American Airlines to Eliminate Flagship First Class

The Announcement:

Some of the best plane seats in the sky will soon be no more. Dallas-based American Airlines has announced that they plan to phase out their remaining "Flagship First" class products over the coming year or two. 

Specifically, American operates its Flagship First product on its Boeing 777-300ER—on heavy demand long-haul routes—as well as on its Airbus a321T aircraft used on premium transcontinental routes. Flagship First has been around for quite a while, but American has been placing a decreased emphasis on first class, especially in the aftermath of their 2015 merger with U.S. Airways. Nowadays, the seats in Flagship First have little differentiation with business class seats outside of slightly more privacy and space; on premium transcontinental flights, many passengers forgo the price premium and prefer to sit in an equally lie-flat business class seat instead. 

Future Plans:

The change coincides with a larger industry trend of shifting away from first class and instead having a business class cabin at the front of the plane. First class seats often come with significant weight disadvantages, costing the airline more in fuel and leading to more carbon emissions. American is no different. On its 777-300ER aircraft, American plans to roll out a new long-haul business class product that will be used across the airline's fleet of long-haul aircraft. Some reports are suggesting the new seat will feature a privacy door similar to the one on Qatar Airways' QSuite or British Airways Club Suite. On the a321T, American plans to change the configuration entirely and retrofit the plane for regular, non-premium flights. As a replacement, American plans to use on-order Airbus a321XLR aircraft for their premium transcontinental flights, which should be expected to also feature a premium business class product as is typical of those routes. The new a321XLRs will not only be flying on the premium transcontinental routes, but also fill the void of long-haul flights to secondary markets being left by the retirement of the remaining 757s and 767s in American's fleet. 

To be clear, American is not eliminating standard domestic first class. While often monikered as first-class, the product is not the same as their Flagship First class. What remains to be seen, though, is how American's existing Flagship lounges will be treated. With the long-haul 777-300ERs receiving a new private business class product in the coming years, the popular and well-received Flagship First lounges will almost certainly get renamed or modified to fit the business class product now being offered. Cutting them entirely does not appear to be in the cards. 

Conclusion:

In summary, American's pending removal of "Flagship First" is not entirely surprising given the shift towards business class across the industry, and the change likely won't affect too many passengers as a new private business class seat will likely eclipse the quality of the marked up "Flagship First" seats currently available. What American does with their international "Flagship First" lounges remain ought to be closely followed. For now, though, passengers still have time to enjoy "Flagship First" while it is still available. Indeed, American is still the only U.S. airline that offers two distinct business class and first class cabins on premium transcontinental flights. Experience it now before it is too late.