(This is Part 1 in a multipart trip report. For the background on this trip, check here.)

We arrived at the Tom Bradley International Terminal, checked in at the Mexicana Elite desk, and headed quickly through security. (The first-class security line was poorly enforced, but that certainly isn't anything I haven't seen before.)

Our plan was to head to the joint oneworld® lounge to spend the hour or so before boarding. We took the lounge elevator to the fifth floor and ...

American Airlines has a new "Your Choice" program that is nicely sugar-coated to make you think that you are saving money.

The initial "Your Choice" offering is a "Boarding and Flexibility Package" that:

Places you in Group 1 of General Boarding, which allows you to be one of the first groups to board the plane for your flight. (Group 1 boards immediately following PriorityAAccess(SM) customers) Provides a $75 Flight Change Discount, ...

A few days ago, Delta offered triple miles (elite qualifying and redeemable) for flights between New York (LGA) and Boston (BOS), Washington D.C. (DCA) or Chicago (ORD). At the time, I begged other airlines to match.

Well, AA matched.

(written at 35,000 ft. on AA flt. 2, LAX-JFK)

I was pleasantly surprised to read a blog post this morning from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram's Sky Talk Blog, which covers the airline industry (especially airline industry news related to the Dallas-Fort Worth area, which explains why the blog has a place in my RSS feed).

The blog post itself was nice enough — reporting the surprising news that airline passenger satisfaction has actually risen for the first time in three ...

Continuing on the theme of bumps, Chicago O'Hare (ORD) might be a wise airport to connect in this summer if you are looking for a bump. It also might be the airport you want to avoid if you are concerned about getting to your destination on time.

Travelers at O'Hare International Airport face delays this summer that could be easily avoided if the airlines simply overcame their penchant for jamming too many flights into the most-congested hours, the Federal Aviation Administration ...

I've flown ten transcon segments on AA in the past fourteen days. Some thoughts:

1. Smaller Planes Suck.

AA is using the 737-800 on more transcon routes, which is bad for frequent flyers. Both versions of that plane have just 16 seats in first. Compare that with 22 on the old 757, 30 business- and 10 first-class seats on the 767-200, and 30 on the 767-300. So even an Executive Platinum flyer has a decent chance of missing an upgrade.

This played out on a recent ...