American Airlines Expanding Access to Flagship Dining, LAX Location Reopening Later This Year

Updated: August 31, 2026, 3:25pm CDT

Edited by:

Jump to Section

Table of Contents

AA Flagship Dining Will Be Open to More Passengers Soon
Final Thoughts

We may be compensated when you click on a link, when an application is approved, or when an account is opened from one or more of our advertising partners. Terms apply to the offers below. See our Advertising Policy for more about our partners, how we make money, and our rating methodology. Opinions and recommendations are ours alone.

Several years ago, American Airlines made a premium push by introducing Flagship First Dining at several of its hubs across the country.

Currently reserved for Flagship First passengers, this is an exclusive offering with sit-down dining that includes multi-course meals, wine pairings, and more. However, since the end of the pandemic, it hasn’t quite been the same. The Los Angeles (LAX) dining room has been closed for a while, and American has since made the decision to jettison its first class offering on board its Boeing 777-300ERs and A321Ts as these aircraft get retrofitted.

As such, the airline has announced it will alter its sit-down dining concept, dropping the “First” moniker altogether, opening it up to more passengers, and finally reopening its LAX Flagship Dining outpost.

Here’s everything you need to know.

AA Flagship Dining Will Be Open to More Passengers Soon

Starting September 15, 2026, American Airlines will expand Flagship Dining (it’ll no longer be called Flagship First Dining) to more flyers departing from its Dallas Fort Worth (DFW) and Miami (MIA) hubs.

American Airlines Flagship Dining DFW — The Flagship Dining room at DFW. Image Credit: American Airlines

From that date on, passengers flying in the Flagship Business and Flagship Business Plus cabins on eligible long-haul international, transcontinental, and Hawaii routes with Flagship service can access the Flagship Dining room in some Flagship Lounges.

Currently, this offering is only available to Flagship First flyers. But because the airline is phasing that product out, it’s now shifting to more closely match what Delta Air Lines and United Airlines do with their Delta One and Polaris passengers.

Additionally, the airline will reopen the Flagship Dining room at LAX later this year, 6 years after it was closed due to the pandemic.

American will introduce new dining options (though they’re likely to be less extravagant than the Flagship First dishes) to accompany the new access policies. Expect seasonal dishes that embody the local hub airport, including a roasted purple cauliflower steak, a Texas pear and burrata salad, mesquite grilled beef, a “California artisan board,” churro bread pudding, and, of course, the iconic Flagship burger.

There will also be new curated pairings featuring KHK Wines’ Hillside cabernet sauvignon alongside a selection of K+M Extravirgin chocolates and hazelnut dragées. Chef Thomas Keller is a co-founder of K+M Extravirgin Chocolates.

The Hillside cabernet will be available at all Flagship lounges and the Chelsea Lounge at New York-JFK.

Hot Tip:

With access being expanded to many more flyers, expect longer waits at Flagship Dining rooms. American says seats will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis. If a table isn’t immediately available, you will be added to a digital waiting list.

Final Thoughts

American is expanding its Flagship Dining offering to more passengers, putting it more in line with what Delta and United currently offer their premium flyers. Unfortunately, the experience will undoubtedly be less exclusive going forward.

Still, with American phasing out its proper first class product entirely, it’s great to see the carrier expand its sit-down dining offering, rather than eschewing it altogether. On that note, we can’t wait to see the Flagship Dining room reopen at LAX later this year.