We’ve seen a recent trend whereby airlines have introduced a “business class plus” product, taking advantage of the extra space in the first row of business class, to create a differentiated experience.
Along those lines, American recently rolled out a new business class product on newly delivered Boeing 787-9s. For the first time (well, unless we’re gong to go back to the US Airways A330 days), the airline has introduced a “business class plus” product, known as Flagship Suite Preferred.
I recently took my first flight in American’s new business class. While I didn’t fly in the Flagship Suite Preferred seat, I figured I’d share my impressions, as I took a brief look at the seat.
Basics of American’s Flagship Suite Preferred product
American has recently introduced a new business class product, known as the Flagship Suite. This is initially available on newly delivered Boeing 787-9s (designated as 787-9Ps), but will also eventually be retrofitted on existing Boeing 777-300ERs, as American eliminates “proper” first class.
American’s new business class seat is a customized version of the Adient Ascent product, which you’ll also find on Qatar Airways and Hawaiian Airlines.
While all the seats are comfortable, American has a special business class product in the front row of each cabin, known as Flagship Suite Preferred. Note that on newly delivered 787-9s, you’ll find these at seats 1A, 1L, 2D, 2H, 10D, 10H, 10L, and 11A.
What can you expect from the seat, amenities, and pricing?
American Flagship Suite Preferred seat
As you enter the cabin, you can immediately tell the difference between the standard Flagship Suite seats and the Flagship Suite Preferred seats. While the standard Flagship Suite seats have light faux-wood doors and light finishes around the seat, the Flagship Suite Preferred seats have black doors and finishes.
What’s actually different about the design of the Flagship Suite Preferred seat, though? The part of the seat that you sit in is basically identical.
What’s different is the entire area across from the seat, including the footwell and counter area. The footwell is way larger than in standard seats, and there’s also additional storage and counter space. Below is what this area looks like in the Flagship Suite Preferred seat…
…and below is what it looks like in a standard Flagship Suite.
As you can see, you should be able to get much more comfortable, especially when sleeping, as your feet won’t be as constrained. I do wish American had introduced a bigger TV in the front row seats, since the screen with the border really doesn’t look very premium.
Now, since the Flagship Suite Preferred seats are in bulkhead rows, it’s important to point out the obvious downside to them, which is that they’re closer to the galleys and lavatories, which might not be ideal in terms of smell and light pollution.
American Flagship Suite Preferred amenities
In addition to a more spacious hard product, the Flagship Suite Preferred experience also offers some extra amenities. These include a Nest Bedding mattress pad, a throw blanket, a memory foam lumbar pillow, Nest bedding pajamas, and an exclusive amenity kit.
American Flagship Suite Preferred pricing
What’s unusual is that for the time being, American is continuing to let people assign the Flagship Suite Preferred seat at no extra cost. It’s available on a first come, first served basis, to any confirmed business class passengers. There’s not even a status requirement to select those seats, but rather, the seats are open to any business class passenger!
Yes, even though American isn’t charging extra for this, the airline is already offering the improved soft product.
Presumably American will start charging for these seats sooner rather than later, and I’m surprised it hasn’t happened yet. This is purely speculation on my part, but once the airline does start charging, I suspect that any confirmed business class passenger will be able to pay extra to assign one of these seats (rather than them being sold as a separate product bundle).
If I had to guess, I’d say that the fee to upgrade to a Flagship Suite Preferred seat will cost somewhere around $300 to $600 one-way, depending on the flight. That’s purely speculation on my part, but based on pricing for comparable products from other airlines, that’s what sounds about right to me.
Once the seats do go on sale, it remains to be seen what will happen if not all seats are occupied. Will Concierge Key members be upgraded to these seats on a space available basis, or will they go to non-revs?
My take on American’s Flagship Suite Preferred product
As it currently stands, there’s no reason not to select the Flagship Suite Preferred seat, given that it doesn’t cost anything extra, and offers more space and amenities.
What’s my take on this product in the long run, though, including the potential value proposition? In general, I’m not a huge fan of these types of seats on US carriers. That’s because sometimes galley noise can be quite loud, and US carriers also don’t have proper curtains between galleys and cabins. So something has to be quite compelling for me to pay extra to sit near the bathroom or galley.
That being said, I do think the Flagship Suite Preferred seat offers quite a bit of extra space over the standard seat, which is nice. However, I think American could’ve done a bit more with it. For example, United is soon introducing a new Polaris business class, which is based on the exact same seating platform (Adient Ascent).
United is also introducing a special product in the first row, which will be known as the Polaris Studio. United is doing a good job differentiating this. For one, the airline added a little buddy seat, so you can actually hang out with a travel companion, along with offering a significantly larger TV. Furthermore, the airline is increasingly differentiating the soft product, with little touches like Global Services ground treatment, and even caviar canapés.
As American starts actually selling the Flagship Suite Preferred product, I’m curious if we see more product differentiation, beyond what has been announced, maybe like including access to Flagship First Check-In, Flagship First Dining, and the Chelsea Lounge JFK.
Bottom line
American has recently introduced its new business class product, known as the Flagship Suite. This also comes with a special product in the first row, known as Flagship Suite Preferred.
Flagship Suite Preferred offers a seat that has more space and storage, plus extra amenities, like pajamas and a mattress pad. For now, business class passengers can assign these seats for free, though soon I imagine they’ll only be bookable at an extra cost.
What do you make of American’s new Flagship Suite Preferred seat?
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