’s worth.

The Business Class Cabin does have a bit of an older feel, but does not take away from its luxury.

Final Thoughts

I do not fly American Airlines very often as I am based in SLC, and my airline loyalty is towards Delta for several reasons. However, it does pay to adopt the “divide and conquer” credit card strategy when you have experiences like this.

Overall, my American Airlines Business Class Review is a solid 9/10. Great cabin service, attentive crew, and wonderful nap on our way to Philadelphia.

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