American Airlines business class, LAX to London

A word on the ground experience first. I was travelling with a colleague, and it turns out that without sufficient status, American don't allow you to guest anyone into the lounge at LAX. They quoted somewhere around $70 or $80 for a paid pass instead, which I declined on principle. We then sat in an airport restaurant and spent roughly the same amount on food and drink, without the comfortable seats or the quiet. So the lesson for me is a fairly humbling one: next time, just pay the fee. I'd gently note for American, though, that some other carriers allow a business class passenger to bring a guest as standard, and it does feel like a small thing that would make a better first impression than it currently does.

Boarding was straightforward. I'll take the flight itself in the order that mattered: seat, food, service, sleep.

The seat was the best part of the experience. I'd chosen a bulkhead suite, which I'd recommend: with no seat in front, you don't get the usual footwell that squashes your feet together, and the extra legroom makes a real difference overnight. The compromise is that the bulkhead sits next to the toilet. I expected that to bother me more than it did; in practice it was barely noticeable, and I'd make the same choice again. Beyond the legroom, the hard product is genuinely good: a closing door for privacy, sensible storage, slippers provided, and the general feel of a seat designed by people who'd thought about it. A very decent suite by current standards.

The food was good, with one reservation about how it was served. I've generally found the American carriers cater better than their reputation suggests, and this flight supported that: a beef short rib that came out piping hot and properly cooked, which isn't always a given at altitude. The reservation is the service style. Everything arrives on a single tray with the starter sitting on it; you eat what you want from the tray, and the starter dish is then swapped for the main. So the courses do arrive in order, but the experience is unmistakably tray service. The carriers doing this best at the moment don't use a tray at all: the table is laid, and the individual elements arrive one by one, the bread, the drinks, the salt and pepper, even a tea light, with the meal unfolding across three, four or five distinct courses on your own tablecloth. Against that, a tray is a tray, however good the cooking on it, and it's the main thing standing between this meal and a properly premium one. Dessert, on the other hand, was a highlight. They do an ice cream sundae, made up with a generous choice of toppings, and whether that's an American Airlines tradition or just an American one, it's a good idea and I enjoyed it.

The crew looked after me well. Cabin crew at the big US carriers tends to be a long-term career, and it shows: the two gentlemen in my cabin were efficient, unflustered and got everything right. I'd describe the service as good rather than brilliant; professional and dependable, without the warmth that the very best crews add. For an overnight flight where most of us want feeding and then leaving alone, that's no great failing.

On which note, the sleep was decent. The extra legroom and the door both helped, I woke with about two hours to run, and breakfast was offered in good time. I kept to pastries, which were fine.

The verdict, with the price attached as usual. The fare came to around £3,000 for premium economy out (itself a pretty good seat) and business class home, which I'd call steep-ish for that combination, though not outrageous for the route. What you're buying is an excellent seat, decent cooking, and solid, unremarkable service. If a comfortable overnight is the point, and it usually is, American does the job well. There's just a little polish missing between a good flight and a properly premium one.