American Airlines was the first airline in the US to roll out a premium economy product on their international fleet. The airline has launched the product on their 787-9s already. They have recently announced that their 777s and their A330s will also soon feature the product. Per The Points Guy, this chart shows the current schedule for the roll out of P/E on American. American now has Premium Economy alongside their partners Iberia and British Airways. Iberia recently launched their premium economy, and is currently rolling it out on their fleet.
The airline has now officially unveiled the first routes for their A330s with P/E, as well as their 777s. The airline will fly these to select international destinations starting in 2018. Here is a guide of the routes flown by AA’s P/E aircraft.
777:
| Dallas-Ft.Worth (DFW) | Buenos Aires |
| Tokyo (NRT) | |
| Frankfurt | |
| Los Angeles (LAX) | Tokyo (HND) |
| Tokyo (NRT) | |
| Miami (MIA) | Barcelona |
| Buenos Aires | |
| Madrid | |
| Paris | |
| Santiago | |
| Rio de Janeiro | |
| Sao Paulo |
The 777 has the seats arranged in a 2x4x2 configuration, with two middle seats in the center section. American plans to launch service with these aircraft in the coming months, and they are already bookable on www.aa.com.
787-9:
| Dallas-Ft Worth (DFW) | Paris |
| Madrid | |
| Seoul (ICN) | |
| Sao Paulo (to be replaced by 777-300ER) | |
| Chicago (ORD) | Paris (seasonal) |
| Los Angeles (LAX) | Sao Paulo (GRU) |
| Tokyo (NRT) | |
| Auckland (seasonal) | |
| Sydney |
The 787-9 Premium Economy seats are arranged in a 2x3x2 configuration. They have been flying since late last year. These routes include ones to be added as the airline receives the aircraft.
A330:
| Charlotte (CLT) | Frankfurt |
| Philadelphia (PHL) | Paris |
| Rome | |
| Madrid | |
| Manchester | |
| Munich |
Although the flights have been loaded up in the schedule, there is still no seat map available. I expect American to have them in a 2x3x2 configuration. These aircraft will begin to fly these routes in 2018.
What to expect
Premium Economy usually has more perks than Economy. Expect a seat similar to those on domestic first class, a small amenity kit, larger IFE screens, better blankets and pillows, noise cancelling headphones and improved dining options. I am a fan of American’s P/E because they offer extra EQMs for flying on this route.
Landing Thoughts
I am a big fan of Premium Economy. It allows people to splurge a bit when they cannot afford business class. In many cases, the premium is not too much more than the economy price. I hope to see United add P/E soon. Delta will be unveiling their P/E on their A350 later this year. American shares Premium Economy now with all of their Joint Venture Partners except Finnair. Qantas has recently updated their premium economy, allowing them to better cooperate with American. Even carriers such as Emirates are considering their own Premium Economy cabins. We will have to wait and see if they in fact to decide to add this option. For now, I am very happy with American’s P/E.
What do you think? Have you flown American’s Premium Economy? What was your experience like? Let us know!
All images from The Points Guy, Airways Magazine and Wikipedia.
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Awful.
Why does everyone fail to mention that those bulk head seats with tv in the armrests have much less width and hard sides. Very uncomfortzble !
Hi Tassojunior. Thanks for reading!
I haven’t had the chance to fly American’s P/E yet, but I can imagine where your concerns come from. I am not a fan of bulkhead rows on normal aircraft, so I see what you mean.
Best,
The Millennial Traveller
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Aren’t these seats, at least for a short period of time, considered Main Cabin Extra on some planes for the purposes of Gold/Platinum seating?
Hi Tim! Thanks for reading!
Yeah, until December 15 777s will have P/E treated as Economy (Main Cabin Extra, however). This means that EXPs Platinums and Platinum Pros will have complimentary access to the seats. Golds get access for free 48 hours before departure. After that, they will be their own cabin of service.
Best,
The Millennial Traveler
I’m flying LAX-SYD early next year and called AA just yesterday to see if there’s an upgrade from Main Cabin Extra to Premium Economy and the CSR said there was no way to price PE yet. I’m not quite sure what that means if they supposedly have already been in service since late last year on this route.
Hi DaniLew. Thanks for reading!
That flight is currently being flown by a 777-300ER, and the switch to the 787-9 will be after October 2017. I hope this helps!
Best,
The Millennial Traveler.
I’m mostly interested in how awards will work and if there will be value there. I haven’t flown them but the reviews and pictures look good to me. I usually fly TATL in business but would consider this option especially on day flights. I could also imagine booking the night flight in business East bound and PE on the daytime returns to the USA.
Nice post btw.
Hi Dan! Thanks for reading!
I agree, I usually fly J or F when I travel alone TATL. But when I travel with family, I tend to travel in Y or P/E. Since I am a loyal American flyer, and British Airways charges exorbitant rates for their P/E, I am very excited to try their P/E product to Europe when the A330s and 777s begin flying. Hopefully this will allow my family and I to have a better frying experience without paying a fortune!
Also, thanks for the props about the post!
Best,
The Millennial Traveler