American Launches Copenhagen Flight, Upgrades Business Class

The excitement was palpable earlier this month as the inaugural American Airlines flight from Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) to Copenhagen Airport (CPH) geared to take off. Speeches were made, a balloon arch filled with red-and-white Denmark flags decked the departure gate, and Danish pastries were served to the very loud and upbeat soundtrack of what can only be described as the Danish take on hip-hop.

The new service to Denmark is “bringing American Airlines back to the Nordics after several years away,” José Freig, American’s vice president of international operations, told Afar in an email statement following the inaugural flight. The last time American flew to the region was with its service to Reykjavík, Iceland, which ended in 2019.

Following a ribbon-cutting ceremony, passengers were invited on June 6 to embark on American Airlines’ newly launched flight to Copenhagen, a route that was announced last year as part of the carrier’s plans for new and expanded Europe service in 2024. American was able to carry out the transatlantic network growth after finally receiving additional Boeing aircraft following initial delivery delays.

With the new Philadelphia to Copenhagen route, “we will offer more single connects across the U.S. to Copenhagen than any other airline,” Brian Znotins, senior vice president of network planning, explained on American’s Tell Me Why podcast.

American’s new Copenhagen flight connects to more than 85 routes across North America. In addition to Copenhagen, American has also added seasonal service to Naples, Italy, and Nice, France, from Philadelphia this summer.

All of the new flights are being operated on Boeing 787-9 aircraft and are currently scheduled to run until the fall (the Copenhagen and Nice flights will run until October 6; the Naples flights will run through October 26). American has not yet announced whether the new Copenhagen, Naples, and Italy service will return in 2025.

The new Europe routes come just as American has revamped the food and amenities for its first-, business-, and premium-economy–class seats on transatlantic flights, making flying with the airline even more enticing for premium travelers hopping the pond.

Here’s what to know about the new Copenhagen flight and the new offerings at the front of the plane.

American Airlines’ new flight to Copenhagen

American Airlines’ new flight from Philadelphia to Copenhagen is being operated on a Boeing 787-9 aircraft with 255 seats in the Main Cabin, including 21 reclining Premium Economy seats that have seven inches of added legroom and are slightly wider than the airplane’s economy seats. Up front are 30 lie-flat seats in the Flagship business-class cabin in a 1-2-1 configuration, complete with a 15.4-inch movie screen, Bang & Olufsen headphones, and several other bells and whistles, including some brand-new upgrades (more on that below).

American Airlines flight 744 is now departing daily from Philadelphia at 9:35 p.m. (local time) and arriving seven and a half hours later in Copenhagen at 11:10 a.m. (local time). American Airlines flight 745 departs Copenhagen daily at 2 p.m. (local time) and arrives in Philadelphia roughly eight and a half hours later at 4:25 p.m. (local time).

Having recently experienced the flight traveling first from San Francisco, I have to say that breaking up the Europe journey into roughly equal parts is not a bad option (versus flying directly from the West Coast to Europe on a longer overnight flight). With American Airlines providing reliable Wi-Fi connectivity on its domestic flights, I was able to work on the daytime flight from San Francisco to Philadelphia, then unwind and sleep during the overnight flight from Philadelphia to Copenhagen. American’s newly enhanced business-class offering (I was seated in seat 5L on the flight to CPH, a business-class window seat) certainly helped with catching some Zs en route to Europe. That made it much easier to hit the ground running upon arrival.

New business-class upgrades

As American gears up to launch new Flagship Suite seats on its Boeing 787-9s, Boeing 777-300s, and Airbus A321XLRs (no precise date has been provided for the unveiling, but originally American had said the planes would debut in 2024), the airline is starting to provide upgraded offerings to first, business, and premium-economy travelers on international flights, including on its new flights to Copenhagen, Nice, and Naples.

Amenity kits featuring a rotating roster of Thirteen Lune skin-care products (all of which are “beauty brands created by Black and Brown founders” per Thirteen Lune) are now being handed out to first, business, and premium-economy travelers flying overseas. The idea is that the kits will change and showcase different skin-care brands and products every few months. That way regular fliers will get to experience new options.

As of Memorial Day weekend, those flying first and business are being offered dual-sided pillows that are cooling on one side and feature traditional fabric on the other. American collaborated with textile company John Horsfall to develop the bedding using recycled materials. To further reduce plastic waste, the new bedding, including a blanket, is being provided in a reusable zipper pouch made from recycled fibers, instead of in a single-use plastic bag. The change will save approximately 25 tons of plastic a year.

All international business-class travelers will also now be receiving slippers (before, only those flying business on ultra-long-haul flights were given slippers).

Customers traveling in business class to and from Europe will be treated to new menu items such as salmon with red curry sauce, chicken with mojo verde sauce, and macadamia-crusted sea bass.

I can attest that the food, service, and amenities in American’s revamped business-class offering on transatlantic flights created indulgent dining and restful sleeping experiences. I also appreciated the option to preorder menu items up to 24 hours before the flight, which allowed me to secure the curry salmon even though it was running out for those ordering during the flight.