American shows off new Flagship Suites, announces 1st flights for new business class
American Airlines' newest planes sporting its brand-new business-class concept are set for takeoff next month.
Earlier this week, the Fort Worth-based carrier took delivery of two new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners that will launch its next-generation Flagship Suites — along with an overall re-imagined onboard aesthetic.
The first of American's new Dreamliners will enter service on June 5, with a short domestic round trip followed by inaugural international service from Chicago's O'Hare International Airport (ORD) to London's Heathrow Airport (LHR).
Then, over the next four to five months, four additional long-haul routes will get the new suite concept, including service from Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) to Heathrow and Zurich, and American's nonstop route to Brisbane, Australia starting this fall.
We'll get into the flight numbers and exact route details below, so you'll know which flights to book.
Years in the making
This debut marks a major step forward for American's premium cabin, nearly three years after the airline first showed off renderings of the new business seats.
For the first time, American will be able to boast a true suite concept with the sliding privacy doors that have become a highly popular feature on other global airlines, including some competing U.S. products — such as Delta Air Lines' Delta One Suites and JetBlue's newest-generation Mint product.
American's new Flagship Suites (and the whole cabin, really) will also look noticeably different than the cabins on board any of American's planes flying today.
As shown in photos the carrier released Friday, the new charcoal- and gray-colored lie-flat seats are equipped with brown leather headrests — aesthetics that will complement the bells and whistles of the new products, such as a new chaise lounge seating option, wireless charging, larger storage areas, along with the privacy doors.
There will also be more of these business-class seats on American's new Dreamliners — 51 of them, in all, versus the 30 found on its current 787-9s. Arranged in a 1-2-1 configuration with universal direct aisle access, this more premium-heavy configuration has the airline, internally, referring to this version of its 787-9s the "787-9P" — "P" for premium, that is,
You'll find an overall similar color scheme in the premium economy cabin, where American will also grow its seat count with 30 spacious recliners sporting winged headrests, a cocktail tray, a snazzy personal device charging holder and USB-C ports.
Read more: American Airlines punches back in Chicago, in 'fourth inning' of O'Hare rebuild
Now, we obviously won't be able to give you a full sense for how the cabin and the new seats stack up against competing products until we've had a chance to try it for ourselves.
But, it should certainly be a major boost in American's hopes to both grow and improve its premium offerings.
"Every aspect of our new 787-9 is designed to feel premium in nature," American chief customer officer Heather Garboden said in a statement Friday. "Whether flying for business or pleasure, having the opportunity to explore other parts of the world should be an exciting and memorable experience that begins the moment you book your flight."
Which flights will have American Airlines' Flagship Suites?
The inaugural flight for American's new Flagship Suites will technically be a short-haul domestic flight on June 5, from Chicago to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). That's AA Flight 2012, scheduled to depart ORD at 9:12 a.m. and arrive at LAX at 11:33 a.m., all times local.
That afternoon. the plane will return to O'Hare ahead of its first long-haul route: from ORD to Heathrow, operating as AA Flight 98.
As shown in American's booking channels, it departs Chicago at 10:30 p.m and lands in London the next day at 12:15 p.m. all times local.
Economy redemptions start at 29,000 AAdvantage miles, with premium economy at 49,000. At the time of this writing, you'd have to redeem a whopping 400,000 miles to snag a business-class seat.
However, a huge caveat here: American says seats on the new aircraft (with its new layout) technically go on sale on Monday. At the moment, the seat map for this flight doesn't reflect the newer, more premium-heavy cabin configuration, including a 70% increase in business-class capacity over the Dreamliner currently penciled into the route.
So, we'll have to see what happens to those redemption rates in the next few days.
Other routes coming soon
Over the course of 2025, American will welcome additional Dreamliners to its fleet, and debut the aircraft on more long-haul routes, including:
- PHL-LHR — starts Aug. 6
- PHL to Zurich Airport (ZHR) — starts Sept. 3
- Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) to Brisbane Airport (BNE) in Australia — starts Oct. 26
In all, the carrier expects to receive a total of 30 of these premium-heavy 787-9s between now and 2029.
And these Dreamliners aren't the only jets that will see the new Flagship Suite concept.
American plans to debut the suites on its transatlantic-capable Airbus A321XLRs — though it plans to start those jets out (whenever it receives them) on premium transcontinental routes currently operated by its four-cabin A321Ts.
The carrier also plans to retrofit its Boeing 777-300ERs, ditching the Flagship First cabin in favor of a higher total number of lie-flat seats.
Nostalgia flight: How you can fly Flagship First on American before it's phased out
Booking American's new suites with points miles
While redeeming AAdvantage miles is the most conventional way to score an award seat on American, there are a variety of partners you can instead opt to book through.
We suggest checking for partner award space on American through Oneworld alliance carriers' loyalty programs, from Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan to Cathay Pacific Asia Miles and the assortment of international airlines that use Avios for an award currency — from British Airways to Iberia, Qatar, Aer Lingus and Finnair.
TPG staffers have made strong use of partner redemptions booked through Alaska of late, thanks to its partner award chart that can introduce bargains compared to what you'll find through the more dynamically priced AAdvantage program.
At least for now, you can transfer American Express Membership Rewards to HawaiianMiles at a 1:1 ratio, then shift those miles to Alaska — but, as I wrote last week, that arrangement may not be around for too much longer.
Related reading:
- Your ultimate guide to American Airlines AAdvantage
- Best credit cards for American Airlines flyers
- What is American Airlines elite status worth?
- Maximize your airfare: The best credit cards for booking flights
- The best credit cards to reach elite status
- Everything you need to know about flying basic economy on American Airlines
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