Here’s How Different American Airlines’ Flagship Suites Are Compared To Flagship First

American Airlines is rolling out Flagship Suites, its next-generation business class seat. These seats are available on Boeing 787-9s in the ‘789P’ subfleet, and will soon also be available on the Airbus A321XLR, 777-300ER, and later, the 777-200ER. American is using the Elevate Aircraft Seating (formerly Adient Aerospace) Ascent reverse herringbone seat for Flagship Suites on all of its widebody aircraft, and the Airbus A321XLRs feature the Collins Aerospace Aurora herringbone seat.

These seats are not just replacing American’s last-generation business class seats (Safran Cirrus D, Safran Concept D, Collins Super Diamond on the widebodies, and Collins Diamond on the Airbus A321-200 ‘321T’ subfleet), but also American’s Flagship First cabin. This cabin is only available on the Boeing 777-300ER and the A321T subfleet, although the cabin features different seats on the two aircraft. American Airlines will have been the last airline in the US to offer international first class.

American Airlines’ Flagship First Product In A Nutshell

Credit: American Airlines

American Airlines offers Flagship First on its 20 Boeing 777-300ERs and its 15 Airbus A321-200s in the 321T subfleet. It is the last US airline to offer an international first class product on its 777-300ER fleet, while the A321T subfleet is used for premium transcontinental routes. The 321T aircraft are set to be reconfigured into the carrier’s standard domestic layout and will be replaced by the A321XLR for this purpose. The 777-300ERs are to be reconfigured with no first class and more business class.

While AA sells Flagship First on the 321T as a true first class product, the seats themselves are the Safran Cirrus II. This is a reverse herringbone seat commonly used for business class on many airlines, and American uses this exact seat model for Flagship Business on the Boeing 777-300ER. Flagship Business on the 321T fleet uses the Collins Aerospace Diamond seat, a lie-flat seat configured four abreast. The primary benefit of Flagship First on the 321T aircraft is direct aisle access.

Flagship First on the Boeing 777-300ER features direct aisle access suites manufactured by Zodiac. These seats don’t feature a privacy door, but are more private and include more personal space than Flagship Business. However, the real unique aspect of Flagship First on the 777 is that the seat can swivel up to 90 degrees. This creates a proper working area for passengers that faces 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

Credit: American Airlines

American is using the Elevate Ascent for Flagship Suites on its widebodies, while the A321XLR uses the Collins Aurora. The Elevate Ascent is a reverse herringbone seat, which is the same configuration as the Safran Cirrus II and the Collins Super Diamond currently present on American’s widebodies. The Safran Concept D is present on some of American’s 777-200ERs and 787-8s, features the same layout as well, but alternates between forward and rear-facing.

The Collins Aurora is a herringbone seat, with the major difference being that the seats are angled towards the aisle, rather than away from the aisle. Naturally, both seats feature improved technology and larger screens, although the core concept is largely the same as before. In addition, these aircraft are debuting American’s new interior design standards.

However, the main benefit of the Flagship Suite is its privacy door. This is increasingly becoming an expectation for business class offered by large airlines, and these are not even offered in Flagship First today. While Flagship Suites is a replacement for American’s business class, this also elevates the onboard experience compared to Flagship First.

The Flagship First seats still feature more personal space than Flagship Suites, but the difference is fairly small. In addition, the seat itself has never been known for being particularly luxurious or spacious. While the loss of Flagship First means the loss of the swivel function, this has never been popular enough wth passengers to warrant continuing to sell first class. The main difference from business class comes from the soft product, with improved service, amenities, and catering.

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The Introduction Of Flagship Preferred

Credit: American Airlines

Flagship Suites is more private and features improved technology compared to Flagship First, but is less spacious and less exclusive. In addition, it’s also less exclusive with standard business class service, whereas Flagship First is a proper international first class product. However, since Flagship Suites is meant to be American’s new business class, the carrier is also introducing a new ‘business class plus’ product that is a more direct successor to its first class.

Known as Flagship Preferred, this seat uses the dead space in front of every bulkhead seat, and rather than install a bulky monument with a footwell, it offers more space for passengers. This concept has become more popular with airlines as it allows them to offer more sophisticated premium products without needing to sacrifice additional space. JetBlue was the first US airline to offer this type of seat, and United Airlines has also announced plans to offer what it calls ‘Polaris Studio.’

In the case of American Airlines, Flagship Preferred offers a larger footwell as well as a large counter area. In addition, these seats come with higher walls and a larger screen. Furthermore, passengers seated in Flagship Preferred receive upgraded amenities and upgraded ground service comparable to that of Flagship First, making it more of a true replacement. There are eight Flagship Preferred suites on every 789P aircraft, and these seats will also be installed on all Boeing 777s.

Why Is American Airlines Replacing Flagship First?

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American Airlines is the only airline to offer a proper first class product on transcontinental routes in the US. While the hard product is essentially the same as its long-haul business class, it’s a superior seat to the business class seats offered by Delta Air Lines and United Airlines on their Boeing 757s. However, as narrowbody business class evolves, it’s become virtually the same as American’s Flagship First on the A321.

The carrier intends to rotate its A321XLRs between transcontinental routes and long-haul flights, so it makes sense to replace first class with a business class seat that’s essentially a full upgrade. As for long-haul first class, while the US is a high-income country, it’s also extremely large. American Airlines has hubs in nine cities, and this means that flight demand is spread out.

First class is extraordinarily expensive for airlines to operate, and it’s more difficult for American to sell this cabin consistently compared to an airline such as British Airways, which has a single hub in a wealthy city. In addition, American Airlines lacks a premium image, which is important when attempting to sell seats in a cabin primarily marketed towards wealthy individuals.

Instead, American Airlines is discontinuing long-haul first class. The differences in hard products have a relatively minimal impact on the in-flight experience, while its market position in the three largest US cities (New York, Los Angeles, Chicago) is relatively weak compared to the competition. Instead, it’s choosing to improve the business class while offering business class plus. Guests enjoy an upgraded in-flight experience, while American doesn’t need to dedicate additional floor space for these seats.

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What’s The Competition Doing In The US?

Credit: United Airlines

On premium transcontinental routes, both United Airlines and Delta Air Lines use the Collins Aerospace Diamond for business class on their Boeing 757s. JetBlue uses the Thompson Vantage on its Mint-equipped Airbus A321s, and in 2021, JetBlue introduced a new A321neo subfleet featuring the Thompson VantageSOLO, a herringbone suite similar to Flagship Suites on the A321XLR. United also intends to use a similar herringbone suite on the A321XLR and select A321neos.

Meanwhile, Delta plans to introduce the Safran Vue reverse herringbone suite on its transcon A321neo subfleet. American, Delta, and United all feature direct aisle access on their international widebody aircraft for business class. Delta was the first of the three to introduce privacy doors with its DeltaOne Suites on the Airbus A350 and A330neo in 2017.

United Airlines will be the last of the three to install doors when it begins taking delivery of new Boeing 787s equipped with the Elevate Ascent in 2026. While American’s version of the Elevate Ascent is configured reverse-herringbone, half of the center suites on United’s incoming 787s will be installed herringbone. JetBlue was the first US airline to sell a business class plus seat with its Mint Studios on the A321neo (as well as the A321LR).

Rather curiously, American sells Flagship Preferred on its 787s, but not on the A321XLR. United Airlines will also offer a business class plus on its new Dreamliners, named Polaris Studio. Delta, meanwhile, is reported to be planning a new DeltaOne seat for its upcoming Airbus A350-1000s based on the Thompson VantageNOVA, which will likely also offer an upgraded front-row option.