American Airlines Details Upcoming A330-200 Retrofit
Update 7/20/17: An AA representative clarified that the airline will be installing 50 Main Cabin Extra seats on the A332s, though two will be reserved for customers requiring special assistance.
Over the weekend, there were big changes unveiled for American Airlines A330s. In short: Starting soon, you'll be able to fly in a premium economy seat on one of AA's wide-body Airbus planes. Over the few months while the fleet is being retrofit, these premium economy seats will be treated as Main Cabin Extra — meaning elites get to choose these seats for free.
Effective January 15, premium economy will officially be launched on the A330s. These tickets just went on sale Sunday and the fare difference from economy to premium economy is looking very reasonable for some options — especially when considering marginal benefits over standard economy:
- Wider seat and more legroom
- Better food and drink
- Larger in-flight entertainment and "noise-reducing" headphones
- Priority check-in, security and boarding
- 1.5 Elite-Qualifying Miles (EQMs) per mile flown vs. 1.0 EQM per mile flown in economy (generally)
While we got a lot of information Sunday, there were still a lot of unanswered questions. Since then, we've been collecting answers. To keep it easy, let's do this in a Q&A format:
Are all American Airlines A330s being retrofit with premium economy seating?
Unfortunately, no. At this time, American Airlines is only retrofitting its 15 Airbus A330-200s and not its 9 Airbus A330-300s.
Which A330 routes will have the premium economy seating?
American Airlines announced that the following A330 routes current have premium economy available for sale beginning January 15, 2018:
- Charlotte (CLT) to Frankfurt (FRA)
- Philadelphia (PHL) to Paris (CDG)
- Philadelphia (PHL) to Rome (FCO)
- Philadelphia (PHL) to Madrid (MAD)
- Philadelphia (PHL) to Manchester (MAN)
- Philadelphia (PHL) to Munich (MUC)
If you are scheduled to fly on a A330 after January 15 and it's not one of these routes, you're likely on the A330-300 — which isn't being retrofit at this time.
Will the premium economy seat be the same as the Boeing 787-9 and 777-200?
Yes. American Airlines will be using the same seat for the A330-200s as you'll find on the existing AA aircraft with premium economy seating.
What's the new seating arrangement on the A330?
On its Boeing 787-9, American Airlines' premium economy is arranged 2-3-2 vs. 3-3-3 in economy (7-wide vs. 9-wide). On the 777-200, AA retrofit the premium economy seating as 2-4-2 vs. 3-4-3 in economy (8-wide vs 10-wide). So, we were curious to see how premium economy would be retrofit on the A330 (arranged 2-4-2 in economy).
Sadly, AA isn't continuing the tradition of having two less seats per row in premium economy. The airline is arranging the A330-200's premium cabin in three rows of 2-3-2 (21 seats in total). This means that the premium economy seat spacing won't give much of a marginal benefit over economy. Compared to the similarly arranged 787-9, the cabin will be a bit tighter — as the A330-200's cabin width is about a foot smaller than the Dreamliner.
When will the retrofit be complete?
Although we don't have a confirmed retrofit start date, American Airlines is still planning to complete this process by the end of 2017. Passengers are currently being sold premium economy seating for flights starting January 15, so AA only has a couple of weeks of leeway if it doesn't finish by the end of the year.
Is the business-class cabin on the Airbus A330-200s also getting a facelift?
No, American Airlines is retaining the current "legacy US Airlines" A330-200 business-class seats. While it's a bummer the business-class section isn't getting an upgrade — perhaps to the same B/E Aerospace Super Diamond seats as on the 787-9 — the current seat is a decent mid-range business-class seat. It recently landed #5 on our recent ranking of all available AA seats.
Will Main Cabin Extra be added during the retrofit?
Currently, the A330-200 are arranged with 12 "Main Cabin Extra" seats — eight at the front bulkhead and four in the middle bulkhead. The other 226 economy seats have standard legroom. With that small of a ratio between extra-legroom seats and total seats, obviously competition is fierce for the 12 extra-legroom seats. It's past due for AA to add a true Main Cabin Extra section to this aircraft so elites can enjoy one of the key benefits of status: free Main Cabin Extra seating.
Unfortunately, AA is passing up a huge opportunity to add MCE seating during this retrofit. According to an American Airlines spokesperson, AA "won't be retrofitting to add/remove any MCE." (Update: American Airlines will be installing 50 Main Cabin Extra seats on the A332s, though two will be reserved for customers requiring special assistance.)
Bottom Line
While we appreciate AA's openness about the coming changes, it's disappointing to see that not all A330s will get premium economy. We're especially disappointed that AA is forgoing adding a Main Cabin Extra section during this retrofit.
Will you be booking premium economy on the A330-200?
TPG featured card
at American Express's secure site
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees.
| 3X | Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases. |
| 1X | Earn 1X Miles on all other eligible purchases. |
Pros
- Delta SkyClub access when flying Delta
- Annual companion ticket for travel on Delta (upon renewal)
- Ability to earn MQDs through spending
- Various statement credits for eligible purchases
Cons
- Steep annual fee of $650
- Other Delta cobranded cards offer superior earning categories
- Earn 100,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $6,000 or more in purchases with your new Card within the first 6 months of Card Membership and an additional 25,000 bonus miles after you make an additional $3,000 in purchases on the Card within your first 6 months, starting from the date that your account is opened. Offer Ends 04/01/2026.
- Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card Members receive 15 Visits per Medallion® Year to the Delta Sky Club® when flying Delta and can unlock an unlimited number of Visits after spending $75,000 in purchases on your Card in a calendar year. Plus, you’ll receive four One-Time Guest Passes each Medallion Year so you can share the experience with family and friends when traveling Delta together.
- Enjoy complimentary access to The Centurion® Lounge in the U.S. and select international locations (as set forth on the Centurion Lounge Website), Sidecar by The Centurion® Lounge in the U.S. (see the Centurion Lounge Website for more information on Sidecar by The Centurion® Lounge availability), and Escape Lounges when flying on a Delta flight booked with the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card. § To access Sidecar by The Centurion® Lounge, Card Members must arrive within 90 minutes of their departing flight (including layovers). To access The Centurion® Lounge, Card Members must arrive within 3 hours of their departing flight. Effective July 8, 2026, during a layover, Card Members must arrive within 5 hours of the connecting flight.
- Receive $2,500 Medallion® Qualification Dollars with MQD Headstart each Medallion Qualification Year and earn $1 MQD for each $10 in purchases on your Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card with MQD Boost to get closer to Status next Medallion Year.
- Enjoy a Companion Certificate on a Delta First, Delta Comfort, or Delta Main round-trip flight to select destinations each year after renewal of your Card. The Companion Certificate requires payment of government-imposed taxes and fees of between $22 and $250 (for itineraries with up to four flight segments). Baggage charges and other restrictions apply. Delta Basic experiences are not eligible for this benefit.
- $240 Resy Credit: When you use your Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card for eligible purchases with U.S. Resy restaurants, you can earn up to $20 each month in statement credits. Enrollment required.
- $120 Rideshare Credit: Earn up to $10 back in statement credits each month after you use your Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card to pay for U.S. rideshare purchases with select providers. Enrollment required.
- Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card Members get 15% off when using miles to book Award Travel on Delta flights through delta.com and the Fly Delta app. Discount not applicable to partner-operated flights or to taxes and fees.
- With your Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card, receive upgrade priority over others with the same Medallion tier, product and fare experience purchased, and Million Miler milestone when you fly with Delta.
- Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases and earn 1X Miles on all other eligible purchases.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees. Enjoy international travel without additional fees on purchases made abroad.
- $650 Annual Fee.
- Apply with confidence. Know if you're approved for a Card with no impact to your credit score. If you're approved and you choose to accept this Card, your credit score may be impacted.
- Terms Apply.
- See Rates & Fees