American Airlines will soon offer its passengers a new experience on long-haul flights when the airline introduces its new “Flagship Suite” business class and the front-row “Flagship Suite Preferred.”
While this product will be offered for newly delivered Boeing 787-9s (which are unfortunately delayed), we will also see a reconfiguration of existing Boeing 777-300ERs.
I wanted to give an update on this because the first aircraft are due to be reconfigured shortly. We also know what configuration we can expect on these aircraft and to be honest I’m quite surprised.
American will soon upgrade the first Boeing 777
American has a fleet of 20 Boeing 777-300ERs, and these are the only existing widebody aircraft that American plans to redesign with new interiors. This is partly because they are used on the airline’s premium routes and partly because they feature First Class, a cabin that American plans to eliminate.
There have been many questions about when American would convert its first 777-300ER, especially given the delays in delivery of the new 787-9. Will the Dreamliner delays impact the timeline by which American will convert its existing aircraft?
According to a report by @xJonNYC, American plans to begin converting its Boeing 777-300ERs in early September 2024, so expect the first aircraft to hit the “shop” in the coming weeks. American’s Boeing 777-300ER conversion project will be called “Olympus” (similar to how the airline has dubbed its 737-800 conversion project “Oasis”).
While the conversion of the first aircraft is expected to begin soon, it is still unclear when the aircraft will enter service with the new interior. This is a prototype and the aircraft must be certified with the new interior. This process could take weeks or even months, depending on how it turns out.
While I’m sure the goal is to reconfigure the jets as quickly as possible to ensure fleet consistency, there are a lot of variables here. For example, American continues to struggle with delivery delays on so many jets, so the airline may not want to take more planes out of service than necessary.
Updated configuration of American’s Boeing 777-300ER
So how will the number of seats change when American reconfigures its Boeing 777-300ER? While the airline hasn’t announced it publicly, a recent filing with the Federal Aviation Administration reveals American’s updated configuration.
For comparison, American Airlines’ 777-300ERs currently have 304 seats, including:
- Eight seats in first class
- 52 Business Class seats
- 24 Premium Economy seats
- 216 economy seats
After the reconfiguration, American’s 777-300ERs will have 330 seats, consisting of:
- 70 Business Class seats
- 44 Premium Economy seats
- 216 economy seats
As you can see, the jet loses eight first class seats but gains 18 business class seats and 20 premium economy seats, while economy capacity remains the same.
I’m honestly confused how this is possible. Trading eight first class seats for 18 business class seats and 20 premium economy seats is a damn good “deal”. Let’s take a closer look. According to regulatory documents, there will be 22 business class seats in the front “zone”, between the first and second doors (compared to the current eight first class seats and eight business class seats):
- In the current configuration, there are 44 Business Class seats behind the second door, plus 24 Premium Economy seats, plus 216 Economy seats
- With the new configuration, there will be 48 Business Class seats, 44 Premium Economy seats and 216 Economy seats in the same space.
Is the new Adient Ascent product that American is installing that much more efficient than the current Safran Cirrus seat? Is premium economy much tighter? Is American reducing seat pitch in economy? All of the above?
I’m really excited that there will be 70 business class seats. That’s fantastic for upgrades because that’s a lot more business class capacity than we’ve seen on any aircraft before.
When will American eliminate international first class?
We know that American plans to discontinue its international first class offering and instead introduce an enhanced business class experience, as well as a new front row premium business class experience. It remains to be seen when exactly that will happen.
We previously heard that American might stop offering first class flights by the end of 2024. However, this appears to be a moving target, and as of this writing, American continues to sell first class until the end of the schedule, well into next summer.
I wouldn’t necessarily read too much into it. My guess is that American just doesn’t know when they’ll stop offering first class flights.
I mean, most people who book first class far in advance do so with miles and/or upgrade, and I assume American thinks it’ll be easy enough to move them to business class when the airline finally gets a better handle on the schedule. Plus, American is constantly changing planes on routes, so it would hardly be the first time the airline has had to deal with something like this.
American will probably stop offering First Class at some point, but will continue to offer the hard product on some aircraft and only accommodate some Business Class passengers. After all, the 20 777-300ERs cannot all be reconfigured overnight.
Conclusion
American plans to begin reconfiguring its Boeing 777-300ERs in September 2024. However, it is uncertain when the first aircraft with the new interior will actually enter service. It can be assumed that the reconfiguration of the first aircraft will take longer than that of subsequent aircraft.
Perhaps most interesting is how American plans to redesign these planes. They will have a huge business class and a premium economy cabin, and yet American is increasing capacity significantly.
What do you think about American’s plans to upgrade the Boeing 777-300ER?
