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How to Fly American's Best Business Class Seats Domestically in January and February

Dec. 15, 2017
11 min read
AA new 777-200 retrofit (JT Genter photo)
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American Airlines' fleet can be frustratingly inconsistent. Some long US domestic routes will lack power or in-flight entertainment, even in first class. Meanwhile, you can find lie-flat seats sold as economy on one-hour flights. If you've got some flexibility to your travels, knowing American Airlines' fleet schedule can mean getting a superior experience.

Problem is, AA's schedule can vary from month to month. So, we at The Points Guy dig into the airline's schedule to unveil where you can find these excellent seats.

Whether you splurge on a first class award or paid ticket, get a free upgrade using 500-mile upgrades or get a complimentary upgrade as an Executive Platinum member, here are the ways to fly on American Airlines' best business class seats without having to bring your passport.

777-200: B/E Aerospace Super Diamond or Zodiac

American Airlines has four versions of the 777-200 in its fleet — some with "rocking" Zodiac seats and others with new B/E Aerospace Super Diamond seats. Some have been retrofit with premium economy, while others are still in the queue. These can be frustrating to try to tell apart. And, even if you do book a particular version, equipment changes means there's no telling which type will show up at your gate.

However, all four versions have some form of lie-flat business class seats. So, looking for 777-200s on domestic routes is sure to provide a better-than-average first class experience. Here are the routes on which AA is using these aircraft:

FromToFlight #DepartArriveStartingEndingFrequency
DFWHNL510:5515:311-Jan28-FebDaily
DFWHNL1239:0513:451-Jan28-FebDaily
DFWLAX125722:1523:531-Jan7-JanDaily
DFWMIA36716:5020:351-Jan7-JanDaily
DFWMIA268017:0520:458-Jan14-FebDaily
DFWMIA279117:0520:4515-Feb28-FebDaily
DFWOGG79:5014:081-Jan7-JanDaily
DFWOGG79:5014:1513-Jan10-FebSaturday
DFWOGG79:5014:1516-Feb24-FebFri & Sat
DFWOGG11911:1015:418-Jan28-FebDaily
HNLDFW818:456:011-Jan28-FebDaily
HNLDFW10221:008:221-Jan28-FebDaily
HNLLAX14423:357:001-Jan7-JanDaily
LAXDFW21846:3011:369-Jan9-JanOne-off
LAXDFW24598:3513:498-Jan8-JanOne-off
LAXDFW246214:1519:171-Jan7-JanDaily
LAXHNL14315:0018:511-Jan7-JanDaily
LAXMIA2257:4515:3615-Feb28-FebDaily
MIADFW96911:0513:241-Jan28-FebDaily
MIADFW269113:5016:0815-Feb15-FebOne-off
MIADFW27069:0511:2516-Feb16-FebOne-off
MIALAX27017:2520:2316-Feb28-FebDaily
MIAORD3648:3510:516-Jan6-JanOne-off
OGGDFW618:505:531-Jan28-FebDaily
OGGDFW11621:308:3713-Jan10-FebSaturday
OGGDFW11621:308:3716-Feb24-FebFri & Sat
ORDMIA33412:0016:006-Jan6-JanOne-off

787-9 B/E Aerospace Super Diamond

After originally testing its 787-9s on the domestic route between Dallas/Fort Worth and Los Angeles, American Airlines has mostly assigned its efficient 787-9 Dreamliners to international routes. However, periodically the airline will have to position these aircraft between hubs due to scheduling needs. This opens up a golden opportunity to try AA's newest business class seat out for yourself.

For January-February, you'll find these three-cabin (economy, premium economy, business) aircraft flying domestic routes between Dallas (DFW) and Los Angeles (LAX) and Chicago (ORD):

FromToFlight #DepartArriveStartingEndingFrequency
DFWORD123312:3514:5215-Feb28-FebDaily
DFWORD125811:5514:0916-Feb16-FebOne-off
ORDDFW233115:1517:3715-Feb16-FebThurs & Fri
ORDDFW234916:5519:2615-Feb28-FebDaily
LAXDFW24598:2013:201-Jan28-FebDaily
DFWLAX248918:5020:201-Jan28-FebDaily

Upgrade didn't clear? Or, don't want to pay for first class? AA has made the decision to not sell premium economy on domestic routes (except to Hawaii), so the premium economy seats found on these aircraft are sold as part of the economy cabin. However, these seats are labeled as Main Cabin Extra, so you'll need AA elite status to choose these for free.

777-300ER Zodiac

Long considered to have one of the best business class seats in the sky, American Airlines' Boeing 777-300ER (77W) is a great way of traveling anywhere. Problem is, it's typically expensive to buy an international round-trip on this aircraft; award availability on these flights is especially hard to get; and upgrades are highly sought after.

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American Airlines' excellent 777-300ER business class seats.

If you want to see what all the buzz is about, there are just four domestic flights across the two months where you can find American Airlines' 777-300ERs:

FromToFlight #DepartArriveDate
DFWJFK21887:2011:447-Jan
DFWMIA268610:2514:0316-Feb
MIADFW221315:4518:0416-Feb
MIAJFK24937:009:569-Jan

A330 Envoy Suite

While not the newest business class seat in the fleet, the legacy US Airlines A330s are a solid business class product — and certainly more than sufficient for a domestic flight.

Image courtesy of American Airlines.
Image courtesy of American Airlines.

Here's where to find these domestically:

FromToFlight #DepartArriveStartingEndingFrequency
CLTPHL55916:3518:231-Jan28-FebDaily
CLTPHL83011:2012:581-Jan1-JanOne-Off
CLTPHL179622:250:051-Jan7-JanDaily
CLTPHL179820:2022:001-Jan14-FebDaily
CLTPHX6927:3010:271-Jan28-FebDaily
HNLPHX69322:006:581-Jan28-FebDaily
MCOPHL7209:3011:5716-Feb28-FebDaily
PHLCLT56613:0514:548-Jan28-FebDaily
PHLCLT6508:1510:211-Jan7-JanDaily
PHLCLT7656:558:448-Jan14-FebDaily
PHLCLT19656:508:421-Jan7-JanDaily
PHLMCO178618:1521:0415-Feb28-FebDaily
PHLSFO87715:3018:4915-Feb28-FebDaily
PHLSFO174315:2018:401-Jan14-FebDaily
PHXCLT7439:3515:301-Jan28-FebDaily
PHXHNL69212:0516:001-Jan28-FebDaily
SFOCLT21126:4814:451-Jan7-JanDaily
SFOPHL8788:2016:438-Jan28-FebDaily

Where do you hope to take AAdvantage of international business class seats domestically?

Featured image by JT Genter