American Airways goes all-in on the premium expertise — with a twist.

The Fort Price-based provider on Tuesday unveiled brand-new business-class and premium financial system cabins that can debut in 2024 on newly delivered Boeing 787 Dreamliner and Airbus A321XLR plane.

The airline can even retrofit two of its most premium planes with new merchandise, although it can come on the expense of firstclass on planes that at the moment even have enterprise class.

There’s heaps to unpack in regards to the announcement, so learn on for extra particulars.

American introduces new business-class suites

Headlining the information is the introduction of a brand-new business-class product for American. The provider is putting in non-public suites within the ahead cabin on all new 787-9 Dreamliners starting in 2024.

These so-called Flagship Suites will likely be organized in a 1-2-1 configuration and have direct aisle entry for every passenger. Moreover, every seat will characteristic a privateness door, a lounge seating possibility and expanded private area. It seems that there will likely be a privateness divider between the middle seats, too.

American’s new seat is customized for the provider and relies on the usual reverse herringbone design. All seats face away from the aisle for added privateness and private area.

This transfer is a very long time coming for American. There’s been a long-standing rumor that the airline would set up non-public suites in enterprise class on its latest Dreamliners, and now it is formally confirmed.

Actually, again in April, information leaked that American can be outfitting its latest Dreamliners in a premium-heavy configuration with all-new seats. Dubbed the “787-9P,” these new jets will characteristic 51 business-class pods, 32 premium financial system recliners, 18 extra-legroom coach seats and 143 customary financial system ones.

American’s current 787-9s characteristic 30 enterprise pods and 21 premium financial system recliners, so the brand new jets will skew considerably extra premium. It wasn’t instantly clear if American plans to retrofit its current Dreamliners with the brand new product; we’ll replace the story after we be taught extra.

Airbus A321XLR will get a brand new seat, too

Along with the wide-body Dreamliner, American’s narrow-body fleet can be getting an improve.

When the provider debuts the Airbus A321XLR in 2024, this single-aisle jet will characteristic an all-new business-class product for the provider.

It will sport 20 Flagship Suites organized in a 1-1 configuration, just like JetBlue Airways’ new Mint business-class pods on the Airbus A321neo.

These seats can even characteristic sliding privateness doorways, bigger storage areas and HD private televisions. Not like the brand new long-haul business-class suite, these seats will face towards the aisle in a herringbone configuration.

These A321XLRs can even characteristic 12 premium financial system recliners.

American plans to deploy these jets on transatlantic flights that may not have sufficient demand for bigger wide-body jets, and it is seemingly that these planes can even be deployed on premium transcontinental flights — extra on that under.

Premium financial system will get an improve

Whereas essentially the most noticeable adjustments will likely be in enterprise class, American can be introducing a brand new premium financial system recliner on the brand new 787-9 and A321XLR fleet.

With new privateness wings and extra storage areas, these seats will seemingly be in style amongst these seeking to improve the journey expertise with out splurging for a business-class seat. Based mostly on the renderings, it would not seem that these seats will characteristic a footrest.

These seats look fairly just like Delta’s new custom-designed home first-class recliners that debuted earlier this yr aboard the Airbus A321neo.

American will set up 32 of those seats on the 787-9 Dreamliner and 12 of them on the A321XLR.

Notably, this would be the first time that an American narrow-body plane options premium financial system. Nevertheless, given the airline’s deployment plan for the jet — on lengthy and skinny transatlantic routes — it is smart for the provider so as to add this in style cabin.

Goodbye to Flagship First

Together with the brand new cabins, American is formally retiring its Flagship First cabin.

That is as a result of starting in late 2024, the airline will retrofit its current fleet of jets that characteristic these unique seats: the Boeing 777-300ER and Airbus A321T.

Traditionally, the Airbus A321T has been one of the vital premium plane within the U.S., because the provider has completely deployed it on premium transcontinental routes from New York and Boston to Los Angeles and San Francisco.

This A321 subfleet at the moment options 10 Flagship First pods, 20 Flagship Enterprise lie-flat and 72 financial system seats, half of that are in an extra-legroom configuration.

Going ahead, American will align the 16 A321Ts with the remainder of the A321 fleet, although the provider guarantees that it will proceed to supply lie-flat seats on its premium transcontinental routes departing New York and Boston.

The airline’s 20 Boeing 777-300ER plane at the moment characteristic eight Flagship First pods, 52 Flagship Enterprise lie-flats, 28 premium financial system recliners and 216 financial system seats.

After the retrofit, they’re going to characteristic a whopping 70 Flagship business-class suites and 44 Premium Economic system seats — however no Flagship First pods.

It wasn’t instantly clear what American would do with its in-airport Flagship First eating services, which at the moment supply the airline’s most premium flyers a restaurant-style pre-departure eating expertise.

Maybe the airline will preserve these outposts open and promote entry at an extra value — a transfer that the airline started experimenting with earlier this yr.

Backside line

Although the large storyline is that American is investing within the premium expertise, it is price noting that the airline will nonetheless undergo from numerous product inconsistency.

Whereas the newly delivered Dreamliners, 777-300s and A321XLRs will characteristic new seats, the provider hasn’t introduced plans to replace its remaining widebodies.

Which means the prevailing 787-8 and -9 Dreamliners, together with the 777-200s, will proceed to characteristic a unique product. Even worse, the airline will nonetheless fly its far inferior Safran Idea D, zig-zag-style business-class seats that alternate between forward- and rear-facing.

In fact, the airline may resolve to retrofit extra of its current planes, however solely time will inform whether or not the provider decides to take action.

In the meantime, the clock is ticking till American places its latest seats into service, starting with its newly delivered jets in 2024.