Information on American Airlines Flights

American Airlines is one of the three major carriers in the US. It is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, and its primary hub is Dallas Fort Worth Airport. Measured by passengers served, it is the world’s largest airline.

The airline offers over 6,500 daily flights to 350 destinations throughout the Americas, Europe, Asia and Oceania.

American was the first airline to open an airport lounge (in 1940) and invented the frequent flyer program, introducing AAdvantage in 1981. The program has been so successful that many other carriers have adopted it since. American is also a founding member of the oneworld Alliance.

My experience flying with American Airlines and spending time between flights in its Admirals Club lounges has always been enjoyable.

American Airlines aircraft

American Airlines operates Boeing widebody planes on long-haul flights. It offers three classes of service on its Boeing 787-8, 787-9 and 777-200ER planes: Flagship Business, Premium Economy and Economy class. On 777-300ER planes, the airline offers four classes: Flagship First, Flagship Business, Premium Economy and Main Cabin economy class. The airline also offers a differentiated Main Cabin Extra with more legroom.

On most mid- and short-haul flights, American Airlines operates a combination of Airbus and Boeing narrowbody planes. They offer a domestic first class, consisting of recliner chair-style seats, and an economy class featuring Main Cabin Extra seats. On some transcontinental flights, the airline offers three classes of service: Flagship First, Flagship Business and Main Cabin economy, also with Main Cabin Extra seats.

The airline’s American Eagle regional fleet consists of a combination of Bombardier and Embraer regional jets. Most offer a differentiated domestic first class with recliner-style seating and some Main Cabin Extra seats.

While cabin equipment varies by aircraft, American Airlines offers an above-average flying experience that matches its partners and competitors.

American Airlines Flagship First Class on international flights

While many airlines have retired their first-class cabins, American still offers a distinctive Flagship First on the 777-300ER, with 8 open demi-suites. The seats are 21.8” wide, and the suites are adaptable from an in-flight office with a work desk to a fully flat bed for sleeping. All seats feature two universal AC and two USB-A sockets, so keeping your devices charged is easy. You can set the seat to lounger mode and enjoy in-flight entertainment on a 15.4″ HD touchscreen display. When it’s time to sleep, the armrests can be lowered flat to the bed, allowing more room.

American Airlines Flagship First Class on transcontinental flights

The airline operates some transcontinental flights on the 777-300ER and others on the A321ceo. Both offer Flagship First class, though the suite differs on narrowbody planes. The shell seats are angled towards the window, improving privacy, 21” wide and set 63” apart. There are 10 first-class seats on the A321ceo.

Other advantages of a Flagship First ticket include a chef-crafted in-flight meal menu, an amenity kit, dedicated check-in and priority boarding, security check and luggage. You also get access to American’s Flagship lounges in select cities or to the Admiral’s Club or partner premium lounge in cities where Flagship lounges are unavailable. To me, the greatest advantage of Flagship First is the access to the lounges and the greater privacy onboard since Flagship Business class has significantly more passengers.

American Airlines Flagship Business class on international flights

Flagship Business class is available on all international flights, though aircraft have different lay-flat seats. The 777-300ER cabin is significantly larger than others, fitting 52 passengers. If a more crowded business cabin bothers you, I recommend booking rows 3 and 4 on this aircraft. Those eight seats are separate, in front of the lavatories and a galley. The Flagship Business shell seats offer direct aisle access in a 1-2-1 configuration. They are 20” wide and convert to a 6’ 7” lay-flat bed. They feature a retractable folding table for dining and work and stowage for small personal items. You can enjoy inflight entertainment on a 16″ HD touchscreen and charge your devices with universal AC and two USB-A sockets.

Forward/Aft Seating

Flagship Business class on some of American’s 777-200ERs and 787-8s is in a forward/aft configuration. That means that the shell seats are arranged so that about half of the passengers fly facing the back of the plane.

While I’ve flown this way before, and it has never bothered me, it is slightly different. One good thing about this seat arrangement is that flying while facing the back of the plane is considered safer in a crash. The dynamics will push passengers back against the seat, which can better take the force protecting the body than forward with only the seatbelt to take the force. Despite this advantage, airlines don’t often feature this configuration because they worry it might bother more customers in everyday operations, whereas aircraft crashes are, fortunately, very rare.

Besides the odd back-and-forth layout, these shell seats are comfortable 20” wide with a 6’ 6” lay-flat bed and all-aisle access. The in-flight entertainment screens are 15.4″ HD touchscreens with 110-volt universal AC and 5-volt USB-A sockets.

American Airlines Airbus A321ceo Business Class

On the narrowbody Airbus A321ceo, which is used for long-haul flights, business class seats are arranged in a 2-2 configuration. This is my least favorite premium seating arrangement unless I travel with someone. Getting out of the window seat with a passenger sleeping beside you is awkward. However, these seats are staggered, with the aisle seats slightly behind the windows, which makes navigating around a seatmate easier.

The most common American Airlines Flagship Business layout

On most American Airlines widebody planes, angled shell seats face forward and are arranged in a 1-2-1 configuration. They are 20” wide, with a 6’ 7” long lay-flat bed and all-aisle access. Inflight entertainment screens are 16”. You’ll find universal AC power as well as USB power outlets.

Flagship Business class benefits include a chef-curated menu for in-flight meals, an amenity kit, access to the airline’s Flagship lounges, and priority check-in, boarding and luggage.

American Airlines Premium Economy on long-haul flights

American Airlines offers Premium Economy in a 2-3-2 configuration on its widebody planes. It features a comfortable 18.5” seat, with an 8” recline and a leg and footrest, set 38” apart, so it’s much easier to sleep in than economy class. The inflight entertainment system has an 11.5” HD touchscreen display. It also has a good-sized table for work, 110-volt universal AC power, and two 5-volt USB-A sockets to power devices. Except for longer flights where I prefer to sleep flat or when using loyalty points to pay for an upgrade, I’ve generally chosen this cabin because it offers better value for money.

American Airlines makes this cabin more attractive by offering a chef-designed menu, an amenity kit, priority boarding, check-in and luggage.

American Airlines Main Cabin and Main Cabin Extra on long-haul flights

American offers several rows of Main Cabin Extra seats on its long-haul planes, which can make traveling in the economy cabin more comfortable. Seats are around 17” wide and set 34”-35” apart in Main Cabin Extra compared to 30”-31” apart in Main Cabin. The seat layout varies by aircraft type from 9-across in a 3-3-3 layout on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner to 10-across in a 3-4-3 layout on the 777s. There are some 2-4-2 rows at the back of the 777s, which might make for a more comfortable ride. There are also doubles on the 777-300 rows 20, 21, 30, 31 and 32. Note that row 31 seats don’t have a window, but you can get up to look through the exit door.

American Airlines domestic and regional flights

American Airlines offers excellent flight options throughout North America and reasonable fares. I’ve found the economy fare with everything included (seat selection and baggage allowance) is sometimes competitive with low-cost airline alternatives after you add the extras. The US is the world’s busiest travel market, and things can go wrong with whichever airline you pick, but in my experience, American Airlines comes through on service.

American Airlines lounges

I’ve found American Airlines Flagship and Admirals Club Lounges to be a welcome respite from travel stress. They are all well-equipped and stylish, offering refreshments, entertainment and a quiet place to catch up on work. The airline has many lounges available around the world. I find it’s worth becoming an AAdvantage loyalty member to accumulate elite points that grant access to these havens, even when you are not traveling on a premium ticket. The airline also sells day pass access to some lounges, though availability may be limited.

For those traveling on the evening flight from New York JFK to London on Flagship First or Business, I recommend stopping by the JFK Flagship Lounge restaurant for dinner before departure. That way, you can go straight to sleep after you board. You can also stop by the arrivals lounge at London Heathrow, where you can shower, have your shirt pressed, eat a healthy breakfast, and catch up on work before heading out.