American Airlines will bring its swankiest new business-class suites to its oldest long-haul planes.
The Fort Worth-based carrier on Thursday announced plans to give its Boeing 777-200ERs a “nose-to-tail” cabin face-lift.
That includes outfitting its workhorse long-haul planes with the airline’s fancy new Flagship Suites — the spiffy lie-flat product that debuted this past summer with sliding privacy doors.
The move will represent a considerable upgrade for a plane that American flies on more long-haul routes than any other aircraft.
American's new Flagship Suites
American launched its new Flagship Suites on its newest Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners in June to much fanfare. The seats proved to be some of the most coveted mileage redemptions this summer on flights from the U.S. to Europe.
That new Flagship product will also appear on its soon-to-launch Airbus A321XLR aircraft — which was expected to begin service before the end of 2025.
And, American previously announced plans to update 20 of its newer and larger Boeing 777-300ERs with the new business-class seats and fresh-look interior.
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What about the Boeing 777-200ER?
But questions have swirled about the future of its decades-old 777-200ERs —a wide-body plane it has more of (47) than any other twin-aisle jet, and a staple of its transatlantic service.
On Thursday, the company confirmed they’ll get a full retrofit, complete with the highest-end business-class product the company offers — along with brand-new seatback entertainment devices.
Those planes will see a 25% increase in lie-flat and premium economy seats, executives said on American’s third-quarter earnings call.
The 777-200s currently sport 37 lie-flat business-class pods, along with 24 premium economy recliners.
Bottom line
As those cabin upgrades are completed, they should significantly upgrade the onboard experience for travelers on many of its highly traveled international routes.
It’s the latest step by American to catch up to top rivals Delta Air Lines and United Airlines, whose heavy complement of premium seating options have helped propel those carriers to the industry’s highest profits in recent years.
"We're interested in providing a service for our customers and meeting demand," Steve Johnson, American's vice chair and chief strategy officer, said on a conference call Thursday.
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