American Airlines is set to introduce new business class cabins on its Boeing 777-300ERs, featuring 70 suite-style seats as part of a retrofit initiative known as Project Olympus, which will begin in September 2024 [f91b84b3]. The new Flagship Suites, first announced in September 2022, will replace the existing first class cabin, resulting in a reduction of legroom and one lavatory [f91b84b3]. Standard suites will include lie-flat beds and fully-closing doors, while Flagship Suite Preferred seats will offer additional luxury [f91b84b3]. This retrofit will add 38 premium seats without decreasing the number of economy seats, which will remain at 216 [f91b84b3]. Aviation expert JonNYC has speculated on potential space reductions, but the timeline for the debut of the revamped aircraft has not yet been confirmed [f91b84b3]. Additionally, the new Airbus A321XLRs will also feature Flagship Suites, enhancing the airline's premium offerings across its fleet [f91b84b3].
In parallel, American Airlines plans to continue investing in wireless inflight entertainment (IFE) and connectivity for its narrowbody fleet [7e64a3c8]. The airline currently eschews seatback IFE for most of its narrowbody aircraft, but its A321T twinjets flying transcontinental routes offer in-seat IFE [7e64a3c8]. The forthcoming A321XLR aircraft will also feature embedded IFE across classes [7e64a3c8]. American Airlines provides high-speed Wi-Fi on all narrowbody aircraft, charging for onboard Internet, but has not yet announced plans for free Wi-Fi in the future [7e64a3c8]. The airline employs a dual-source approach to connectivity, utilizing Viasat's Ka-band satellite-based solution on a significant share of narrowbodies and Intelsat's 2Ku solution elsewhere [7e64a3c8].
In addition to these upgrades, American Airlines has debuted new amenity kits for premium economy, business class, and first class passengers as part of a soft product refresh [d69b45b6]. The kits were introduced ahead of the Memorial Day weekend and are seen as an improvement compared to previous efforts, although they still lag behind those offered by Asian and Middle Eastern carriers [d69b45b6]. The business class and premium economy kits have nearly identical contents, with the business class kit featuring a more substantial bag [d69b45b6]. The first class kit is similar but lacks certain items like a comb, tissues, hand sanitizer, pen, mouthwash, and chapstick [d69b45b6]. These amenity kits are crucial for enhancing passenger experience, making them feel valued and providing a branded takeaway [d69b45b6].
Despite these advancements, American Airlines has been critiqued for falling short in several areas, according to an analysis by View from the Wing [ce588dda]. The airline has limited extra legroom seats, lacks attention to detail in product development, offers inferior lounge food, and has unhappy employees, in addition to not having enough premium seats [ce588dda]. Furthermore, there is a noted lack of investment in its hubs and international routes [ce588dda]. The digital experience provided by the airline is also lacking, overshadowed by its focus on operational reliability [ce588dda]. However, the analysis suggests that American Airlines has significant opportunities for improvement, including enhancing employee relations, expanding international routes, investing in hubs, and offering a better overall product [ce588dda].