American Airlines has recently launched its new Flagship Suites, a next-generation business class seat. These seats are currently available on Boeing 787-9s in the ‘789P’ subfleet, and will soon be available on other aircraft such as the Airbus A321XLR, 777-300ER, and later, the 777-200ER. The airline has partnered with Elevate Aircraft Seating (formerly Adient Aerospace) to provide its Ascent reverse herringbone seat for the Flagship Suites on all widebody aircraft. The Airbus A321XLRs will feature the Collins Aerospace Aurora herringbone seat.

This new seat not only replaces American’s previous generation business class seats (Safran Cirrus D, Safran Concept D, Collins Super Diamond on widebodies, and Collins Diamond on the A321-200 ‘321T’ subfleet), but also the Flagship First cabin. This prestigious cabin was only available on the Boeing 777-300ER and the A321T subfleet, with different seats on each aircraft. American Airlines was the last major US airline to offer international first class.

American Airlines’ Flagship First Product In A Nutshell

The Flagship First cabin is currently offered on 20 Boeing 777-300ERs and 15 Airbus A321-200s in the 321T subfleet. American Airlines was the last US airline to offer a true international first class product on its 777-300ER fleet, while the A321T subfleet was primarily used for premium transcontinental routes. However, these A321T aircraft will soon be reconfigured into the airline’s standard domestic layout and will be replaced by the A321XLR. The 777-300ERs will also be reconfigured to remove the first class cabin and add more business class seats.

While American Airlines markets Flagship First on the A321T as a proper first class product, the seats themselves are the Safran Cirrus II, commonly used for business class on many airlines. In fact, American uses the exact same seat model for its Flagship Business on the Boeing 777-300ER. The Flagship Business on the A321T fleet features the Collins Aerospace Diamond seat, a lie-flat seat configured four abreast. The main advantage of Flagship First on the A321T is the direct aisle access for each seat.

On the Boeing 777-300ER, Flagship First features direct aisle access suites manufactured by Zodiac. While these seats do not have a privacy door, they offer more personal space and a more private experience compared to Flagship Business. The unique aspect of Flagship First on the 777 is the ability for the seat to swivel up to 90 degrees, creating a designated work area facing away from the aisle. These same seats are also used for first class on Air China’s 747-400s.

The New American Airlines Flagship Suites

American Airlines has partnered with Elev