American Eagle

Chicago ORD to YYC on a small CR7 jet. Overhead compartments won't take rollerbags so they have to be gate checked. Seats are small & uncomfortable. Fortunately the flight was less than half full so I sprawled out in the 2 economy seats in my row. The CR7 is too small of a plane to fly 3-4 hrs in. FAs pleasant and attentive enough.

DCA-JFK as part of international trip. Check in staff extremely rude and abrasive. Wanted to charge for bag even though I was clearly on an international ticket. Problem solved by Admirals Club staff member who was superb and redeemed the flight. Was not warned that small Embraer cannot accommodate carry-ons which lead to delays and confusion during boarding. FA was unfriendly and seemed utterly disinterested in safety demo.

DCA-JFK-DCA ERJ 140. Outbound flight was very good with on-time service an efficient and pleasant flight attendant plus informative crew. The inbound flight left the gate on time at JFK but didn't take off for another hour. Flight attendant provided minimal service. The outbound aircraft was newer but both were clean though the ERJ 140 is not comfortable due to the curvature of the fuselage at floor level. Checked baggage and valet cabin bags were delivered promptly. Overall this regional connector was acceptable for a flight of less than an hour not counting the pre-takeoff delay at JFK. Ticket price was higher than justifiable for this short flight.

DCA-JFK. Truly appalling experience. Apart from the 2.5 hrs delay due to which I missed a connection display of apathy indifference and condescension from multiple employees. The ground staff at DCA couldn't even advise if the incoming plane was in the air or not instead kept drip-feeding announcements of 30 mins delay each time. The lady didn't even have the decency to call JFK and explain my situation. At JFK in the middle of the night no AA staff was to be found finally a supervisor appeared at 5am and just sniggered at my problem of having missed the flight to Korea - not their problem apparently. The plane was shabby dirty and windows were barely kept together with a sticky tape.

XNA-ORD-XNA. First class seats comfortable but overhead storage limited as the singe seat side on CRJ has had the bins removed. 3 Rows of first class on CRJ in a 1+2 format. Under seat storage is ample allowing 2 bags to be brought on board avoiding their annoying valet bag service that can take 30 minutes from landing to complete. In flight drinks and snacks very nice with pleasant FA - Gate agent was awful and tried to stop anyone bringing 2 carryons on (1 personal item and a bag that fits overhead) - young and impetuous. The addition of First Class on their CRJ has been a definite boost for this carrier - even in coach their drink selections have got better. Now I seek out CRJ flights.

ORD-EVV on ERJ-145. Efficient and friendly male flight attendant. Plane small but overall fairly comfortable clean and well maintained. Flight attendant did a round of drinks and came back to offer seconds. On time departure and good service. Not bad for such a short flight.

I flew American Eagle between San Diego and Los Angeles International to catch an onward flight to London. The service was excellent on this very short flight (27 minutes). The flight attendant was friendly and diligent and made sure that everyone got a drink even though we were landing as soon as we took off. The flight left on time and landed early - can't ask for much more than that.

PHL-ORD-XNA. With a little luck I experienced the new First Class on American Eagle on their CRJ aircraft. I say luck as there is no clue that there would be first class on the flights - seat selection map was as normal - all one class but I happened to pick in the first 3 rows and got a first class seat FA told me that there is no priority given to frequent fliers and I felt that is an oversight by AE to show off their product to their best customers. Seats will be sold as first class from July 1. Seats were very comfortable - in fact the most comfortable American Eagle flights I have had! One downside is the loss of the overhead on the single seat side (there are 3 rows of 1+2) and one of the remaining bins contained an oxygen canister. Maybe AE missed a chance to put some full size bins on the one side? Definitely a step in the right direction for AE and I will no longer avoid their CRJ aircraft (as I do the Embraer).

CLE-LGA JFK-CLE. I needed to get to NYC early to catch an international flight leaving from EWR (due to airline changing airports) and this was my only option at the time. I checked the seating chart and also called customer service to see what the flight load was and the rep said the plane was pretty full and for $50.00 I could do a same day confirmed standby so I did. I arrived at CLE gate to find only 7 passengers on the flight. What a rip-off! The FA was nice BOB for snacks. Return flight was much better flight was passengers PAX total . FA was great and very personable. Many carry-ons were gate checked and were received shortly after landing.

Commuting from the midwest to Boston every week I have taken dozens of flights with American Eagle typically on a Embraer regional jet with the 1x2 seat layout. Presuming pricing is equal they are my preferred airline due to the Embraer aircraft. That said - pricing is all over the board. I may pay $200 one week and the next week the same flight is $400. I have preferred status so I always have access to the exit row (9 or 11) which are the only reasonably comfortable seats on the plane (1a is also ok if you have no Carry-On). Attendants are pleasant and attentive. Complimentary beverages are served but no snacks. Because the plane is small boarding and deplaning is quite fast. American Eagle allows gate checking of carry-ons which is necessary if you are taking anything more than about 9" in depth. I have actually bought a rolling computer bag specifically because it is the size and shape of the Embraer overhead compartment. Don't expect a standard roller bag to fit - they don't even get close. Biggest complaint is overhead light maintenance - at least 1 of 5 flights the overhead light is burned out. 2nd biggest complaint is temperature. The front of the plane is hot and the rear is cold. The exit row gives extra legroom but it also is a cold seat in winter. Keep you coat handy. Overall it is a reasonable flying experience if you can keep from changing planes in LaGuardia.