While some airlines like Air France have recently doubled down on their first-class cabin offering, others are taking a slightly different approach by investing more heavily in business class. And in the business category, several carriers have spent the past few years quietly racing to one-up each other by installing more comfortable lie-flat beds, swapping polyester seat fabrics for higher-quality leather and wool blends, and offering everything from caviar service to premium wines. Now, American Airlines is stepping into the ring with a new suite design that ditches the old first-class cabin entirely and reimagines business class as something sleeker and more private than its predecessor.
The carrier recently unveiled its long-awaited Flagship Suites, slated to officially debut on June 5 on flights from Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) to London’s Heathrow International Airport (LHR) on American Airlines’s new Boeing 787-9 aircraft. It marks the beginning of American Airlines’s shift away from first class and toward a more elevated business-class offering. Going forward, no new planes will have first-class seats, and existing planes offering that cabin will eventually be retrofitted to instead feature the improved business-class seats that are almost a hybrid of the two fare classes.
American first shared details of the new design in October 2022, when it announced that it would be discontinuing first-class seats on international flights and replacing them with more business-class seats.
“The first class will not exist . . . at American Airlines for the simple reason that our customers aren’t buying it,” American’s chief commercial officer, Vasu Raja, said when the announcement was first made.
He added that “the quality of the business-class seat has improved so much. And frankly, by removing [first class] we can provide more business-class seats, which is what our customers most want or are most willing to pay for.”
The newly reimagined Flagship Suite seats that are replacing the first-class seats were initially expected to be in the air by 2024. However, supplier delays bumped the start date to this year.
Now, they’re finally ready for showtime. Here’s what you need to know about American Airlines’s new Flagship Suites (and where to find them).
Seat designs and amenities
The new business-class cabin features 51 pods arranged in a one-two-one layout. A retractable privacy divider can be extended between the two center seats. It’s worth mentioning that all seats face away from the aisle, so while those traveling together can leave the center divider open, their heads will be in opposite corners, making it harder to spend time together midflight (though they will be somewhat facing in toward each other).
Each pod is equipped with a fully closing privacy door, a seat that converts into a 79-inch-long bed, a 17.5-inch 4K TV, multiple storage spaces, individual reading lights, and separate trays for cocktails and meals.
The bulkhead seats will be sold as Flagship Preferred Suites and will have extra room (19 percent more bed space and 42 percent more living area space, per the airline) and more storage areas. They’re further delineated with blue faux-wood doors and dark-gray interiors, as opposed to the tan doors and white interiors of the rest of the cabin.
The entire plane will offer Bluetooth connectivity and universal AC outlets, as well as USB-A and USB-C outlets at each seat. Passengers in the Flagship business-class cabin will have a wireless charging pad. The new planes are also equipped with satellite-based Viasat Wi-Fi, which will be available throughout the entire aircraft and is expected to be free for all AAdvantage members in early 2026.
When fliers with Flagship Suite seats are ready to sleep, they will be given a duvet, a dual-sided pillow (one side with cool-touch fabric and the other with traditional fabric), and Nest Bedding–branded slippers, similar in look to what has traditionally been available to first-class passengers. Flagship Preferred Suite seats will also score a Nest Bedding mattress pad, pajamas, and a throw blanket. Both will also receive an amenity kit from Thirteen Lune by Joanna Vargas and Bang & Olufsen noise-canceling headphones to use in-flight.
The airline has not yet shared news about what customers can expect for meal services on these flights.
Premium economy and economy are also getting a glow-up with the new planes.
The premium economy cabin will contain 35 seats arranged in a two-three-two layout. The recliner-style seats will feature winged headrests for a bit of added privacy, 13-inch 4K TVs, a universal AC outlet, USB-C and USB-A outlets, and a phone-size wireless charging pad (located on a shelf under the TV). The economy cabin will hold 143 seats in a three-three-three configuration. The seats will have 11.5-inch 4K TVs, a universal AC outlet, and USB-C and USB-A ports.
Forthcoming routes
In addition to the Chicago–London flight, the new Flagship Suites will appear on other routes later in the year, including:
- Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) to LHR starting August 6
- PHL to Zurich Switzerland’s Zurich Airport (ZRH) starting September 3
- Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) to Australia’s Brisbane Airport (BNE) on October 26
The Flagship Suites are being installed on all newly delivered Boeing 787-9s and new Airbus A321XLRs and will be retrofitted into existing 777-300ERs, with full fleet deployment expected by 2027. Currently, the 777-300ERs have 8 Flagship First and 52 Flagship Business seats; once overhauled, they will have 70 of the new Flagship Business Suites.
