American Airlines Introduces New Amenity Kits

American Airlines Introduces New Amenity Kits

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American Airlines is today introducing new amenity kits, though they don’t look like anything to get too excited about, if you ask me.

New amenity kits from Shinola and D.S. & Durga

American Airlines is rolling out new onboard amenity kits for premium cabin customers, thanks to a new partnership with Shinola and D.S. & Durga:

  • The amenity kits themselves have been created by Shinola, a Detroit-based luxury design brand known for watches and leather goods
  • Some of the products in the amenity kits are from D.S. & Durga, a New-York based perfume company — the amenity kits include the Rose Atlantic and Radio Bombay aromas in lip balms and lotions

There are different kits depending on whether you’re traveling in first class, business class, or premium economy, and depending on whether you’re on a long haul or premium transcontinental flight.

Here’s the international first class amenity kit, available exclusively in 777-300ER first class on long haul flights:

Here’s the international business class and transcon first class (which includes A321T first class) amenity kit:

Here’s the international premium economy and transcon business class amenity kit:

These new amenity kits are rolling out on flights between the United States and London as of today, and should be rolled out to more long haul international and transcontinental flights throughout the summer.

I have to be honest, I don’t know much about either brand that American is partnering with here, other than that D.S. & Durga also provides toiletries for Thompson hotels. To me, the kits as such look rather unremarkable.

When I was a teenager I’d collect airline amenity kits and get so excited about them, though personally I have a hard time getting excited about them nowadays:

  • As you can tell based on how often American switches the brands it works with, clearly these partnerships are about which companies are willing to give American products for next to nothing as a way of promoting what they’re offering
  • I can’t help but feel like amenity kits are just kind of wasteful; personally I’ll take a tube of toothpaste from an amenity kit since that always comes in handy, but other than that, you’re best off just donating these kits, in my opinion
  • There are some exceptions, like airlines with truly awesome amenity kits, where they’re useful to keep in the long run to store cords or other things, but those are the exception rather than the norm

American Airlines’ limited edition clocks

Here’s something that some aviation geeks may like. As an extension of the partnership between American Airlines and Shinola, a limited edition desk clock is being created featuring a dial made entirely from a retired MD-80 aircraft.

There are a total of 1,000 for sale, and they retail for $395 each. There are two options:

It’s no doubt a cool concept for avgeeks, though at this point a desk clock is about as useful to me as a fax machine or a pager, so I’ll pass.

Bottom line

American Airlines has rolled out new amenity kits, thanks to a new collaboration with both Shinola and D.S. & Durga. While these are brands that some people seem to like, personally I find the kits as such to be rather uninspiring. Then again, I find amenity kits in general to be kind of wasteful, so I’m not terribly invested one way or another.

What do you make of American Airlines’ new amenity kits? And is anyone picking up an MD-80 desk clock?

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  1. Benjamin G Guttery Guest

    I for one LOVE Amenity Kits. I do wish that they would add a couple things or improve the quality of others as to get more use out of them. I "collect" them and hoard them, then set one on our guest room bed when people come to stay with us. I personally look forward to them more than the food choices on my flights.

  2. Ben Guest

    What about domestic Flagship First on 777-300ER? Does that get the transcon first class kit (you say exclisive to A321T)?

    1. Ben OMAAT

      @ Ben -- Good catch, since American is flying so many 777-300ERs between Miami and Los Angeles. I'm guessing that would get the transcon first class kit as well, so I updated the post to reflect that.

  3. AaronP Guest

    The last time I flew LAX-MIA in PE; when I walked through Business to exit the aircraft, at least three kits were sitting at seats unopened...

  4. D3kingg Guest

    I liked the APL Athletic Propulsion Labs.

  5. Jordan Guest

    I agree, if one thinks the kits are wasteful (decline). Perhaps the airlines should just do a basic drawstring bag with toothpaste/toothbrush and eye shades (the ear foam is awful - but sure, add that) - as an option over a full bag...or similar to SQ and have toothbrushes in the bathrooms.

    My Amenity kit process:
    (1) I keep some for future needs - if not needed, goes to the homeless shelter (they love...

    I agree, if one thinks the kits are wasteful (decline). Perhaps the airlines should just do a basic drawstring bag with toothpaste/toothbrush and eye shades (the ear foam is awful - but sure, add that) - as an option over a full bag...or similar to SQ and have toothbrushes in the bathrooms.

    My Amenity kit process:
    (1) I keep some for future needs - if not needed, goes to the homeless shelter (they love these).
    (2) I give to friends, especially the nicer ones
    (3) As gifts to hotel clerks, and in a store - for good service
    (4) OVERALL I use them to hold external hard drives. Emergency medicine for dodgy countries. Cables. There are many uses.

    Reese - Thank you. The constant complaining on this site begs belief, doesn't it...

  6. Heather Guest

    I mostly want sanitizer wipes and a face mask in my post-pandemic amenity kit.

  7. Larry Guest

    who cares!!!! half the stuff is thrown in the garbage. Interestingly, no hand sanitizer or wipes...

  8. derek Guest

    I like the case of amenity kits. I don't get them frequently enough to have too many of them.

    Colgate is a terrible toothpaste for travel because it has a stronger smell, needing more water to rinse. Colgate at home is fine but Crest is better for travel.

  9. Ulev Guest

    Let me opine …product rhymes with ‘shine-ola’
    My, how times have changed….

  10. Leigh Guest

    When I used to fly weekly LAX-JFK or LAX-International, these kits meant nothing to me.

    BUT, I have always saved them to contribute to homeless shelters. It really helps. Please try and do the same.

  11. David Guest

    Not sure what the purpose of these amenity kits are mostly. Sure, they're supposed to "promote" the partnered brand, but usually the kits are made of such low quality material that they're far below brand standard compared to things you can buy from the brand itself. If anything, these kits do a disservice to the brand image.

    Shinola might be a great brand, but I'm gonna bet these stuff are not made of anything even remotely similar to grain leather.

  12. Chase Guest

    @Tortuga and @KW –

    Shinola's brand story is largely a fiction created by a multibillion dollar company that realized it could specifically create a narrative around a fake heritage brand made in Detroit/America and attach a premium to it. It's one of the best marketing moves in decades. Having said that, they make decent products and these pouches alone are cooler than 90% of other amenity kits out there.

  13. KW Guest

    Agree with @Tortuga - Shinola is a fantastic brand, a fantastic story and great watches and leather goods manufactured in the US. A leather bag around the size of the first class kit would likely cost ~$400 in their stores.

    I'm actually staying at their hotel this summer! It looks gorgeous and I can't wait to try it out.

  14. Eskimo Guest

    After what humanity has been through, still no hand sanitizer?

  15. Radio Guest

    I'm probably in the minority and mean no disrespect with this comment, but I think an airline's main function is to provide safe transportation, not be a hotel, movie theater, or restaurant.

  16. Gregg Guest

    If you're going to make something out of an MD-80, it should at least remind me of an MD-80. For all I know they could have made the clock face from a retired Greyhound bus and most people would be none-the-wiser.

    Perhaps if the clock was supported by two compressor blades from an MD-80 engine or something like that. That would obviously make it more expensive but then again go big or go home.

    Something...

    If you're going to make something out of an MD-80, it should at least remind me of an MD-80. For all I know they could have made the clock face from a retired Greyhound bus and most people would be none-the-wiser.

    Perhaps if the clock was supported by two compressor blades from an MD-80 engine or something like that. That would obviously make it more expensive but then again go big or go home.

    Something tells me the majority of these clocks will eventually be sold in the AA employee store.

  17. Tortuga Guest

    The Shinola brand story is great and their leather goods are first rate (I'm not especially keen on Horween, but the vegetable-tanned items are quite nice). I have friends who are fanatics for both their watches and their bags. I enjoy their aesthetic, though my own taste is clocks (yes, clocks!) runs more toward European modernist than American convivial.

    They also run a boutique hotel in Detroit, Ben. Maybe you should give it a whirl and write a review!

  18. reese Guest

    Some of You would complain about Anything. They really do Not need to give You one at All and if You do not like it, Decline it. It is a very simple concept.

  19. Henry Guest

    Yeah, the design of everything just does not raise appetite... desk clock... well I would prefer at least a watch or something...

  20. Steve_CC Guest

    Im surprised they didnt permanently remove amenity kits "for our safety"

  21. Eric Guest

    There was a Shinola offer on AMEX a while back. I planned to redeem it until I saw how expensive it is. Their designs look nice, but they ones they have for these amenity kits don't look really remarkable.

  22. DWT Guest

    The funny thing about amenity kits is that the "nicest" kits I've received over the years mostly stayed in my closet because they were hard to repurpose, whereas some of the crappier kits I've received (particularly in international premium economy on different airlines) have actually been pretty handy repurposed as small zipped bags to hold cables and chargers. For the new AA kits, I can in particular see the International Business one being easily repurposed...

    The funny thing about amenity kits is that the "nicest" kits I've received over the years mostly stayed in my closet because they were hard to repurpose, whereas some of the crappier kits I've received (particularly in international premium economy on different airlines) have actually been pretty handy repurposed as small zipped bags to hold cables and chargers. For the new AA kits, I can in particular see the International Business one being easily repurposed that way.

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Benjamin G Guttery Guest

I for one LOVE Amenity Kits. I do wish that they would add a couple things or improve the quality of others as to get more use out of them. I "collect" them and hoard them, then set one on our guest room bed when people come to stay with us. I personally look forward to them more than the food choices on my flights.

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Ben OMAAT

@ Ben -- Good catch, since American is flying so many 777-300ERs between Miami and Los Angeles. I'm guessing that would get the transcon first class kit as well, so I updated the post to reflect that.

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Ben Guest

What about domestic Flagship First on 777-300ER? Does that get the transcon first class kit (you say exclisive to A321T)?

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