The jewel of our outbound travel experience was Lufthansa First Class from Frankfurt to Johannesburg, but we needed to get to Frankfurt first. This first part is also where I made some crucial errors, as indecision about which European gateway city we would fly into ultimately cost me a seat in Business Class on the way there, and prevented me from getting our intra-Europe flight in Business Class as part of the same award. Oh well.
We ended up traveling from DFW-MAD on AA36. One of the Business Class seats on this 777-200 was broken, so Robert and I split cabins to take advantage of the one Business seat available. Normally I would have been quite frustrated about the situation, but the excitement about the rest of our upcoming trip minimized any negativity about my own mistake. I encouraged him to take it, as I can sleep on planes in almost any seat fairly easily, plus the fact that I had him booked in Cathay First Class originally :). Our flight did post a small delay as maintenance finished up some paperwork. Alas, the broken seat issue was not resolved.
The gate agents were kind and did their utmost to keep us posted about any no-shows and assigned me a Premium Economy aisle seat with nobody in the middle. The Premium Economy seats on AA are actually quite comfortable, and a big step up from regular Main Cabin seats. The seats are almost identical to a typical domestic First Class seat, with generous width, legroom, and recline. When AA first started selling PE, the additional charge was roughly $200 each way, which is a no-brainer considering most extra-legroom Main Cabin Extra seats cost about $150. Now, the fare difference can sometimes be significantly more. I would consider an upgrade to Premium Economy for $200-$300 each way on a long haul flight to be a good deal, striking an excellent balance of value vs comfort.
High-def video screens, and generous seat recline. 
Plenty of shoulder room, and adjustable headrests. 
More than enough legroom to stretch out!
Back to my own flight, rather than just an empty middle seat, I ended up with a whole row to myself, and cocooned myself with a fort of pillows and blankets and was quite cozy during the flight. I took advantage of the extra underseat storage and was able to stretch my legs, recline my seat fully, and relax, with extra tray tables for my drinks/electronics while I snoozed. One weak point of these seats is the footrest attached to the seat in front, that several passengers, even with flight attendants helping, were not able to extend fully. I chuckled as I watched them spend a good 5 minutes trying to lower the footrest to no avail. I just used the extra pillows in my row to prop my feet up instead. Overall, not a bad way to travel!
The service on this flight was also excellent. The smiling FA taking care of my side of the aisle was extremely pleasant, and wished us a happy honeymoon. Robert was kind enough to send up a glass of champagne from Business Class, which she delivered with a smile. An initial drink service was offered with pretzels, and I chose my signature Dasani Lime. Shortly thereafter, the main meal service commenced, with another drink offer (I chose white wine to go with my meal). The bulgogi chicken with rice and vegetables was actually delicious and flavorful, with tender chicken pieces in a genuinely zesty sauce with nicely cooked vegetables. The portion was filling, yet the dish felt light and healthy. I do wish AA would serve warm bread rather than the cold packaged rolls, but overall this was one of the better airplane dishes I’ve been served, especially in Premium Economy.
Business Class Food Menu 
Business Class Wine List
Up in Business Class, Robert was left with the Chicken as the only option since he was seated in the last row and had his order taken last. He did enjoy the option, though the Red Snapper sounded delicious. The Collet Premier Cru Champagne which he sent back was quite nice and balanced as well.
Another drinks pass came after dinner (3 drink services so far!), and I enjoyed one more glass of wine while watching How To Train Your Dragon. Eventually, the wine made me drowsy, and with eyemask on and earplugs in, I dozed off intermittently for about 5 hours, awakening as the FAs turned the lights on for a continental breakfast service. After some yogurt, fruit, and coffee, we touched down in Madrid a few minutes late (due to our delayed departure).
The transit experience in Madrid is not the easiest for inexperienced travelers. Lots of walking is involved, along with a train ride to the main T4 building if you arrive or leave from T4 Satellite (S). A bus ride is also required if you are traveling between T4 and the rest of the terminals.
TIP: Use the elevators to travel up and down between the train and T4S/T4 levels to save a big chunk of time.
After going through security and immigration, we went curbside and found the shuttle bus between terminals. After a 15 minute bus ride, we checked in at the Lufthansa counters and were issued boarding passes for Frankfurt. Since we had 3 hours to kill, we spent some time in Puerta de Alcala, which I access using Priority Pass from my Chase Sapphire Reserve. We filled up on some coffee and breakfast options while I did some work and Robert made friends with some fellow travelers who were impressed with his David Bowie shirt.
Like many European airports, the gates for each flight are not announced until shortly before boarding, to encourage passengers to spend as much time (and money!) wandering the terminal as possible. Eventually, our gate E69 was announced (Robert: “My favorite number!”). The flight was fairly full, and Robert and I were assigned middle seats 24B and 26B. Also due to the full flight, our bags were checked, which was fine by me since we were going to exit the terminal anyways to get to the First Class Terminal in Frankfurt. After boarding was announced, we stepped onto LH1113 from Madrid to Frankfurt.
Lots of legroom in the Exit Row 
Robert suffering
Upon boarding, all one could see was a seat of slimline Economy class seats, with virtually no padding or legroom. Even “Business Class” had the same seats, with only the middle seat blocked for a little bit of extra space. Due to the proliferation of LCCs Ryanair and Easyjet in Europe, even legacy carriers have had to adapt and seating arrangements like this reflect that change in the times. This time, I lucked out, as I ended up in an exit row seat with almost unlimited legroom. Robert, much to his dismay, was not as lucky.
The rules and safety requirements of exit row seats around the world are interesting. I was not permitted to store my backpack under the seat in front of me, but neither was I briefed about exit row responsibilities and asked the typical “willing or able” question. Fortunately, it was not an issue on this flight. We soon took off, with a projected flight time of 1 hr and 50 mins.
After takeoff, I tried to take a nap but was unable to get comfortable in the seats and played games on my phone instead. The smell of cooking food soon permeated the cabin, and I had a momentary twinge of jealousy at the Business Class passengers in the front of the plane. The FAs soon wheeled a cart of beverages down the aisle, followed by a cart filled with dozens and dozens of meal trays. Wait a second, that’s far too many meals for the 6 passengers in Business Class….?! I watched, bewildered, as they proceeded to serve a complimentary hot lunch to all 170+ passengers in the cabin, followed by a beverage of choice (including complimentary beer and wine). Service took quite a while, as it seemed the crew had to cook the meals in two batches due to oven space, and the purser (who was working the beverage cart) was offering each passenger multiple drinks.
Purser: Can I offer you something to drink?
Customer: Sure, white wine please.
P: Certainly. Any still or sparkling water as well?
C: Still water would be great.
P: Of course. Any tea or coffee as well?
C: Coffee please.
P: Any milk or sugar?
C: Some milk, please.
Rinse and repeat. For all passengers in the cabin. All done with a smile and professionalism. When the other crew members were finished serving the food, they came back with a beverage cart and helped finish the service for the remaining passengers.
The actual meal was not that interesting, but the “soft product” on this flight absolutely blew me away, and rivaled most first class flights I’ve experienced of similar length within the US. What an incredible investment in the economy customer experience, and what stellar and patient service from the FAs, in the face of some difficult and demanding customers. One couple nearby was sleeping during the initial service, and woke up irate that they had missed the meal offering. The purser was in the aisle with the beverage cart, and quickly grabbed a phone to call the back galley, where an FA grabbed a leftover meal, brought it forward to the purser, who then offered it to them. After they completed the initial service, they continued to roam the aisles, offering drink refills, collecting trash, and responding to call lights. It was truly remarkable.
Soon enough, we touched down in Frankfurt, and taxied to our gate. Deplaning was a bit of chaos, but soon enough we grabbed our bags and exited the terminal, excited to experience the magic of Lufthansa First Class finally!
The Chen and Pitts Travelogue 