American Airlines is one of the few remaining carriers to offer a first class cabin, with the oneworld carrier branding its first class offering as Flagship First. With business class offerings having improved significantly over recent years, bridging the gap between the two cabins, many carriers have chosen to remove their first class cabins altogether, concentrating instead on a strong business class product and the increasingly popular premium economy cabin.
Although American Airlines does still offer a first class cabin, this is only on a limited number of aircraft within the carrier’s enormous fleet of more than 980 aircraft. The aircraft types still flying with a Flagship First cabin are the Boeing 777-300ER and several Airbus A321s that the airline deploys on selected transcontinental routes. Let’s take a look at the American Airlines aircraft that still feature a first class cabin, what this looks like, and where you can expect to see these aircraft operating.
Boeing 777-300ER
The latest data from ch-aviation shows that American Airlines currently has a total of 20 Boeing 777-300ERs in its fleet. The carrier’s 777-300ERs featuring a first class cabin are able to carry up to a maximum of 304 passengers in a four-class configuration – eight in first class, 52 in business class, 28 in premium economy, and 216 in economy class (including 28 extra legroom seats).
American Airlines is one of two major US carriers to operate the Boeing 777-300ER, the other being United Airlines. However, the Star Alliance carrier’s 777-300ERs do not feature a first class cabin, and instead feature a larger business class cabin, giving a total capacity of up to a maximum of 350 passengers in a three-class configuration – 60 in business class, 24 in premium economy, and 266 in economy class (including 62 extra legroom seats).
Where does American Airlines fly its Boeing 777-300ERs?
American Airlines deploys its Boeing 777-300ERs on a wide variety of long-haul routes to destinations across the world from several of its hubs in the US, including New York John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), Miami International Airport (MIA), Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), and Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT).
Among the routes currently served by the carrier’s Boeing 777-300ERs from its hub at New York John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) are:
- New York (JFK) – London Heathrow (LHR)
- New York (JFK) – Barcelona (BCN).
Meanwhile, from its West Coast hub at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), American Airlines deploys its Boeing 777-300ERs on routes such as:
- Los Angeles (LAX) – London Heathrow (LHR)
- Los Angeles (LAX) – Syndey (SYD).
American Airlines’ primary hub for services to Latin America at Miami International Airport (MIA) also sees the carrier’s Boeing 777-300ERs on a limited number of routes, including:
- Miami (MIA) – São Paulo (GRU)
- Miami (MIA) – London Heathrow (LHR)
- Miami (MIA) – Buenos Aires (EZE).
American Airlines also serves London Heathrow Airport (LHR) with the Boeing 777-300ER from its hubs at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) and Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT).
Airbus A321
American Airlines has a total of 218 Airbus A321s in its fleet. 203 of these feature the carrier’s standard cabin configuration, with a maximum capacity of up to 190 passengers – 20 in business class and 170 in economy class (including 35 extra legroom seats). However, the remaining 15 of American Airlines’ A321s feature the carrier’s unique transcontinental layout.
American Airlines’ Airbus A321s equipped with the carrier’s transcontinental configuration are able to carry up to a maximum of just 102 passengers in a three-class layout – ten in first class, 20 in business class, and 72 in economy class (including 36 extra legroom seats).
The airline’s Flagship First cabin on the Airbus A321 features ten Safran flatbed suites in a 1-1 configuration, each of which is 63 inches long and 21 inches wide. The table below shows how this cabin compares to other cabins found onboard American Airlines’ Airbus A321s.
Where does American Airlines fly its transcontinental Airbus A321s?
American Airlines deploys its first class-equipped Airbus A321s on a limited number of routes from one side of the US to the other. From its hub at New York John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), the carrier uses these aircraft to operate its flagship routes to both Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and San Francisco International Airport (SFO).
American Airlines also serves two additional routes with its transcontinental Airbus A321s:
- Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) – Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)
- New York John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) – Santa Ana John Wayne Airport (SNA).
Data from Cirium, an aviation analytics company, shows that in April 2025, American Airlines plans to operate a total of 1,003 flights with its transcontinental Airbus A321s, equating to an average of 33 flights per day. The number of flights operated on each route.
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Up to nine flights per day between New York and Los Angeles
With up to nine flights per day in each direction, American Airlines offers the most number of first class seats on its route between New York John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). This is followed by the carrier’s service between New York John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and San Francisco International Airport (SFO), with up to four daily flights, equating to 40 first class seats in each direction per day.
In a sign of just how strong the market is, American Airlines goes head-to-head with both Delta Air Lines and JetBlue on its services between New York John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).
The oneworld carrier also faces competition between the two cities from Alaska Airlines, JetBlue, Spirit Airlines, and United Airlines, which link Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) with Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) – New York City Area’s second-largest airport.
A small but significant first class offering
American Airlines wisely chooses to deploy its Flagship First cabin on its more premium routes, often those that connect major economic powerhouses such as New York, Los Angeles, Miami, London, São Paulo, and Sydney. These cities and their catchment areas have a high demand for premium services, and no shortage of passengers willing to pay extra to enjoy a more luxurious journey.
Although only a small percentage of American Airlines’ aircraft feature a first class cabin, the fact that the carrier even offers a first class service these days is significant. While many carriers have chosen to discontinue their first class services, American Airlines seems to have carved itself a niche in the market with its first class offering
This helps the oneworld carrier to stand out from other airlines on often crowded routes such as New York John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) to London Heathrow Airport (LHR) and Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) to Sydney Airport (SYD). It remains to be seen how long American Airlines will continue to offer a first class cabin, but for now at least, it is certainly one of the more luxurious ways to travel to and from the US.
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