American Airlines Retrofits Boeing 777-300ERs: More Business Class, No First Class

Key Points:

• American Airlines has begun reconfiguring its Boeing 777-300ER fleet, removing first class and introducing new cabins including the Flagship Suite business class and Flagship Suite Preferred seats, with the first retrofitted plane entering service in September 2026.
• The retrofit increases business class seats from 52 to 70 and premium economy from 28 to 44, while eliminating eight first class seats and keeping economy seating constant at 216, resulting in a total of 330 seats per aircraft.
• The reconfiguration improves seating efficiency but reduces galley and lavatory space, which may impact crew operations; business class pitch slightly decreases from 43" to 42", and premium economy pitch from 35" to 34".
• American plans to complete the retrofit of all 20 Boeing 777-300ERs by late 2027 or early 2028, with retrofitted aircraft initially serving routes such as New York to Buenos Aires and Dallas to London.
• First class service on these aircraft will be discontinued as of November 19, 2026, with those cabins integrated into business class, marking a significant shift in American’s premium long-haul product offering.