Well, my plans to fly the 787-9 Flagship Suite Preferred on American Airlines from Chicago to London never got off the ground thanks to a mechanical issue that required taking the plane out of service. While I ultimately made it to my final destination on time, it was not in the manner in which I had hoped…

American Airlines Flagship Suite Preferred Review That Never Happened

American Airlines has a beautiful new fleet of Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners featuring business class seats that I would argue are superior to both the Delta One and United Polaris suites. But these new planes have experienced a lot of growing pains. Thus far these aircraft have been operationally unreliable and my own flight from Chicago to London last Wednesday, AA46, was yet another casualty.

It all started so well. I boarded the flight, where I was very warmly greeted by the crew. One lovely flight attendant even wanted to pose for a picture with the new suites and the purser, Terry, was such a nice man.

We pushed back a few minutes late, and then came the bad news. The captain announced a nose gear issue. We returned to the gate where maintenance staff boarded the aircraft to address the issue. I think it may have been software-related, but every time the system was reset, the issue would reappear. Ultimately, the plane had to be taken out of service. We were asked to deboard and await an update, though the captain mentioned that American Airlines had a spare aircraft in the hangar.

A great solo travel tip spotted this week on Live and Let's Fly.