American A319s & A320s Get Extra First Class Seats, However It is Not All Good Information

In March 2024, American Airways introduced plans to retrofit its Airbus A319 & A320 plane, so as to add extra firstclass seats. This announcement coincided with American ordering 260+ Airbus, Boeing, and Embraer jets.

There’s now an replace, as the primary retrofitted aircraft with new interiors is now in service. Whereas I coated this final week, I’d like to supply an replace, as we have now our first footage of the interiors, they usually’re a bit swankier-looking than anticipated.

American refreshing Airbus jets with extra firstclass seats

American is refreshing the interiors of its whole Airbus A319 and A320 fleet over the following couple of years. With this challenge, we’re seeing the planes get energy ports at each seat, bigger overhead bins, and new seats with up to date trim and finishes.

Maybe most fun of all is that every of those planes is getting an additional row of firstclass seats:

• Airbus A319s go from eight firstclass seats to 12 firstclass seats
• Airbus A320s go from 12 firstclass seats to 16 firstclass seats

American claims that that is in response to clients’ rising demand for premium cabin seats. A 33-50% enhance in firstclass seats on these plane is critical. Hopefully it results in extra AAdvantage upgrades, although in actuality, quite a lot of unsold firstclass seats these days are upgraded with money.

So, what’s the timeline with which this challenge is happening? American is beginning with A319s, and is then reconfiguring the A320s. Among the many A319s, the legacy American ones are being reconfigured first, adopted by the legacy US Airways ones (in the meantime all of the A320s are legacy US Airways).

As JonNYC reported final week, the primary A319 to be reconfigured has the license plate N9002U. The aircraft was in San Salvador (SAL) since September 2025, the place the cabin retrofits came about, after which flew again to america on February 6, 2026, the place it has been in service ever since.

We additionally now have our first footage of the interiors of those planes, which you’ll discover under. As you’ll be able to see, the interiors match the brand new fashion colours you’ll discover on Boeing 787-9s and Airbus A321XLRs, so the primary class seats are just like premium economic system seats on these planes. I actually just like the cabin aesthetics.

Within the curiosity of being thorough, let me make clear that American doesn’t have plans to extend firstclass capability on its Boeing 737s (800s and MAX 8s) or Airbus A321s (ceos and neos) past the present 16 and 20 seats, respectively.

For context on how these planes match into American’s fleet, the airline presently has 132 A319s and 48 A320s. Most of those have been inherited by American in the course of the merger with US Airways. The A319s are a mean of over 21 years outdated, whereas the A320s are a mean of over 24 years outdated. Whereas they’re used all through North America, you’ll discover these jets essentially the most within the Northeast.

Sadly sufficient, the 32 legacy American A319s are first to be reconfigured, and people are additionally American’s solely “commonplace” slim physique jets with seat again TVs. So count on for these screens to be ripped out.

Anticipate Airbus A319 & A320 economic system cabins to get tighter

On stability, updates to those plane are in all probability excellent news, by way of extra firstclass seats, constant energy ports, modernized cabins, and bigger overhead bins. For the previous a number of years, American’s focus has been on having a constant Airbus A321 and Boeing 737 fleet, and now we’re seeing the airline concentrate on its A319s and A320s, although with up to date design decisions.

The factor to bear in mind is that as American reconfigures these plane, we’re not solely seeing extra firstclass seats put in, however we’re additionally seeing general capability enhance, that means that seating have gotten tighter.

For instance, Airbus A319s beforehand had 128 seats, comprised of eight firstclass seats and 120 economic system seats. As soon as reconfigured, capability enhance to 132 seats, an identical to what you’ll discover on Delta, the place there are 12 firstclass seats and 120 economic system seats.

I think about it’ll be the identical story on A320s, with American following Delta’s lead. American’s A320s have 150 seats, comprised of 12 firstclass seats and 138 economic system seats. Capability will in all probability enhance to 157 seats, together with 16 firstclass seats and 141 economic system seats. Or perhaps they’ll maintain it slightly below 150, to allow them to keep away from including an additional flight attendant (since one is required for each 50 seats).

So, how is American capable of enhance capability, whereas additionally rising the variety of firstclass seats? Along with a slight discount in pitch throughout the aircraft (together with in firstclass), we’re additionally seeing main modifications to the rear galley. The precise quantity of galley house is being decreased significantly, in order that the bathrooms can go within the very again of the aircraft, in an area that used to only have galley house. That’s not going to be nice for crews, because it additionally implies that a soar seat is on the again of a rest room door.

For a way of what to anticipate, examine American’s outdated A319 seat map to Delta’s A319 seat map, and particularly, look within the rear galley house.

No surprise Delta does higher with income — the airline is nice at cramming seats into (largely very outdated) planes, however temper lighting and seat again leisure make individuals overlook about that.

Backside line

American is beginning the method of retrofitting its Airbus A319 and A320 fleet. The most important “headline” announcement is that American is including a row of firstclass seats, that means the planes could have 12 and 16 firstclass seats, respectively.

On high of that, these planes are getting full cabin overhauls, together with bigger overhead bins, energy at each seat, a brand new design aesthetic, and a tighter cabin. It’s not simply that pitch is being lowered, however the rear galley turns into a lot tighter, in order that bathrooms might be squeezed into the very again of the aircraft.

With this, American is ready to enhance the general capability of the cabin whereas additionally including a row of firstclass seats. These modifications are a combined bag. Top quality passengers or these trying to improve can be pleased, whereas economic system passengers and crews will doubtless be much less pleased.

I’m unhappy that American is ripping out TVs from the 32 A319s which have them put in. For American’s home fleet, they’re mainly the final reminder of American’s earlier transient try to turn into extra premium, round a decade in the past.

What do you make of American’s Airbus cabin modifications?