American Airlines Boeing 787 Business Class: What To Expect On Board

American Airlines has long held its Boeing 777-300ERs as the flagships of its premium product offerings, with only these jets equipped with the carrier’s Flagship First cabin. Nonetheless, as the carrier’s widebody fleet continues to diversify, the Boeing 787 has increasingly become more and more prominent.

Deployed on routes such as Brisbane Airport (BNE) to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), the Dreamliner has a lot to bring to the table. The carrier’s new 787-9s, of which 30 remain on order from manufacturer Boeing, will be upgraded with the airline’s new Flagship Business product.

Whether flying a brand-new business class suite or the standard business class offering currently available on most of American’s widebodies, the cabin undeniably offers much to the carrier’s premium travelers. In this article, we will take a deeper look at all that the airline’s 787 business class brings to the table.

Pre-departure experience

American’s elevated experience for business class passengers begins far before the flight takes off at the check-in counter. Passengers in Flagship Business are entitled to two free checked bags and can check in through a priority lane.

Photo: American Airlines

After passing through security, Flagship Business passengers dine and relax at American’s Admirals Club and Flagship Lounges, both of which can be accessed on the day of travel at both departing and connecting airports. Under some circumstances where an airport does not have either of these facilities, American business class passengers will be invited to a partner airline’s lounge.

Boeing 787 business class passengers will also be given the opportunity to board early. Flagship Business passengers board in group 1, allowing them to be the first to take their seats and settle in before the journey ahead.

Inflight product

American’s newest business class seat is equipped on both the carrier’s 787-8 and 787-9 aircraft. The Collins Aerospace Super Diamond seat comes in a 1-2-1 forward-facing reverse herringbone configuration and is highly praised by industry critics for offering impressive amounts of storage.

Photo: American Airlines

This seat has been described by outlets like Nerd Wallet as among the most comfortable in the sky. The seat offers a fully lie-flat bed, includes a sizeable inflight entertainment screen, and, on newer planes, a privacy screen has been installed between the two middle seats.

Related

Why Did Direct Aisle Access Become The Standard In Long-Haul Business Class?

Fifteen years ago, direct aisle access was almost always reserved for first class.

That said, the product has some offerings that make it less competitive with other business-class seats on the market. Chiefly, the footwell on the seat is smaller than competitors’ seats, mainly due to the tray table stored directly above it.

The future

Business Insider recently took a look at the future of American’s long-haul Flagship Business product, a newly revamped cabin that will soon be deployed across the airline’s entire lineup of widebody jets. As it slowly becomes the industry standard, the new cabin will include sliding doors facilitating complete privacy within individual suites.

Photo: American Airlines

Additionally, the new cabin will include the opportunity for passengers to join a fellow traveler in their suite for a meal, something that will be exciting for travel-prone couples. This new cabin will be installed on the airline’s new 787-9 jets and will eventually be retrofitted on all widebody jets operated by American.