I think we can all agree, looking at the balance sheets, that American Airlines has fallen behind its peers in the last years. United and Delta have eaten into American’s market share and are simply much more profitable than AA. An area in which American Airlines has suffered particularly is the international long haul services. The route network is nowhere near what the other 2 big 3 offer and therefore there is much ground to be made up. So what is the best way to start tackling this issue? By introducing an all new premium cabin travel experience. So let’s see what American Airlines has in store in terms of aircraft cabins, amenities and catering.
American Airlines And Its New Premium Cabin Interiors
The travel experience passengers can expect when travelling in business class with American Airlines will change massively in coming years. The airline has reinvented its Flagship Business class on both narrow and wide body aircraft. A move to elevate standards and move the bar up higher in order to bring on a better fight to United and all the more Delta.
American Airlines’ new premium cabins will have new interiors in both international Business Class, Premium Economy along with some touch up in economy class.
New Boeing 787-9 and Airbus A321neo will feature this new version of the AA business class. Boeing 777-300ERs though will also be upgraded thanks to a retrofitting program which will take place in coming months and years.
So what does the new American Airlines Flagship First offer?
In American Airlines Flagship Business Class
On both new A321XLR and Boeing 787-9 a new cabin interior is on the way. Long range international business class will see a whole redesign that in theory will align AA’s business class with some of the best products out there.
Each seat will be a totally enclosed suite offering more privacy and comfort. A cabin that follows what has become the trend of having a sliding door to isolate your from the aisle. On the wide body 787-9 the layout will be 1-2-1 while on the A321neo it’ll be a 1-1. Goes without saying that the seats become flatbeds as is customary in every premium airline’s offering.
Also these new business class interiors will be eventually offered on the airline’s 777-300ER fleet as the retrofitting is completed.
If it wasn’t clear already, this makes it crystal clear. The A321XLR is American Airlines’ go to airline for the long and thin routes across the Atlantic Ocean. The tiny airliner will make routes to secondary destinations economically viable or replace the larger 787 in low demand seasonality for larger airports. We’ve seen many airlines do the same with their A321LR and it’ll be all the more possible with the XLR.
In AA’s Premium Economy Class
Premium Economy will also get some touch ups, albeit much smaller and flashy. The seats will be fitted with privacy headrest wings. A feature that gives a little more privacy when sleeping next to a stranger. Also each seat will offer wireless device charging capabilities and 4K IFE screens will be fitted to each seat, as they will in Economy.
Amenities and Other Upgrades
The other major upgrade coming to American Airlines premium cabins is about the amenity kits. The airline is enhancing its offering with some new beauty products. It will also start rotating special editions of the kits in order to make them more of a collectable item. American’s new amenity kits will feature products from companies such as: Joanna Vargas, Relevant and Thirteen Lune. The bedding will also get an upgrade, American states in line with customer feedback.
Finally the food. The in flight catering is going to see some new offerings on flights across the Atlantic. Dishes that will get you acquainted with the specialities of European destinations, such as:
- macadamia crusted sea bass with citrus cream sauce, quinoa, toasted orzo, and haricots verts.
- Pan roasted chicken
- Tortellini pasta
All in an effort to elevate the onboard experience and attract passengers away from the competition and back on American Airlines flights. We’ll have to wait and see future financial results to quantify the success of these new features. American Airlines has also recently made it much harder to claim miles if not booking from their direct channels. Something that wasn’t very popular with travellers.
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