American's next premium plans: Way more Flagship Suites, new (and improved) lounges
It's about to get a lot easier to book a flight featuring one of American Airlines' fancy new Flagship Suites.
With brand-new planes coming and older ones getting makeovers, the the posh new business-class product will be on many more aircraft in the coming months — and years.
American debuted its next-generation suites last year to plenty of fanfare. It was the airline's first premium seat with sliding privacy doors.
But until now, you had to be pretty savvy to actually score a flight featuring the new suites.
As of today, AA's Flagship seats are only available on a small portion of its fleet:
- A handful of brand-new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners
- A few long-range, single-aisle Airbus A321XLRs
- Plus, one Boeing 777-300ER that just got a total on-board makeover with the new seats.
But there are a lot more planes still to come.
Older planes to get new cabin (and suites)
American has announced its new flagship cabin will get installed on nearly its entire long-haul fleet over the next few years.
In fact, as it stands today there's only one type of twin-aisle jet American hasn't slated for a refresh: its Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners that got delivered prior to 2025.
It begs the question: Could those jets also get Flagship Suites eventually?
"It's an active debate," Rhonda Crawford, American's senior vice president of customer experience and design, told me earlier this month, adding: "I would just say everything's on the table right now."
American essentially has two types of 787-9s flying today. The newest planes seat 244 passengers and include the premium-heavy layout that features 51 of the Flagship Suites that debuted last year. The airline also has a 285-seat legacy configuration that dates back as far as the mid-2010s.
It's worth watching how AA handles its Dreamliner fleet in the coming years.
Regardless, international flying on American will certainly look a lot different by the end of this decade with a refresh to nearly all the planes it uses for long-haul service.
Narrowbody planes set for upgrade, too
By the way: American's single-aisle planes are slated for a big makeover, too. Last month, the carrier announced it would bring back seatback screens and outfit those jets with more first-class and extra legroom seats. That rollout is set to begin in 2028.
'First quarter' of a lounge glow-up
Meanwhile, American has also been busy making major announcements about its plans on the ground.
After promising a "steady stream" of airport lounge news late last year, the carrier has followed through.
American has revealed new or significantly expanded clubs in Austin, Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, Nashville, New York and Washington.
On top of that, the airline has been upgrading the food it serves in its outposts.
Apparently, American isn't done yet.
"We are in the beginning quarter," Crawford said of the carrier's lounge plans.
"There's more to come, and there's more in the pipeline, for sure," she added. "Lots of opportunity for refurbs and rebuilds, and expansions, and restorations, and all of the above."
Provisions plans
I wouldn't be surprised if you saw more of AA's newest lounge concept called Provisions by Admirals Club.
That's the new permanent grab-and-go lounge setup the airline debuted last summer at Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT).
Since then, American has announced additional Provisions locations for John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW).
American's inaugural CLT Provisions location was more functional in nature. But it appears the carrier has more elaborate planes for its JFK and DFW locations — including a full-service coffee bar in New York.
"You'll see us continue to optimize and hone in [on] those and improve those," Crawford said.
Grab-and-go lounge locations can be a helpful way for airlines to reduce crowding in their main clubs. Those outposts allow members who only need a cup of coffee and a quick bite to eat to briefly stop in, grab what they need, and leave without occupying seats.
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