American Airlines ditching first class for more premium seating on some planes
The Brief
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American Airlines is remodeling some of its 777-300ER fleet aircraft by adding extra premium seats.
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This move by the airline is designed to service long-haul flights serving markets including Buenos Aires and London.
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The redeveloped planes will have over 100 premium seats with the upgrades expected to be finished by 2027.
American Airlines will add more premium seats to some of its planes utilized for longer routes.
The Dallas-based airline is also dumping first-class seats and plans to boost its number of business-class seats.
Which American Airlines planes are moving to premium seats?
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American Airlines is adding more premium seats to its Boeing 777-300ER airplanes, telling Reuters that said the first rebuilt aircraft will begin commercial service on Wednesday from New York to Buenos Aires.
The modified aircraft will feature 144 premium seats, including 70 Flagship Suite business-class seats with privacy doors, 44 Premium Economy seats and 30 Main Cabin Extra seats.
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Currently, the ​777-300ER aircraft have 52 business-class seats and eight Flagship First seats, American's top-tier international first-class cabin.
American is also halting Flagship First as part ​of the remodeling, with the product no longer sold on 777-300ER flights for travel starting on November 19.
The retrofitted aircraft will also offer upgraded in-flight entertainment, while members of American's ​AAdvantage loyalty program will have access to free high-speed Wi-Fi.
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American's 777-300ERs serve long-haul markets like London, Tokyo, São Paulo, Buenos Aires and Sydney.
This redevelopment of the planes is going to raise its capacity to 330 passengers from 304. Reuters noted that American Airlines anticipates completing the upgrades of all 20 of its 777-300ERs in 2027.
The Source
Information for this story was provided by Reuters, which cites comments from American Airlines about the remodeled planes. This story was reported from Washington, D.C.
