American Airlines is rolling out its new Flagship Suite seats on flights to Australia and New Zealand this winter, as part of an expansion of the premium product across long-haul routes.
The upgraded cabins are available on American’s redesigned Boeing 787-9 aircraft, which will operate daily services between Dallas Fort Worth (DFW) and Auckland from 5 January to 28 March, and between DFW and Brisbane from 25 October to 28 March.
“At American, we know our customers are counting down the days to their next vacation, and we’re excited to expand our newly debuted Flagship Suite seats to new long-haul destinations,” said Brian Znotins, American’s Senior Vice President of Network and Schedule Planning. “In addition to giving customers more premium seat offerings in key markets, we are also expanding this product to some of our longest routes, giving travellers an elevated experience when travelling to exciting destinations.”
The new aircraft will feature 51 Flagship Suite seats and 32 Premium Economy seats. American says the product is being deployed on some of its longest flights, including the non-stop services to Auckland and Brisbane, as well as routes to Buenos Aires and London.
For Australia and New Zealand, the flights are among the airline’s most distance-heavy, with both Auckland and Brisbane served exclusively by American from Dallas Fort Worth. The carrier says passengers from more than 230 destinations worldwide will be able to connect through DFW to reach the South Pacific.
Alongside the new suites, the airline is adding bedding and sleep-focused amenities across its cabins, including duvets, slippers and fleece blankets. Passengers in Flagship Suite, Flagship Business and Flagship Suite Preferred will also have access to extras like dual-sided pillows, pyjamas and mattress pads.
Later this summer, these upgraded amenities will extend to all of American’s widebody flights to East Asia, the Middle East, India, Australia and New Zealand.
The Flagship Suite seat design also includes a chaise lounge option, intended to make it easier for travellers to relax on ultra-long-haul journeys.
