American Airways’ latest planes sporting its brand-new business-class idea are set for takeoff subsequent month.
Earlier this week, the Fort Value-based service took supply of two new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners that can launch its next-generation Flagship Suites — together with an total re-imagined onboard aesthetic.
The primary of American’s new Dreamliners will enter service on June 5, with a brief home spherical journey adopted by inaugural worldwide service from Chicago’s O’Hare Worldwide Airport (ORD) to London’s Heathrow Airport (LHR).
Then, over the subsequent 4 to 5 months, 4 further long-haul routes will get the brand new suite idea, together with service from Philadelphia Worldwide Airport (PHL) to Heathrow and Zurich, and American’s nonstop path to Brisbane, Australia beginning this fall.
We’ll get into the flight numbers and precise route particulars beneath, so you may know which flights to e book.
Years within the making
This debut marks a serious step ahead for American’s premium cabin, almost three years after the airline first confirmed off renderings of the brand new enterprise seats.
For the primary time, American will be capable of boast a real suite idea with the sliding privateness doorways which have change into a extremely well-liked characteristic on different international airways, together with some competing U.S. merchandise — reminiscent of Delta Air Strains’ Delta One Suites and JetBlue’s newest-generation Mint product.
American’s new Flagship Suites (and the entire cabin, actually) will even look noticeably totally different than the cabins on board any of American’s planes flying immediately.
As proven in photographs the service launched Friday, the brand new charcoal- and gray-colored lie-flat seats are geared up with brown leather-based headrests — aesthetics that can complement the bells and whistles of the brand new merchandise, reminiscent of a brand new chaise lounge seating possibility, wi-fi charging, bigger storage areas, together with the privateness doorways.
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There will even be extra of those business-class seats on American’s new Dreamliners — 51 of them, in all, versus the 30 discovered on its present 787-9s. Organized in a 1-2-1 configuration with common direct aisle entry, this extra premium-heavy configuration has the airline, internally, referring to this model of its 787-9s the “787-9P” — “P” for premium, that’s,
You may discover an total related shade scheme within the premium economic system cabin, the place American will even develop its seat rely with 30 spacious recliners sport winged headrests, a cocktail tray, a snazzy private gadget charging holder and USB-C ports.
Learn extra: American Airways punches again in Chicago, in ‘fourth inning’ of O’Hare rebuild
Now, we clearly will not be capable of offer you a full sense for the way the cabin and the brand new seats stack up towards competing merchandise till we have had an opportunity to strive it for ourselves.
However, it ought to actually be a serious enhance in American’s hopes to each develop and enhance its premium choices.
“Each facet of our new 787-9 is designed to really feel premium in nature,” American chief buyer officer Heather Garboden stated in an announcement Friday. “Whether or not flying for enterprise or pleasure, having the chance to discover different elements of the world ought to be an thrilling and memorable expertise that begins the second you e book your flight.”
Which flights can have American Airways’ Flagship Suites?
The inaugural flight for American’s new Flagship Suites will technically be a short-haul home flight on June 5, from Chicago to Los Angeles Worldwide Airport (LAX). That is AA Flight 2012, scheduled to depart ORD at 9:12 a.m. and arrive at LAX at 11:33 a.m., all instances native.
That afternoon. the airplane will return to O’Hare forward of its first long-haul route: from ORD to Heathrow, working as AA Flight 98.
As proven in American’s reserving channels, it departs Chicago at 10:30 p.m and lands in London the subsequent day at 12:15 p.m. all instances native.
Economic system redemptions begin at 29,000 AAdvantage miles, with premium economic system at 49,000. On the time of this writing, you’d should redeem a whopping 400,000 miles to snag a business-class seat.
Nonetheless, a enormous caveat right here: American says seats on the brand new plane (with its new format) technically go on sale on Monday. In the mean time, the seat map for this flight would not replicate the newer, extra premium-heavy cabin configuration, together with a 70% improve in business-class capability over the Dreamliner presently penciled into the route.
So, we’ll should see what occurs to these redemption charges within the subsequent few days.
Different routes coming quickly
Over the course of 2025, American will welcome further Dreamliners to its fleet, and debut the plane on extra long-haul routes, together with:
- PHL-LHR — begins Aug. 6
- PHL to Zurich Airport (ZHR) — begins Sept. 3
- Dallas Fort Value Worldwide Airport (DFW) to Brisbane Airport (BNE) in Australia — begins Oct. 26
In all, the service expects to obtain a complete of 30 of those premium-heavy 787-9s between now and 2029.
And these Dreamliners aren’t the one jets that can see the brand new Flagship Suite idea.
American plans to debut the suites on its transatlantic-capable Airbus A321XLRs — although it plans to start out these jets out (every time it receives them) on premium transcontinental routes presently operated by its four-cabin A321Ts.
The service additionally plans to retrofit its Boeing 777-300ERs, ditching the Flagship First cabin in favor of a better complete variety of lie-flat seats.
Nostalgia flight: How one can fly Flagship First on American earlier than it is phased out
Reserving American’s new suites with factors miles
Whereas redeeming AAdvantage miles is essentially the most typical method to rating an award seat on American, there are a selection of companions you possibly can as an alternative decide to e book by means of.
We propose checking for accomplice award house on American by means of Oneworld alliance carriers’ loyalty packages, from Alaska Airways Mileage Plan to Cathay Pacific Asia Miles and the assortment of worldwide airways that use Avios for an award foreign money — from British Airways to Iberia, Qatar, Aer Lingus and Finnair.
TPG staffers have made robust use of accomplice redemptions booked by means of Alaska of late, because of its accomplice award chart that may introduce bargains in comparison with what you may discover by means of the extra dynamically-priced AAdvantage program.
At the very least for now, you possibly can switch American Specific Membership Rewards to HawaiianMiles at a 1:1 ratio, then shift these miles to Alaska — however, as I wrote final week, that association is probably not round for an excessive amount of longer.
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