American Airlines has officially unveiled a brand-new aircraft complete with its new Flagship business class seats fitted with privacy doors. On June 5, the first flight on board the new plane will take off from Chicago to Los Angeles, followed by another from Chicago to London Heathrow later that day.
This Boeing 787-9P Dreamliner is the first of 30 planes coming to the airline’s fleet—a notable step-up in American’s effort to compete for top-paying premium customers against primary rivals Delta and United. Heather Garboden, American’s chief customer officer, says, “every aspect of our new 787-9P is designed to feel premium in nature.” (In fact, the “P” in the aircraft name stands for premium.)
At a recent showcase in Dallas, American unveiled a first look at the new premium Boeing 787-9 aircraft, including the highly anticipated Flagship Suite business class seats, plus redesigned Premium Economy and Main Cabin seats. Here’s what to expect on board the new planes and where they will be flying.
Business class
The business class cabin of this aircraft showcases a new “Flagship Suite” for American, a seat unlike anything the airline has ever offered before. With 51 seats, the cabin appears packed, but the attention to design detail is high. Each seat is fully cocooned behind side walls and a sturdy door that slides closed for maximum privacy (a first for American).
There is one seat by the window on either side of the plane and a pair of seats in the center (with a slide-out divider that can separate you from your seatmate). The 21-inch-wide, 79-inch-long seats recline fully flat and can alternate positions (upright to reclining lounge chair to bedtime) at the touch of a button. In a first for any US carrier, the seat has been designed so that passengers can recline into flat-bed mode and then slide their body up to the headrest to sit up against the suite wall. This gives you twice as much legroom and feels as if you are sitting in a chaise lounge. American had to undergo special certification to offer this capability and even patented a second seatbelt specifically for this function.
Then there are the smaller details, like special compartments to store water bottles, eyeglasses, and other items like jewelry, all illuminated by sconce lighting. Even the lavatories feature playful, cosmetic touches such as cloud photography wallpaper on one side. For charging up your devices, there are both wireless and USB-C connectivity options—no need to jostle over outlet space here. High-definition TV screens measure 17.5 inches wide and come with an impressive amount of entertainment content.
Struggle to fall asleep on red-eye flights? Nest-branded bedding and slippers await at each suite, and with the ability to slide the suite door closed, less commotion in the aisle can help improve in-flight sleep quality. For those who run hot, the pillow and duvet have a cool-touch fabric on one side.
Within the same business class cabin, American is also launching another tier of seats called “Flagship Suite Preferred.” The eight seats (located at the very front of the cabin), offer 20% more space than the regular Flagship Suites. They include a slew of extra perks like pajamas, a larger amenity kit stocked with Joanna Vargas skincare products, and cushier bedding with a throw blanket, and a memory foam lumbar pillow and mattress pad.
Offering a slightly nicer version of business class in the same cabin seems to be a growing trend; United and JetBlue also have a higher “tier” of business class seats. Where American differs is that there is no companion seat available for a fellow passenger to join for a meal or a chat, which might be disappointing for some but could mean a quieter cabin overall.
Perhaps the best news of all? For now, the upgraded Flagship Suite Preferred is available for selection on the seat map for no additional charge when compared to the standard Flagship Suite, so book early and select a seat quickly!
What routes will the new seats be available on?
American currently has three B787-9P planes, but more are quickly on the way. By 2029, the fleet will include 30 of the new planes, growing the number of business and premium economy seats the airline offers by 50%.
The airline is the largest US carrier at Heathrow Airport, and by early July, all three of American’s daily flights between Chicago and London will feature the new Flagship Suites. Effective August 6, this aircraft will operate between Philadelphia and London Heathrow, and on September 3, the new plane will also operate on American’s Philadelphia-Zurich route. By late October 2025, passengers can expect the new B787-9P planes to operate Dallas/Ft. Worth to Auckland and Brisbane flights.
The ultimate goal is for more of American’s long-haul routes to offer the new cabins. When the airline introduces the Airbus A321XLR later this year, it will arrive kitted out with the Flagship Suites. The airline will eventually update its Boeing 777-300ER planes with the same offering.
Premium economy and economy
American Airlines’ new cabin offerings continue beyond the business class curtain. On the Boeing 787-9P Dreamliner, a total of 32 premium economy seats offer “headrest wings” for a greater sense of separation between passengers, more recline, and a pull-out calf and footrest. Laid out in a 2-3-2 design, they have ample storage for water bottles and tablets plus high-tech features like 13-inch entertainment screens, Bluetooth connectivity, USB-C ports, and wireless charging. Noise-reducing headphones, a crepe weave blanket, and lumbar pillow add to the upgrade.
Further back in the refreshed main cabin, customers can expect regular economy seats in a 3-3-3 layout with 11.5-inch monitors and the same Bluetooth connectivity and seat power. Another exciting change for early 2026: All American AAdvantage members can access free in-flight Wi-Fi on board this aircraft.
An evolving American Airlines
American is in the midst of rolling out upgrades to its customer experience across all its planes, new and old. These include new snack options in domestic first class, more buy-on-board options for the main cabin, and a user-friendly mobile app. On May 22, the carrier launched a new Flagship Lounge in Philadelphia with á la carte dining and made-to-order cocktails or mocktails, just in time for the summer travel rush.
Behind the scenes, the airline has been making improvements on the operational side of things as well. Earlier this May, American began boarding its flights five minutes earlier, a small change that has allowed them to reduce the number of carry-on bags that need to be checked at the gate by 10%, according to the airline. Also, a new computer tool allows American to track flight connections at its Charlotte and Dallas/Ft. Worth hubs more efficiently, allowing the airline to give real-time guidance to gate agents on whether to hold certain flights a bit longer without impacting the next flight.
Garboden, American’s chief customer officer, says the efforts are designed to improve the overall flying experience, both in the air and on the ground—changes that frequent AA fliers are bound to be excited to welcome.
