I booked the four segments between Oklahoma City and Orlando for ~$950 USD using my American Airlines AAdvantage Platinum. The purchase earned me nearly 2,000 AAdvantage miles.
As we prepped to end the night at Four Points by Sheraton, I received a notification from American saying the original flight below was delayed. I have been the guy to call them immediately to rebook myself on something that would get me to the destination closer to my arrival but this time I went with the vibes.
AA2273
OKC – CLT
Takeoff: 0604
Landing: 0920 (+1 hour)
Duration: 2hr 16min
Economy Class
March 9, 2024
Not only were Nicholas and I rebooked, we received a little upgrade to First Class on ERJ-175. Now Nicholas gets to enjoyed the window seat and a little more leg room to boot.
AA3959
OKC – DFW
Takeoff: 0837
Landing: 0944
Duration: 1hr 7min
First Class
March 9, 2024
We arrived at Will Rogers World approximately one prior to departure. This was cutting it close but not. The airport was not busy at all.
The security line was a different story. We entered a five line back up, approximately 100 souls, of people waiting to get through. We made it through the security checkpoint in 20 minutes though.
Boarding was scheduled for 30 minutes prior to departure and started on time with the agent asking those requiring extra time. He then boarded Concierge Key and first class passengers so we headed down the jet bridge.
The first class on this jet was set up in a 1-2 configuration and had four rows. We are assigned seats D and F on the first row.
We were on the plane in a few minutes. The nice flight attendant welcomed us and offered drinks. Nicholas declined the beverage, I asked for Tito’s and cranberry. She bought it within a minute.
When she returned, I asked if Nicholas could look in the cockpit. She asked the First Officer since the Captain was not aboard and he obliged. How cool is that?!
The seat was the standard regional first class seat.
The tray table came out of the right armrest, it could be used halved or whole.
The amount of space at these seats are the reason to get in the bulkhead.
The Captain made his welcome aboard announcement 10 minutes after boarding. He told us of the 40 minute flight time and hopefully smooth ride.
Kimberly, the flight attendant helping us, brought Nicholas Kleenex during this time because he was sneezing and also offered me another drink.
We then started talking a bit about the extra guy in the jump seat. He was supposedly in upgrade doing an observation ride.
After chatting a few more minutes, while waiting for departure, she asked where we were from. I said Wichita Falls and her jaw damn near hit the floor. Apparently, she’s from there also.
The safety demo started two minutes prior to departure. The flight attendants went into. During this time, we began our pushback from the gate.
After an eight minute taxi, we had a rolling takeoff and were outta there. These photos courtesy of Nicholas in the window seat.
We had a steep climb out but it was smooth. Kimberly came by for another drink service three minutes after we were airborne. Nicholas was still tired from the early start so he did not have anything while I ordered another vodka cran. It arrived in a fancy glass.
The aircraft also had WiFi. It could be purchased for $10 for the duration of the flight. However, if you were a T-Mobile customer, it was complimentary. 🫱🏻🫲🏿
The flight attendant then came by with a snack tray consisting of nuts and biscuits. I could not dare to eat either one after surgery yesterday but Nicholas had the nuts.
We started our descent 32 minutes after taking off. I really like the little regional flights. To send us off the right way, Kimberly blessed Nicholas with BAGS of peanuts to hold him over. Blessings ma’am.
We had a smooth touch down and taxis. The aircraft arrived at the gate
Final Word
This was cool little jaunt from Oklahoma City to Dallas. Kimberly was really exceptional. I also want to give the First Officer a huge shout out, Nicholas enjoyed the cockpit visit, sorry that he was jostling the stick a bit too much.
