American Airlines’ New Flagship Suites: A Game Changer or Just Catching Up?

American Airlines has finally rolled out its much-anticipated Flagship Suite seats after years of anticipation. The airline has been lagging behind competitors like Qatar Airways and Singapore Airlines in the premium cabin game, but this latest update signals a serious push to reclaim its status as a true premium long-haul contender.

The main question: Is it a genuine leap forward, or just an unoriginal response to industry pressure? Let’s dig in.

Starting with the brand-new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners flying to London Heathrow, American is bringing fully enclosed Flagship Suite seats to life. These suites are equipped with sliding privacy doors, which are now an industry standard, although still lacking by a majority of U.S. carriers.

The new Dreamliners come configured with 51 Flagship Suites (that’s 21 more than the old 787-9 layout) and 32 Premium Economy seats (11 more than before), for a total of 244 seats—clearly showing Americans more premium-heavy approach.

Inside the suite, you will find all the features you expect from a modern business class seat: Bluetooth connectivity, wireless charging, and a crisp 18.5-inch 4K screen. The seat itself converts into a lie-flat bed or, if you’re feeling loungy, a chaise lounge.

Delta One Suites and JetBlue Mint have been flaunting this setup for years. So American’s late, but at least they showed up with something somewhat in the same league.

The real differentiator is the "Flagship Suite Preferred", which are the seats in the first row. This is AA’s attempt at a “Business Plus” tier without creating an entire first class cabin.

These seats offer more space, exclusive Nest Bedding mattress pad & pajamas, a memory foam lumbar pillow, an upgraded amenity kit, and access to American’s separate “Flagship First” check in. It’s almost like AA is flirting with the notion of first class without committing, and I like this move.

Most carriers have fully eliminated first class cabins, stating it is no longer profitable, but these extended business class suites allow American to offer a similar experience to their high end customers without gambling on a First cabin.

The Flagship Business Preferred seat will fly on some American 787-9s and 777-300ERs.

It’s not just the suites getting attention. The whole cabin is getting a facelift. Premium Economy now comes with winged privacy headrests (similar to Delta), wireless charging, and expanded storage—features that finally make it feel like a real step up from economy.

And speaking of the back of the plane, Main Cabin travelers aren’t totally left out either. They’re getting new 4K seatback screens, long-overdue Bluetooth audio, and refreshed seats that might actually make transatlantic flying tolerable.

This kind of investment across all classes is a refreshing change from American. We often see carriers upgrade their business class cabins, and leave behind the rest of the plane. This might work for 10 years, because how much can you really upgrade economy, but it begins to get obvious. It's encouraging to see them finally acknowledge that a good onboard experience shouldn’t be limited to those up front.

The Flagship Business Preferred seat will fly on some American 787-9s and 777-300ERs.

This is a huge upgrade for American Airlines, especially considering they’re actively phasing out international First Class. But AA is also not setting new standards. The Flagship Suite preferred may be the best seat out of the U.S. carriers, but it doesn’t compete with first cabins in Qatar or Singapore. And while the business class is exciting, ANA, Air France, ITA, JAL, and a few other carriers still offer a nicer product. I’m not saying this to knock AA, this product makes them extremely competitive in the U.S. market, but outside of it there is still competition.

Still, this launch is impressive. Because for the first time in years, American will have a globally competitive hard product. For example, sliding doors are now table stakes in premium cabins, and AA is finally in the game.

Another major part of the win here is consistency. Once the 777-300ERs and A321XLRs get retrofitted, travelers won’t have to gamble on whether they’ll get a good seat or a glorified recliner. One major problem global competitors like Emirates and Qatar have is inconsistency of cabins. Their products are premium, but there are only a few planes, and even then, you don't know if the plane will have the same configuration. For example, Emirates Gamechanger is only available on 9 of its planes.

Let’s not kid ourselves, American’s new seats look nice. But premium travel isn’t just about furniture. If AA can’t step up its soft product, with better catering, service, and ground experience, then it can't hope to have an overall elevated experience. It’s just putting diamonds on denim.

We’ve all had that business class flight where the crew looked like they'd rather be literally anywhere else. No amount of privacy doors can make that feel premium. This is why EVA is rated so highly, their hard product is a B- at best, but the A+ soft product single handedly makes it a top 5 business class experience.

That’s the gold standard, and AA needs to aim higher than ‘adequate.’

The first new 787-9s have landed and will enter service June 5, starting with:

The wider rollout will depend on Boeing deliveries (spoiler: not exactly running ahead of schedule), but AA promises a major expansion over the next few years.

One of the reasons I like this so much is it gives more flexibility with the AAdvantage program. AAdvantage is already one of the best frequent flyer programs, offering business class saver awards for 57.5k, which is significantly cheaper than United and Delta’s rates. American also partners with other premium airlines like Qatar and JAL, offering the cheapest rates of anyone for business class.

Booking Tips: How to Try the New Suites Using Miles

Award space will be tight early on, so plan ahead, or prepare to pounce when a seat opens.

No, American isn’t changing the industry. But it’s finally playing in the right league. The Flagship Suite is a serious product, and paired with Flagship Suite Preferred, it gives travelers an actual reason to choose AA over Delta or United on certain routes.

American needs a boost in revenue, as the airline is currently losing money, while its frequent flyer program is bailing them out. Their bet of going premium will allow them to raise prices, and hopefully generate more profit. Many other airlines are doing the same, as air travel does seem to get more premium, and AA is trying to close the gap on Delta, especially internationally.

Is this the best business class in the sky? No. Is it finally worth booking over flying British Airways Club Suite or United Polaris just to stay loyal to AAdvantage? Arguably, yes.

My main worry is that the service won’t be elevated. The product is competitive, but AA doesn't have a great rep when it comes to their soft product, which could harshly impact the overall experience. So although it's taken AA way too long to get here, let's hope AA can deliver the extensive flagship experience that was promised.