TheDesignAir –American Airlines finally reveals Flagship ‘front row’ Preferred Suites of upcoming airline cabins

The never ending game of cat and mouse between the US3 carriers is playing dividends for the inflight and ground customer experience in the USA. A region that was once a decade behind the rest of the world when it came to cabin interiors, has fast become a hot-bed of creativity and world-standard hard products. The last of the three – American – to fully unify its cabins is set to roll out both its new A321 and new 787 cabins later this year (with 777 retrofits to follow)

When the airline announced its new cabins almost two years ago, TheDesignAir spotted an interesting breadcrumb that alluded to a ‘Business Plus’ proposition at the front of the cabins, and it seems like we were right. And unlike other carriers like Condor or JetBlue, American seems to be going on the offensive with a range of upgraded perks rather than the handful of differences other carriers take.

Firstly, the seat (while the same) offers a lot more space and a second table in front of the TV. This might appear like a grand advantage at first, albeit our own customer experience of such a device has proven that placing anything on this shelf just blocks the view of the TV (which appears to be exactly the same size as the standard business class seats behind).

This small gripes aside, everything else is a plus. From the sculpted mini privacy wall that gives the impression of more space, through to the mini-mini-bar and additional storage that the suites offer, the seats certainly feel more impressive and thanks to the darker seat shell, they certainly stand out as premium suites.

While the seat itself can only offer so much in regards to additional comfort, American have decided to clearly define the product above its standard business class with better bedding, blankets and amenity kits, all designed to heighten the new standard in business class for American.

Although all the details are still yet to be revealed, these new ‘Preferred seats’ will offer customers a Nest Bedding mattress pad, a throw blanket, a memory foam lumbar pillow, Nest Bedding pyjamas and an exclusive amenity kit featuring additional skincare products from Thirteen Lune by Joanna Vargas and Relevant.

But this reveal is more than just interiors. American has announced that travellers heading off to one of American’s new summer destinations will be able to relish delicious offerings like macadamia crusted sea bass with citrus cream sauce, quinoa, toasted orzo, and haricots verts. In addition to these offerings, pan roasted chicken, tortellini pasta and other offerings, including new pre-order options, will continue to roll out this spring for business class on flights from the U.S. to international destinations.

Customers traveling from Europe in business class can choose to indulge in menu items like chilli marinated chicken with mojo verde sauce, sweet potato mash, roasted corn and mini chilli or gnocchi duet with plain and beetroot gnocchi, lentil ragout, apple chutney, brown butter, roasted spring onion and sliced green onion.

Even better, and an area that’s been often lambasted, customers travelling on domestic first class can also discover new offerings on their journey. Travellers can enjoy cuisine such as shawarma seasoned grilled chicken, three cheese sacchetti pasta, chicken enchiladas or a plant based stuffed red pepper. Customers can also choose from new pre-order options, including short rib mac and cheese.

Starting today, American has launched a range of new kits that feature a mix of boutique and well-known brands to create a new range that will evolve throughout the years and feature rotating kit designs and high-quality skincare products in addition to the new bedding program.

American’s primary amenity kit will be available yearlong for customers flying in premium cabins. The kit will include staple amenities customers have come to expect while in flight, such as a toothbrush, dental kit, eye mask and earplugs, in addition to new and evolving skincare products and offerings. American will cycle new brands and products within the kits for customers in all premium cabins, creating a unique customer experience several times over, based directly on customer feedback.

American collaborated with beauty retailer Thirteen Lune to curate the skincare offerings, which will feature high-quality beauty brands from Thirteen Lune’s tailored collection with wide ranging representation of diverse founders and voices such as Joanna Vargas and Relevant.

Supporting this initiative is new bedding, pillows and sleepwear that deliver on customer expectations for a restful experience on board. Interestingly, American has also revealed that their own research shows 75% of passengers prefer dual-sided pillows, with different materials on each side of the pillow. Based on this feedback, customers traveling across Flagship First Class or Flagship Business Class will enjoy a dual-sided pillow with cool touch fabric on one side, and traditional fabric on the other.

It’s great to see that American is finally stepping up to the mark, offering a competitive product, yet this will either enhance or highlight American’s approach to service, which hopefully (in our view) will improve thanks to a crew who are proud to welcome passengers onboard and have a product to shout about. Time will tell, but we won’t have long to wait.

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