I flew domestic first class on American Airlines to see how it stacks up against coach — here's what I discovered

Matthew DeBord/BI

• I got a deal on a first-class one-way ticket because I was breaking up my transcontinental flight.
• American Airlines was the carrier.
• There were pluses and minuses, but I'd do it again.
  

When I travel on my own dime, I sometimes bump myself up to business class, but rarely first class.

At Business Insider, we typically fly coach, but I recently had a chance to add a first-class ticket to a return trip from Los Angeles, so I thought I'd flip for the seat and pay the extra $250.

The reason I got a good deal was that I flew back to the New York area on two planes. I don't mind breaking up my flights for a cheaper ticket, but I do have to add in some margin for error if I miss a connection or experience a delay.

I haven't flown domestic first class in a long time, mainly because I don't really think it's worth it. Transatlantic flights are a different story, but even then I think business class is a better deal.

So how was domestic first this time around, on American Airlines? Read on.

For comparison's sake, let's start with my coach flight out. It was on an Airbus A321.

I'm not a big guy (5-foot-7) so tight seating usually doesn't bother me unless it's ridiculously tight. My window seat on this American flight wasn't too bad.

And the plane wasn't packed, so I had the whole row to myself.