American Airlines to Launch Domestic 787-9 Service This Fall
Update: American is launching premium economy service from Dallas to São Paulo (GRU) one day earlier than expected, on November 3, 2016.
American Airlines will be adding a 787-9 Dreamliner to its fleet later this year, making it the first of its aircraft to feature a dedicated premium economy cabin. While AA will initially only feature the new product on flights between its Dallas (DFW) hub and Madrid (MAD) and São Paulo (GRU) beginning November 4, the carrier recently announced it'll be debuting its 787-9 Dreamliner domestically first, starting October 6, on the Dallas (DFW) to Los Angeles (LAX) route.
It also appears that American Airlines will be selling seats on the route only in economy and business classes, while premium economy seats can be reserved for free for AA elite members — the airline currently uses the same practice on its New York (JFK) to Boston (BOS) routes, allowing elites booking economy seats to reserve lie-flat business class seats for free on its three-cabin aircraft. As of this writing, the inaugural flight is available to be booked from $106 round-trip in economy — and, in theory, premium economy.
The carrier will also be selling tickets on its new international service to São Paulo and Madrid as two cabins until 2017, so it should also be possible for American elites to get the premium economy experience at the regular economy price, at least until next year. As of this writing, you are able to book flights in economy, however you're not yet able to reserve a seat.
Prices for the inaugural flights from Dallas (DFW) to Madrid (MAD) start at $1,097 and $2,559 for economy and business class, respectively, based on a return flight the following week. As shown below, you can actually get a better deal by booking the Dallas-Madrid flights through British Airways's website and using the increased AARP discount, which will end up saving you about $100 in economy and $400 in business.
Using the AARP discount on British Airways's site, you can snag a round-trip economy ticket on the inaugural flight from Dallas to Madrid for $997.
Using the AARP discount on British Airways's site, a round-trip business-class ticket on the inaugural flight between Dallas and Madrid can be had for $2,159.
American Airlines will likely add more domestic and international routes for the new aircraft in the coming weeks, as it continues to take delivery of the new planes throughout 2016 and 2017.
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