American Airlines plans to phase out first-class seating, saying customers "aren't buying it," but that doesn't mean luxury and comfort are going out the window.
The news about "first class" seats comes from a report by Business Insider, which reported Friday that the Fort Worth-based airline's Chief Commercial Officer Vasu Raja made the announcement on an investor call on Thursday.
"First class will not exist on the 777, or for that matter at American Airlines, for the simple reason that our customers aren't buying it," Raja was quoted as saying.
Raja said that by removing first-class seats from airplanes the airline will be able to add more business-class seats, which is what more customers want or are willing to pay for.
Get top local stories in DFW delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC DFW's News Headlines newsletter.
Get updates on what's happening in North Texas to your inbox. Sign up for our News Headlines newsletter.
When asked about the Business Insider report on Friday, the airline referred us back to their September announcement that in 2024 they would begin offering new Flagship Suite seats on their long-haul Airbus A321XLR and Boeing 787-9 aircraft that will offer travelers a privacy door, chaise lounge seating option and more storage space.
"We are enhancing the customer experience across their entire journey with American," American's Vice President of Customer Experience Julie Rath said in a statement in September. "The arrival of new long-haul aircraft and the customized seat design of the Flagship Suite seats will offer customers a truly private premium experience on our long-haul fleet."
American Airlines
The airline said they also planned to refresh its 20 Boeing 777-300ER fleet to include 70 Flagship Suite seats and 44 Premium Economy seats starting in late 2024. American will also retrofit its Airbus A321T fleet to align those 16 aircraft with the rest of its A321 fleet.
