Hello from Chicago, as I just flew American Airlines’ brand new Boeing 787-9 Flagship Suite business class, on the 7hr50min flight from London (LHR) to Chicago (ORD), as part of my quick review trip. I was very much looking forward to this flight, as this represents American’s new long haul business class experience.
Continue reading: American 787 Flagship Suite Business Class: Hey, This Is Really Nice!
Share your questions, experiences, and thoughts below.
Would you say this is worth going out of your way to fly over AA standard 787 or 777-2 biz class? Meaning adding a connection and 4 hrs of additional travel time? Thanks for your insight.
Great summary and looking forward to the further write up. Seat looks like a B+ which is… fine! Less drab than current AA styling which is good. For what it is worth just got the new / limited Brandon Blackwood amenity kit from AA which I liked.
The screen is shockingly bad. It's going to look even worse and less competitive over the next few years. I also think the design of the whole thing looks like the 'former' admirals club look they went for - aka the corporate cafeteria design scheme. I thought the AA aesthetic was moving on? I'm sure it's a better seat overall, but I can't help thinking it's all going to rapidly look out of date.
@ Steve -- Objectively probably not, since there's something to be said for flying direct and avoiding any potential irregular operations. That being said, if you're an aviation geek or airline product geek and are curious to try this product then yes, I'd give it a try.
Put another way, if I were booking for myself, I'd do it. If I were booking for Ford, I wouldn't do it (because he just values traveling as comfortably and directly as possible).
How full was the cabin? Did you check to see how many upgrades were able to clear? Be interesting to see if this really does end up being better for upgrades, although hard to tell how many upgrades are sold in advanced given how aggressive AA can be at that
@ Alec -- Every seat was taken, as is almost always the case on US carriers, given that non-revs get space available business class. I definitely got the sense there were a lot more upgrade and award tickets than usual, as you'd expect, with such a big increase in business class capacity.
Those TV screens with that thick border look horrible.
Also funny that with pay increases across the big 3, except United, we don't expect better service but rather appreciate when it's not AA bad. Service in the US is mid across the board, but with higher consumer pricing and higher employee wages, isn't it fair that service gets better?
@ NSS -- So far it has only been confirmed that 777-300ERs will be reconfigured with these seats. There are no firm plans to reconfigure 777-200ERs, 787-8s, and 787-9s.
I just took this flight from London on Monday (AA91 on July 28 - sitting in 1A) and I thought it was great, seat was overall very comfortable, especially in bed mode, which was far better than the AF flight I took to Europe (admittedly the old 350 configuration), I just wasn’t tired enough to get more than a couple hour nap in. The chaise lounge mode was a little tight on my shoulders, but with the pillows in place (you get an extra one with the Preferred suite) worked out well.
The crew working was also excellent, especially at the little things (one pointed out the snack bar after I woke up from a nap, and another offered me a drink while I waited for one of the lavatories to open up). Kudos to them.
It’s been a while since I flown AA business, but I would say I’d make an effort to book this configuration again.
as for service, it is not a surprise that AA employees are getting back to delivering service now that labor issues have been resolved for now.
It is also noteworthy that UA will have the same product - perhaps packaged slightly differently but most new generation US carrier business class seats will be on the same platform which is not significantly different than the Delta One Suite on DL's 339s and 359s.
The real surprise is how heavily AA is using these aircraft to/from LHR which has reportedly been overcapacity for the industry w/ premium seats for years and will only get worse as VS increases the size of their premium cabins.
These aircraft will probably shift to the southern hemisphere in the winter but they are capable of doing much more and it is a little surprising they aren't on some longer routes yet.
I flew this new 787 from ORD to LAX in Seat 1A - Business Preferred. I totally agree that the interior is very striking and the cabin has some very nice touches. However, even in 1A, I found the seats to be tight and getting in and out of the small opening (due to the door) was tight as well - and I'm not a big guy. One other thing, while this flight was only from ORD to LAX, I would think that the seats in the 1st row on a long-haul would not be ideal due to the activity going on in the galley area. Overall though, huge improvement and I would like to try this new plane on a long-haul - but not in Seat 1A.
Another good read. I’m flying PHL to LHR in a couple months on their 787-9P. Currently in economy, gambling on a SWU to clear. I’m encouraged by some positive changes that seem to be going on at AA. Of the 3 legacy carriers, AA pretty indisputably has the most practically usable miles program at present (last summer we got to SYD in first, 75 each way). And unlike Delta, they are not limiting the number of yearly entries to lounges. I’m hopeful that once they take deliveries of more 787s, they’ll add some interesting routes. Dubrovnik and Prague seem like no brainers.
The decor , the food , the unnecessary wifi , outlets , etc. Not something I’d be willing to pay for or use points and miles for. AA will not do any upkeep so let’s revisit this product in 2029 . Also remember this is Ben’s job and as an early pioneer of the avgeek community his travel spend is minimal and done with precision every flight he takes.
@Clown
I’m actually 28C now moving up the star alliance rankings fast.
I had the same experience on my last 2 transcon delta flights, oddly enough. If given the choice to fly this or delta on their a330neo coffin seats (or even worse, getting nailed to one of their 30 yr old 767s), I would pick AA all day long. I think we'll start to see them take more market share with these new premium planes. If we could only get AA to ditch PHL and rebuild JFK...
What a pathetic brag.
The food is better than the slop they feed you on United, The outlets? Get real lol. "I don't fly AA business because of the outlets, I'd rather be in 28C".
I didn’t have any issue with galley noise in 1A with my BT headphones while awake or my AirPods while sleeping. I think if you have good noise cancellation you should be fine.
except DL is retiring its 767s at the rate of about a half dozen per year.
and DL held onto the 767s long enough to participate in the post-covid international travel boom something UA also did but is not retiring aircraft.
UA's 767s aren't any more fuel efficient than DL's and neither AA nor UA is receiving anything comparable to the A350-1000 which will redefine US carrier ultra long haul travel for the industry - likely with a product that will eclipse AA and UA's newest products.
the AA 78P doesn't and won't compete with DL's 767-300ERs.
AA is not going to shift from PHL to JFK again. They tried once and it failed. AA simply does not have the size or number of slots to take on DL in NYC even before considering that DL gets a significant revenue premium to AA in NYC and LAX.
these are good airplanes but they aren't going to move AA's future near as much as a refocus on higher quality service which AA, at least for a period, thought was no longer necessary
Compared to QR's finishes and the intense colours that United has previewed this cabin looks very bland. It is as if 7 people were designing the interiors without any coordination. They could have a gone with a darker brown or sth.
Really bland. Then the tiny screen in the front suites is just ridiculous! Ha haha.
Great review and consistent with my good experience of AA business class recently.
I only visit this site now to read Tim Dunn’s comments. Even an article about AA can turn into an anti-UA / pro-DL statement. Loads of entertainment!
Does the lack of a lotions-and-potions brand on the amenity kit tell us that all those companies regard AA as a non-premium brand?!
Great report, looking forward to trying it myself.
Gotta love the screen displaying the aircraft as 787-900. This glaring error can also be found on AA's website.
Can only imagine they have those thick borders to allow connection by the old-school B&O headphones. Modern LCD screens don't have those ancient ports any more.
Agree AA needs to add these seats to longer routes. But it does seem these 78Ps still need some breaking in, as my flight was delayed an hour due to a long delay the day before (prior to its ORD-LAX turn before flying to LHR).
The food looks ok.
The decor may not be the most visually appealing but it’s not that bad.
As for the wifi, nobody is being forced to pay for it.
Not many in the fleet just yet. just enough to cover the LAX-ORD-LHR roundtrip flying. They are expected to start heading south to BNE in the winter was well as other hub-Europe flying as more get delivered
As a Plat Pro and my wife Ex Plat we have always had good to great service on AA since 2020. The last flight with bad service I was on was also DL. I honestly think that DL has a good PR and marketing department and was better in the past but has fallen and is cutting cost, quality and service to keep profits up.
I am excited to see AA invest in long haul and refresh the domestic fleets too (like the new lighter colors in the cabin). With free WIFI next year and more BOB for coach, things are looking up. Focus needs to continue to service, refresh of their AC's and FL's and refit of the existing 787-8/9 and 77Ws. Question is what to do with the 772. . .retire some, replace some with 787-9/10 or refit some for domestic operations?
In any event. . .things are moving in the right direction at AA. Now about a PHX to MAD flight. . . .:)
totally agree. UA's version of the seat looks materially nicer. one could hope that AA considers modifying the finishes on the second batch of the order that got deferred (like what QR did for their later model 789s)
Awesome review, thanks!
How many pax per FA in business class (i.e. are they still understaffed)? If you aren't tracking that key measure, it's a huge mistake in your reviews.
BTW the other important measure is pax per lav, which at 17 is a bit on the higher side (you should make reporting this stat standard in your reviews).
Awesome review, thanks!
How many pax per FA in business class (i.e. are they still understaffed)? If you aren't tracking that key measure, it's a huge mistake in your reviews.
BTW the other important measure is pax per lav, which at 17 is a bit on the higher side (you should make reporting this stat standard in your reviews).
1. United retrofitted their 763s, Delta kept them flying looking like crap
2. Delta hasn't even announced what their new J product will be yet Tim Dunn is telling us it will "Eclipse" AA and UA -- how very Tim Dunn to omnisciently predict Delta's future product absent knowledge.
3. The a35k talk again? really? I thought you'd finally given up this lame talking point after your other omniscient delta 78X potential order revelation from "insider sources"?
Max,
we've been through this before.
I have never said that there isn't a noticeable difference in product in BUSINESS CLASS between DL and UA's 767s.
YOU can't seem to understand that UA has its own gaps including with their 757s which fly routes as long as DL's 767-300ERs and have a worse product.
and UA's 767s aren't any newer or less expensive to operate. Planes run out of time. UA has played a game of not replacing aircraft but will hit a huge wall of replacements just when everyone thinks they will be able to grow.
the 35K is and will be the most capable and efficient aircraft in the US widebody fleet whether you want to accept it or not.
DL was pretty slow about committing to it but UA has been kicking the can on an A350 order for a decade. AA cancelled its order.
given that DL went with a suite product a decade before AA and UA put their first suite equipped aircraft in service- UA still doesn't have one- it isn't hard to realize that DL will have a much better product.
The fact that AA and UA ended up w/ the same seat is what is comical.
Flew this plane from ORD - MAD last month (yay equipment swap) and all the doors remained locked the whole flight, which was a bummer. Thought the finishes were pretty good. Bedding still sucked but I know they're rolling out mattress pads soon, so that'll help.
Gotta wonder when Iberia will hop on that. Especially with their sibling BA serving PHX for so many years.
I’m not sure exactly, but for long hauls it is 9 FAs for the whole 78P, domestic is 8 supposedly from what they told me when I flew it.
I would presume 4 for J.
Huh??? UA has tons of planes on order... the fact that they decided to ride out the 763s to the end of their life span isn't a problem. They look brand new inside, and the 764s were just redone post pandemic.... additionally, UA's international 777s on average are not as old as AAs... and it's 773s are pretty young...
I’m EP with AA and I’ve been flying GRU-MIA-GRU in F on a montly basis for almost two decades now, and I’ve never received rude service. More times than not great FA’s limited by what they have to work with. I’ve had much worse service on DL and UA. However, AA customer service when things go wrong is a nightmare.
@Luis, yes that was due to pending regulatory approval. Sadly nothing AA could do to fix that (other than delay the rollout I suppose).
"If you aren't tracking that key measure, it's a huge mistake in your reviews."
A huge mistake, eh? Yeesh, the amount of hyperbole on these comments is ridiculous. Ben does great reviews.
The doors were operational on my flight on Monday. The FAs didn't unlock until after the lunch service which I thought was a bit strange, but they've already been approved by regulators.
Just flew LHR - MIA this past Monday. Have to agree about service...all my recent flights have been crewed by people who actually enjoyed their jobs. Gives great hope for the future.
Delta and UA 752s with lie-flats are equipped with the exact same seat type. Calm down, Timmy. United still flies some long distances, but it's not much different than many of the routes where DL flies them.]
Per United's "752" gap? lol. Really? United has the XLR on order. Delta can't seem to make the numbers work when their competitors do.
And I don't think you want to be bragging about Delta's "suite product' when Delta can't even offer all-aisle access on their widebodies today and flies their god-awful coffin 763 seat routinely. Delta put a door on their updated coffin seat, that's true. but made little effort for the rest of their fleet.
But again -- you know nothing about Delta's future product yet omnisciently predict it will eclipse AA and UA when Delta's only track record is a history of crap seats then putting a door on a crap coffin seat.
nice try 😉
Hi Timothy Dunn - I'm not sure anyone should be holding Delta in high regard for its pandemic-related activities as they have foreign governments banning their "held onto 767s" and they were fined by the US for misuse of Covid funds (my friend Jen Shah is SLC based and can tell you all about it). Point being, while Delta continues with their "hand-me-down" refurbish strategy, I'll be waving from the new 787-9P.
@ Mary -- I do report the number of lavatories in my reviews, and I agree, it's an important metric. 🙂 This is just the preview post, and the intent is that this is shorter than the full review.
Regarding the number of flight attendants in business class, it's either four or five, I couldn't tell for sure. I believe it was five, but I could be mistaken.
Joe
the true sign of a rabid UA fan is they don't even know what matters in their incessant bragfest
you and everyone else can't figure out that it isn't not how many total planes are on order but how many actually get delivered.
DL received more new Airbus widebodies in 2024 and will also in 2025 than UA or any other US airline receives in new widebodies.
and the size of UA's order simply means that Boeing has no incentive to get UA's planes out the door on time - AA is supposed to receive more 787s this year than UA - and those huge orders could very well be a huge liability if the economy or the airline industry falls apart - which it typically does about every 10 years. UA could well be bankruptcy if it is forced to take 100 aircraft per year in another covid.
and max, in your zeal to argue, you still can't read that DL doesn't fly its 757s to continental Europe or the UK but UA certainly does.
DL's 757s fly domestic routes which is where UA's 8 abreast business class 757s fly.
DL has a small number of ex-Latam A350s remaining in service in their original livery but we should always expect the guy that can't see the log in their own eye to try to find the speck in someone else's.
Tamra,
feel free to wave from whatever you want. DL's fleet of 80 Delta One Suite equipped widebodies does and will compete very effectively with whatever AA or UA come up. and, yes, DL has 80 of them already in service.
Now, children, stick your body parts back in your pants and go do something productive.
“ Now, children, stick your body parts back in your pants and go do something productive.”
Voldemort
Is that you?
You’re too funny, tim. You don’t even seem to know where delta flies their 752s lol
Or that United has a great replacement while delta has no retirement plane for their ancient 752
But I’m sure you’re as excited as I am for the smallest International delta plane to soon be a 339 where delta customers will LOVE nonstops to everywhere within 5 miles of Amsterdam and Paris airport
Dude. You’re a joke. Move on lol
With business class these days being more evolutionary, I'm curious to hear your opinion on what would you consider "revolutionary"?
Here's my take on what would be revolutionary:
1-1-1-1 business class (think Cathay Pacific's current first class, but a more "compact" version if that makes sense.
-Floor to ceiling doors, curtains?
-Maybe a compact version of Emirates' "Game Changer" first seats?
I'm not sure what else you can do to revolutionize the experience! But curious to hear your thoughts nonetheless.
This is an interesting question and I'm always game for paradigm-shift spitballing.
I think 1-1-1-1's biggest flaw would be lack of couple-oriented design. On many routes, proximity is important. I perversely will always have a nostalgia for the old Club World because it felt like a family slumber party on our way across the Atlantic.
I think in the next 20 years we will see at least one airline attempt another "multipurpose" space a la The Residence that combines a living area with bedroom furnishings. Or the equivalent for business travelers, where there is a conference-style setup alongside sleeping accommodation. When I was an Amtrak rat doing DC-NYC back and forth, we always loved swinging the seats around to the big tables and doing our conference calls and card games there. Maybe an airline like AA or BA does something like that on high-volume business routes. Then again, the future is Zoom, so probably not.
The only thing I can think of aside from The Residence would be Cathay Pacific's "Halo Suites" or "Peacock" concept; Instead of 2 aisles, you have 1 huge aisle in the middle.
But that would dilute and cannibalize first class.
Hi Ben, we’re trying to book AA LHR to ORD next month on the new business class (2 adults and a 2 year old). Any suggestions on which seats to book or avoid in particular?
No, any airline charging for wi-fi in Business is greedy and ripping off the consumer. For the dollars (or points or miles or whatever) paid on airfare, to be charged another $20-30 for often-poor wi-fi, is just plain bad. You regular Business Class fliers don’t even realize or care that you’re paying for something that ought to be gratis.
Given that they are not charging for the suites yet, are they proving the mattress pad and pajamas?
Completely agree, Mary. Those stats are chronically underreported, not just here at OMAAT, but across the board.
Ben, in general, don’t you think a lot of non-revs as a percentage of total class capacity results in a watered down product for paying pax?
You say you don't want to hype anything but then you say how nice the business class was etc. Actually, the problem is the low expectations you had because it is a US carrier. I think it sounds like your experience in business class is as it should be. I'm confused by calling it a suite. There is nothing much of a suite about it. It looks like a standard business class seat. It's not like one of the relatively huge seats on some foreign airlines in first class. I do prefer the 1-2-1 configuration though. I think more airlines should adopt a free wifi pass for business class passengers.
I would suggest avoid sitting close to a 2 year old, but that doesn't feel like an option for you.
So the comment was about the A330neo coffin seat but TD managed to redirect the attention to the 767 which was mentioned just in passing.
The DL A330neo product has been designed recently is very much here to stay and appears not competitive. That's where the conversation should be.
And more generally that's Airbus issue: on the narrower widebody market they have an issue with the A330neo's business class efficiency. No premium airline is ordering them for long haul, because they can't efficiently fit a competitive business class product in them. Only Delta was cheap enough to try to shove it down their customers' throats. That they now might buy into the 787 speaks volumes of what they think of this strategy's success.
Money is in making you business class passengers happy, not the cattle. The A330 is a cattle carrier, not a premium plane anymore.
I’m thinking the less dense configuration helps improve the mood of the flight crew which translates into a better pax experience?
I think something must have changed with the culture there as I just got off of a flight last night LAS-LAX and the crew and gate agent were outstanding. The gate agent noticed a couple traveling together and the man got an upgrade while the companion did not. There was 1 seat left in F and the gate agent came on board the plane to the man and asked for his FF number so he could add his companion to the PNR and offer her the upgrade! I have flown for 20 years on all airlines and I have not ever seen that. He went above and beyond to deliver excellent service. I have seen GA's come onboard to give someone a new bp because upgrade cleared after the pax already boarded but never to add a number after boarding was complete just to give out an upgrade. The FA was fantastic for such a short flight PDB was done as we were boarding and even had service during the flight along with some snacks. Friendly smile and every request in F was granted. I'm now very happy with my choice to chase AA status this year. Bravo AA.
Once again guys, just let him talk. It´s common sense by now that the only person that takes him seriously is himself. Trying to argue triggers his condition and plagues the comment section with this back and forth. Just let him say whatever his mind produces and let that be the last word. In his mind, he will feel as if he won, and we won´t have this back and forth. It´s a win win. it´s the same as dealing with infants.
Nice to have someone praise the crew, for a change! And on American - to boot. It's my carrier of choice, because exactly as stated, you can have great flights on AA, (but you can also have terrible crews!) - and I'd take that any day over consistently "blah" adequate service.
I've just booked the 787-9p via Chicago instead of the BA nonstop from Austin just to try it out (and to save $1000)...
Our JAL plane was the one that clipped the Delta in Feb this year at SEA. Alaska cust. serv. came thru and put us on Starlux to Taipei (keeping us in bsns class). I am excited to try this AA to ZRH in Sep. I will try to remember and keep telling myself 'It's only different that SLux, not worse'. Of course the wifi was gratis on Slux. Thanks for the review!
Why is the monitor different on the first row?, it looks old and bulky for a flat screen.
I thought it was a first-off-the-line issue, but it seems it's permanent, it does look ugly and old compared to other flat screens on newer cabins.
I have just flown the 78P return LHR to ORD, 3L out and 1L return. Honest opinion is that the BA Club suite is a better product. More storage and just as comfortable. The 3L seat had hardly any storage, one small trinket hole which didn't work and the tray table was already hanging off. The 1L seat offered some more storage by the door but still nowhere to store anything large, not even a bottle of water. Who thought putting the headphone socket inside the headphone storage compartment making it difficult to close the door because of the lead was a good idea. The sevice from the team was adequate but nothing like the sevice recieved from United on the internal flights and the food was adequate though the breakfast omlette on the return was undercooked and decidedly dodgy. I really think AA has someway to go to make this a true premium product.
what? how? ive flown many D3s - buddy pass for friends and fams- being from DFW and via lots of aunts and uncles who worked for AA - between '99-2010....why on earth would product be watered down? what a dumb comment
I flew this new product and was super excited from various articles like this. While I agree with most of it I do feel despite AA’s claims on percentage of space these are way smaller cabins. Yes it’s true the lie flat measurements may be bigger but total space is not as it was immediately apparent and in looking at seat map from the 787-9 compared to 787-9P you will notice there is one more row of business seats in the -P variant from cockpit to boarding door 2L. This combined with everything has to be lofted including bedding makes me wish my ORD to LHR route would go back to non premium variant