Up in the Air About My Concierge Key. Im sure many of you have seen Up in the Air, the recent movie with George Clooney, which offers possibly the most accurate and detailed look at contemporary business travel ever presented. Its pretty hilarious. There are dozens of funny but true tips on how to negotiate security lines i. American Airlines Concierge Key Program' title='American Airlines Concierge Key Program' />VIP status that comes after repeated visits to the chain, and assorted stuff like that. If you havent seen it, I highly recommend it to road warriors for its instructive value alone. One of the stars of the movie is American Airlines, which is portrayed as the apex of business comfort in the skies. This was very amusing to me for a variety of reasons, primary of which, probably, has something to do with the relationship between familiarity and contempt. I was most tickled by the scene in which George Clooney seals a seduction by displaying his American Airlines Concierge Key Club card to his hot new companion, who turns to jelly upon sight of the simple black plastic emblem of extensive mileage. They both sit in awe of the card itself and all it represents. Not long after, the two happily fall into bed, with excellent results all the way around. Witness the power of customer retention programs I will now reveal to you that I, too, am a member of the exclusive, elite Concierge Key Club. F5IF1LVBO4/Vb96H1LnJdI/AAAAAAAAVGM/JJhGyR6DY4E/s1600/Avios-Chart.png' alt='American Airlines Concierge Key Program' title='American Airlines Concierge Key Program' />Im sure many of you have seen Up in the Air, the recent movie with George Clooney, which offers possibly the most accurate and detailed look at. Dicks Last Resort in Baltimore, MD. Try something new for once, and visit Dicks Last Resort located right in the Inner Harbor American Express Charge Cards offer you Platinum Services on American Express Platinum Charge Card Platinum Concierge Platinum Travel Services. Those who need wheelchairs should ask for them when booking. Even though the Transportation Department can penalize airlines for not providing wheelchairs. EDP Member Application Join the Employer Discount Program now and start commuting to work for only 75 per month a 25 savings on TriRails alreadylow faresAirlines have set a pretty low bar of service for most passengers except for those lucky enough to be invited into the airlines most exclusive frequentflier. Earn AAdvantage miles using an American Airlines credit card or partner credit cards, AAdvantage Dining, AAdvantage eShopping, and more inside American Express Platinum Charge card includes a concierge service. Read our comprehensive guide detailing what this amazing service entails. American Airlines Concierge Key Program' title='American Airlines Concierge Key Program' />I received word of it in a congratulatory letter about a year or so ago. I dont recall getting a card, but I probably have it somewhere. I was very happy to be inducted into this august group, and very curious about the new perks and privileges my newfound status would carry with it. I couldnt wait to find out. I am still waiting. As far as I can tell, membership in this, the most elevated in the American Airlines frequent flyer cadre, grants you the following An occasional greeting at the gate when you check in. Latest Pro Cycling Manager 2010 Crack 2017 - And Software on this page. One time, they paged me from the podium. I went up to find out what it was all about, fearing I had been bumped or something. No, there was an American Airlines representative with a clipboard at the little kiosk that scans the tickets. Hello, she said. I just wanted to tell you how happy we are that you are flying with us. I said thanks. She inquired whether I would like to board with the people in wheelchairs. I said not really. She said goodbye. Now and then, this same sort of official actually boards the plane itself after we are seated, approaches me and once again expresses pleasure that I am with them. I say thank you. He or she says no problemo and inquires if there is anything they can do for me. One time, I asked, Like what The greeter said, Well, nothing, really. Then we had a chuckle and that was that. American Airlines Concierge Key Program' title='American Airlines Concierge Key Program' />Those were the good old days, too. In fact, this greeting phase has abated almost entirely now. The other day I was grieved to see another business type getting the schmooze while I sat by myself, unrecognized as a Key Club dignitary. This pissed me off a lot more than it should have. No priority in getting a reservation. No actual, physical Club that one can visit. No presents, not even the luggage tags that one is awarded each year as an Executive Platinum person. Some limited help getting rebooked when your flight is cancelled, but only when you know the guys in the Admirals Club, which remains a very nice entity which I appreciate every time I travel. Hi, Admirals Club dudes Keep up the good work The ability to impress random fellow travelers with your Key Club card, resulting in passionate one time hookups in moderately priced chain motels. Needless to say, I do not avail myself of the last perk, honest. So right now, I will tell you, I remain somewhat mystified by the entire Concierge Key Club phenomenon. Im not the only one. The other day, after the deplorable incident in which my presence was not hailed with glee by the powers that be, I called American Airlines and inquired of a representative of the Key Club what my status really entailed. She didnt really know either. Its just a nice thing, she said. So in the end, unless Im missing something, Id have to say that the Concierge Key Club is just a somewhat cynical trick played by American Airlines to seduce individuals who are shallow and foolish enough to be impressed by membership in a Club whose only benefit seems to be that other people dont belong to it. Not that I want to be ejected, mind you. I mean, when you get right down to it, the fact remains that I am Concierge Key, and most of you are not. Thats something, I guess. Now if youll excuse me, theyre calling my flight, and I get to board with the people in wheelchairs. Dont want to miss out on that. Review American Airlines Premium Economy 7. Dallas To Paris. When American Airlines first introduced Premium Economy I knew I wanted to give it a try. Luckily, as American tends to do when launching a new product or service, the airline started selling Premium Economy seats as Main Cabin Extra for the first few months of service. For a few months American flew their 7. Premium Economy domestically, but then expanded service to several select long haul markets departing from Dallas Fort Worth. I was lucky enough to find a great deal on a Dallas to Paris flight serviced by a 7. Because I maintained Advantage Platinum Elite Status I could select a Premium Economy seat for free as MCE at the time of booking. Boarding. When American introduced their new boarding process the airline decided to include Premium Economy passengers in Group 4. Group 4 is the last group eligible to use the Priority Boarding lane. This means customers can of course board with their group number, but can skip the main cabin line and board through the priority lane at any point after that. This is nice because when flying in a Premium Cabin you generally dont have to worry about overhead space or anything else. Since youre not stressing about the boarding process you can relax in the lounge until the boarding announcement. For our flight this was perfect we ended up spending a lot of time in the American Express Centurion Lounge and arrived to the gate about halfway through the boarding process. Group 6 was boarding at the time we arrived to the gate, but because we had Priority AAcess we were able to skip to the front of the line and board easily. Americans Premium Economy Seat. At face value the new American Airlines Premium Economy seat is basically a domestic first class seat. The seats are wider and recline more than standard economy seat, but are a far cry from a current business class seat. Premium Economy seats in row 9 feature a leg rest and a flip up personal entertainment screen. I wish I could say the PE seat was significantly better than a standard economy seat, but I really didnt care about it. Sure its nice to get a little wider seat and some extra recline, but Id argue the seat is no more comfortable than a standard economy seat with a missing neighbor. I expected to get a great night sleep on my flight, but that didnt really happen. Also I found the leg rest overall annoying. It didnt make my flight any more comfortable and halfway through the flight I ended up putting it down and sitting more comfortably. One interesting feature is that the aisle seat armrest can be lowered by a small button on the front of the seat. I found the seat most comfortable when fully reclined, leg rest stowed, and armrest lowered. Premium Economy Amenities. American Airlines Premium Economy seats come with slightly better amenities than those offered in coach. Sitting on our seats when we boarded the plane were the standard pillow and blanket packages, but included in the plastic wrap was an amenity kit and Noise reducing headphones. First off, anyone hoping to reduce noise on the flight needs to bring their own headphones. The headphones provided in Premium Economy were bulky over the ear headphones which offered no notable noise reduction. The Amenity Kits are a nice touch, but almost completely worthless in the long run. My kit was the cloth pouch version which I can see no future use for. Inside were earplugs which you shouldnt need thanks to the headphones, travel socks, and a little dental kit. Overall the Amenity Kit is a nice touch to prime customers to believe they are getting a premium experience, but is overall worthless. My girlfriend did receive a different kit with a zipper which I could see her using to store toiletries or other smaller items in the future. Premium Economy Premium DiningShortly after taking off the flight attendant offered us drinks and handed an American Premium Economy branded menu. The menu basically tells you whats being served rather than giving you options. For our flight we had a choice between beef or pasta, but the appetizer, salad, dessert, and breakfast were all fixed. Shortly after making our entre selections the flight attendant delivered our entire meal to our seats. The whole dining experience is exactly what youll find on a domestic first class flight. Premium economy meals are served on real plates and you are given metal utensils. Our meal featured a small plate Shrimp Remoulade, a salad Seasonal Greens, an entre I had the beef, and a dessert lemon coconut layer cake. Overall I found the small plate and salad enjoyable, but the beef tenderloin was anything but tender. Also, Im not sure why the beef dish included soggy asparagus. I dont know who thought serving asparagus on a flight where everyone shares a tiny restroom was a good idea stinky. I am happy to report however than the lemon layer cake was fantastic. About an hour before landing the flight attendants came around to deliver our wake up breakfast. Breakfast was simply various slices of fruit, greek yogurt, and a delicious cinnamon roll. The cinnamon roll was so good we asked for seconds and the flight attendant gladly accommodated us. My Overall Impression On American Airlines Premium Economy. Honestly if I had paid a premium to sit in Americans Premium Economy cabin I would be fairly upset. Not that the experience was bad by any means, but its just not nearly as good a their current business class. Yes youre getting a bigger seat with more recline, but youre still basically sitting upright. The food was only slightly better than what Ive been served in regular economy, the seats were marginally more comfortable, and the service was nothing spectacular. I was happy to find an expanded alcoholic beverage menu and a self service snack bar in the premium cabin galley, but those were the only things that set PE apart from traditional economy. I dont think Im going to go out of my way to pay for premium economy on future flights. Id much rather continue to buy the cheapest economy class ticket available when crossing the atlantic. Final Thoughts. Im glad I finally got a chance to fly in Americans new Premium Economy cabin. It was nice to have a larger and more comfortable seats for our transatlantic crossing, but I dont see myself paying a premium to sit in PE on future flights. Sure the overall experience is a slight step up from regular economy on the 7. HUGE step down from business class. Id much rather save my money at the time of booking and pay for a miles co pay upgrade to business on future flights. Honestly, this flight makes me question the entire PE product. Im not really sure if the differentiation is enough to justify the added premium cost. I also really dont see a huge market for people paying nearly double the cost of a regular seat to get an only slightly more comfortable seat and only slightly better in flight experience. The only real value I see in buying PE in the future is the increase EQM earning rate.