American Airlines to Focus on Premium Passengers with New Boeing 787s
American Airlines is awaiting its latest batch of new Boeing 787 Dreamliners. Delays with Boeing’s 787 deliveries are impacting schedules, but the new aircraft are expected to start arriving in the fourth quarter of 2023. However, these new aircraft will be quite different. A new report point to a cabin layout with an additional focus on premium passengers.
The Fort Worth-based carrier currently has 46 Dreamliners, 24 787-8 and 22 787-9 aircraft. The 787-8s seat 234 and the larger 787-9s seat 285. The 787-9s the airline already has, are configured with 30 business class, 21 premium economy, 36 main cabin extra and 234 economy seats.
JonNYC has revealed that the new 787-9s will have 14% less seats. Capacity will drop by 41 seats, to 244, and it will be more premium focused. Premium class seating will rise by 28 seats.
The new 787-9 cabins will have 51 business, 32 premium economy, 18 main cabin extra and 143 economy seats. American Airlines has not yet officially confirmed the new layout.
But that’s not all. The new 787-9s, once delivered, will have all-new business class seats with sliding side doors and privacy dividers. They will also have a business class walk-up bar and ViaSat satellite internet.
One possible product is the Collins Aerospace Super Diamond seat with a door, similar to the Airbus A350-1000s of British Airways and Etihad Airways. The Adient Ascent seat on Qatar’ Boeing 787-9s is another option.
Conclusion
We will have to wait for more than a year, or even longer, to see these products in person. For now the expected delivery schedule is for the fourth quarter of 2023.
The new configuration will have a focus on premium seating, with an additional 28 seats. Overall the aircraft will have 41 less seats. It’s definitely an improvement for those that look for more luxurious travel options, especially when it comes to domestic carriers.
Let us know what you think!
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Agreed. While new 787s with more premium seating is welcome news, it seems AA executives are either schizophrenic or flipping coins in terms of how to configure their fleet.
This seems like a strange configuration coming from a glorified LCC with bankruptcy on the horizon.