American Airlines’ New Flagship Suites Will Debut on June 5

We finally have a date for the debut of American Airlines’ Flagship Suites, the carrier’s new long-haul business class. After a 3-year wait since the product was announced, American has announced that the first flight will go on sale next week and take off next month.

Here’s everything we know about the much-anticipated debut of the new top offering by American Airlines.

Where American’s New Flagship Suites Will Fly, and When

The new American Airlines business class, Flagship Suites, is finally here. The first Boeing 787-9 equipped with the new seats will begin commercial flights on June 5, and tickets will go on sale Monday, May 5.

The inaugural flight on June 5 will be AA2012 from Chicago O’Hare (ORD) to Los Angeles (LAX). The plane will then return to Chicago for the inaugural Flagship Suite service across the Atlantic, to London Heathrow (LHR) as AA98, taking off that same evening.

As American gets more deliveries from Boeing of brand new 787-9s with the new cabins, it will add more destinations. Later this summer, the airline will also operate the new 787-9 from Philadelphia (PHL) to London and Zurich (ZRH). Flagship Suites will then begin operating to Australia this fall, with service from Dallas Fort Worth (DFW) to Brisbane (BNE).

After lengthy delays from Boeing, American finally received 2 new 787-9s this week. According to flight-tracking site Flightradar24, a third has already flown from the Boeing plant in Everett, Washington, and may be delivered soon.

American said it anticipates 30 new 787-9s joining the fleet between now and 2029. With 51 Flagship Suites and 32 premium economy seats, compared to 30 and 21 today, respectively, the new configuration offers many more seats for upgrades. That’s also part of why American said it expects to grow its lie-flat and premium economy seating by 50% by the end of the decade.

The Flagship Suite seats will also be installed on the Airbus A321XLR, the long-haul version of the single-aisle Airbus A321neo, which American expects to begin flying later this year. This plane will serve transcontinental flights in the U.S. as well as shorter flights to Europe. On U.S. flights, it will take the place of the current A321 model used for transcons, which features Flagship First and Business.

Flagship Suites will also be installed on retrofitted Boeing 777-300ERs, the largest jets in American’s fleet. With the refurbishment, Flagship First will go away on these planes, too, and be replaced by a larger business class cabin. The 777-300ER will also get a new premium economy cabin.

However, the majority of American’s services to Europe are — and will continue to be — on the Boeing 777-200ER, which is currently not slated to get the Flagship Suite upgrade.

The Flagship Suite: Business Class With Sliding Doors

Flagship Suites were announced in 2022. Their defining feature is that they have sliding doors, which only Delta had so far among U.S. airlines. This leaves United as the lone holdout among the U.S. majors who have not announced the introduction of the business class with enclosed pods.

Besides privacy doors, Flagship Suites will have more personal storage space with a wireless charging pad. On 787s and 777s, bulkhead rows will feature larger Flagship Suite Preferred seats.

Passengers in Flagship Suites also get access to the Flagship Lounge, a cut above American’s Admirals Club.

Final Thoughts

The new Flagship Suite is finally here, leading American Airlines’ drive to expand its premium class offering over the next decade. With it, American becomes the second U.S. airline after Delta to install a business class with doors at each seat.

If you’re flying to a destination where Flagship Suites are being offered, primarily to Europe this summer, it pays to look for a Boeing 787-9 featuring the new product. Check out the seat map when booking: If it shows 51 business class seats, it’s the Flagship Suite.