American Airlines Reveals New Details on Suite Seats — Including a New ‘Preferred’ Front-row Seat

17.04.2024 - 17:19 / travelandleisure.com / Airlines

American Airlines is about to make business class even more comfortable with the introduction of a «preferred» front-row suite.

The new Flagship Suite Preferred seat will be available in the first row of the aircraft and will offer more space, several storage areas, and exclusive amenities, American Airlines shared with Travel + Leisure. The seat will be available on the airline's new Boeing 787-9 aircraft and on retrofitted 777-300 aircraft.

«We thoughtfully curate each element of the onboard experience so every customer can look forward to the time they spend in flight,» Kim Cisek, American's vice president of customer Experience, said in a statement shared with T+L. «Part of the magic of travel is connecting our customers to the people and experiences that matter most to them. We're taking that concept to the skies by introducing a new, dynamic onboard program that's inspired by feedback from our customers and team members.»

The «preferred» suite will feature a Nest Bedding mattress pad, a throw blanket, a memory foam lumbar pillow, and Nest Bedding pajamas to promote restful sleep at 30,000 feet. The suite will also come with an exclusive amenity kit complete with skincare products from Thirteen Lune by Joanna Vargas and Relevant (and more skincare products than other business-class kits).

The new seat setup is similar to JetBlue's front-row Mint Studio seats, which are larger versions of its Mint Suite business class seats.

Courtesy of American Airlines

Beyond this upgraded seat experience, American revealed new details about its Flagship Suite, which the airline first announced in 2022. The lie-flat seats, which will be rolled out on its Boeing 787-9, Boeing 777-300, and Airbus A321XLR aircraft, will feature wireless charging, Bluetooth connectivity, multiple storage areas, direct-aisle access, and privacy doors.

American is also upgrading its premium economy seats with perks like wireless charging and privacy headrest wings. Main cabin travelers will also have access to Bluetooth connectivity and both AC and USB-A/USB-C charging ports.

In addition to the new seat features, American is also introducing a dual-sided pillow in first and business class, featuring a cool side and a traditional fabric side.

The cabin refresh comes months after the airline revamped its loyalty program, introducing «members-only» benefits for AAdvantage frequent fliers. These benefits include free same-day standby for earlier domestic flights, free 24-hour ticket holds, and the ability to purchase one-day Admirals Club and Flagship First lounge passes. AAdvantage members who book through the airline can also cancel basic economy tickets for a fee.