It’s last call for first class.
American Airlines will be phasing out first-class seating for transcontinental routes in line with a campaign to expand its business-class cabin.
Starting on November 19, AA passengers will no longer be able to purchase first-class seating — dubbed Flagship First — on its Boeing 777-300ER planes, which are used for long-haul routes from Sao Paulo to Tokyo, the carrier announced in a press release.
Meanwhile, they will stop selling first-class seats on the Airbus A321T starting on March 28, 2027.
Thankfully, this revamp doesn’t mean passengers can no longer fly in style. As part of the overhaul, the carrier will increase the number of premium seats aboard its Boeing 777-300ERs from 116 to 144.
These will consist of 70 Flagship Suite business-class seats with privacy doors and a flat bed, 44 Premium Economy seats and 30 Main Cabin Extra seats, American’s extra-legroom economy product.
Meanwhile, business class passengers will be able to take advantage of certain first-class perks such as Flagship Dining, a complimentary, multi-course dining experience available at select American Airlines Flagship lounges.
The full 770-300ER retrofit is slated for completion sometime in 2027.
In the interim, first-class cabins on the remaining aircraft will be considered part of business, although it’s unclear how long they will be available to business-class flyers.
Meanwhile, AA devotees who bought a lifetime pass — where paying $250,000 up front gets you first class for life — can still fly for free in lower cabins, A View From The Wing reported. AA is also hanging onto domestic first class.
AA originally announced it would put its first-class seating out to pasture in 2022 due to low demand aboard the carrier, which is the only airline among the US’ big three to offer an international first-class cabin.
The other two, Delta and American, discontinued their first-class sections in 1998 and 2018 respectively.
Despite the rationale, not everyone is happy that AA’s plushest seating section is flying off into the sunset.
“There’s a good argument that a modern business class suite with a flat bed and a door is better than the first class seat somebody bought access to in 1981,” wrote A View From The Wing contributor Gary Leff. “But I still value the space and quiet of American’s eight-seat first class cabin.”
He added, “When I flew it to and from Sydney last year, the food, service and maintenance showed how far American had let the product slip. The small cabin was still worth having.”
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