American Airlines’ new Flagship Suite business class review

All the seats have the same 21-inch width, and they recline to 79-inch lie-flat beds.

Their footwells, where your feet go in lie-flat mode, are about 16 inches wide at their mouth and narrow to 10 inches, so if you have large feet, turning over while in bed might prove a challenge.

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CLINT HENDERSON/THE POINTS GUY

The cabin finishes are a bold departure from American Airlines’ previous versions of business class, with more contrasts in their palette and upscale new touches.

Varying shades of gray dominate the airline’s current long-haul business-class cabins — a sharp, if muted, look. But while these new cabins still have graphite-gray paneling, new touches of red and silver abound, plus lighter-hued wood grain paneling on both the suites’ doors and their tables and armrests.

There are white faux-marble ledges to place drinks or small devices, and stylized metallic sconce lights with three settings: dim, medium and bright.

The seats’ upholstery is also quite different from the airline’s previous seats, with dark and light gray tones and toffee-colored leather headrests that feel like a reference to vintage luggage.

Overall, the effect makes the cabin feel warmer and less clinical than the all-gray palette of American Airlines’ typical long-haul business-class cabins.

This is especially true when walking on board, which Clint described as feeling like stepping onto an entirely different airline. A large lighted American Airlines “flight symbol” greets passengers as they walk onto the aircraft and turn left or right.

The cabin is elevated, with the suite doors adding a modern look to the interior.

Where the experience breaks down a little, for now, is in the fact that the doors are not functional on some flights. On the daytime LHR-ORD flight, the doors were locked in the open position, and the crew said that they had not received approval to let passengers use them.

However, on the overnight ORD-LHR flight, the doors were operational. About 30 minutes after departure, a flight attendant came by to unlock the sliding doors but asked passengers to keep them open during service. The door was a bit awkward to operate, but at least it worked.

We are still unsure what the issue is since it does not appear to be regulatory, but for now, don’t plan on being able to use your suite’s door.

The ability to deploy the sliding doors made a difference during Clint’s flight, where it felt like an additional layer of privacy to help get some shut-eye.

One thing to note is that there are just three lavatories for all 51 passengers. The one up front is sometimes cordoned off for crew and pilot use, so you might find lines at busy times, such as after meal service. One fun touch: The airline installed cloud wallpaper in the lavatories for a little whimsy.

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ERIC ROSEN/THE POINTS GUY

The no-touch faucets and toilet flush functions are a welcome sanitary element, and D.S. & Durga soap adds an upscale touch.

American Airlines Flagship Suite Preferred

The first row in both sections of business class — with eight seats total — is composed of a special set of suites the airline has dubbed Flagship Suite Preferred.

American Airlines touts these as having 42% more area and 19% more sleeping space. That’s because these are bulkhead seats, so rather than having compact cubbies for your feet in lie-flat mode, they have larger, more open ledges that the seat reclines into.

Though this might not seem like a significant differentiator, it is. It gives you a lot more room to maneuver in a reclined position. According to Eric’s measurements, their extra padded sections add 8 to 10 inches (the width varies) to the sleeping surface; this can make all the difference between banging your knees and rolling over from one side to the other freely.

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ERIC ROSEN/THE POINTS GUY

There are more subtle differences as well, including the darker tones of the seats’ shells, cubbies, doors and other finishes. These are understated visual cues that nonetheless demarcate these seats as different.

These seats also have a lot more surface area than the regular seats.

There are still the large armrests with wood grain finishes and white faux-marble ledges. But they also have dark faux-marble consoles under their entertainment screens, where you can stash a few things during meal service, and extra seatside cubbies for small items.

Aside from those differences, the Flagship Suite Preferred seats feel nearly identical to the regular ones in that they are 21 inches wide at the shoulders and waist, and they recline to 79-inch, lie-flat beds.

Their larger armrests have vertical wireless charging pads, and you’ll find the universal power plugs and USB-A and USB-C ports in the same places as in the regular suites. These seats have the same little compartments embedded in the armrests, too.

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ERIC ROSEN/THE POINTS GUY

Their seatback cubbies are the same size and remain good places to stow the provided noise-canceling headsets.

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ERIC ROSEN/THE POINTS GUY

The tables are 14 inches deep by 22 inches wide and slide out from under the entertainment screens, which are also 17.3 inches wide like those of the normal seats.

Unlike some other airlines that offer a “business plus” option similar to the Flagship Suite Preferred category — such as Lufthansa’s Allegris suites — American Airlines did not put bigger screens in its more spacious suites.

Still, the system remains quite good, with both Bluetooth and touchscreen capability, plus thousands of entertainment selections, including recent releases like “Inside Out 2” and TV series like “The Pitt.”

Clint had no trouble getting his AirPods to pair with the entertainment system.

Wi-Fi was available on both flights. You could purchase a two-hour pass for $16 or 2,500 American Airlines AAdvantage miles or a full-flight pass for $25 or 3,800 AAdvantage miles. Clint selected the paid full-flight pass and found speeds to be decent, and it was easy enough to switch between devices just using an email address to log in.

Dining in American Airlines’ Flagship Suite business class

You won’t find any differentiation in the dining offered to regular Flagship Suite flyers versus those in Flagship Suite Preferred.

Meals are available for preordering up to 24 hours before the flight in case you want to be sure you get your first choice.

On both flights, flight attendants served predeparture beverages, including sparkling wine, orange juice and water, though you could request other options. They provided warm towel service on both flights, too.

On the daytime flight from London to Chicago, the main meal started about 45 minutes after takeoff with a choice of drinks and ramekins of warm nuts and olives. About 20 minutes later, flight attendants served a starter of salad and hot smoked salmon with Thai rice noodles and veggies.

The main dish choices included:

• Slow-cooked beef with cauliflower mash, sauteed broccoli, pickled onions, tomatoes and smoky jus
• Corn-fed chicken breast with creamy saffron risotto, sugar snap peas and romesco sauce
• Pan-seared salmon with seven-grain rice, sauteed spinach, dried tomatoes and truffled hollandaise
• Indian lentil dal with basmati rice and peas, sweet-and-sour eggplant and naan

Eric chose the chicken, which was surprisingly juicy. The risotto was very creamy, so he left most of it, but the dish was satisfying and felt light otherwise.

Of course, Eric could have had a cheese plate or chocolate mousse to end his meal, but he couldn’t resist a made-to-order sundae (though the ice cream was rock hard).

During the flight, snacks — including fruit, chips and cookies — were available in the galley between the two business-class sections.

Then, about two hours before landing, a second light meal was served. It included either a grilled chicken sandwich with mayo on a three-cheese crust or a quinoa-eggplant salad with carrots, garlic hummus and sweet peppers. Eric went for the lighter selection, and it was tangy and delicious. He finished with a small bowl of cut fruit.

On the flight to London, Clint had the following choices:

• Smoked beef brisket with roasted broccolini sauteed with wild mushrooms with romesco sauce
• Seared sea bass with turmeric and lemongrass rice, roasted broccolini and baby carrots with chimichurri sauce
• Mustard-crusted lamb with roasted turnips, peas and baby carrots in a fresh herb reduction sauce
• Vegetable and garbanzo bean tagine with butternut squash, apple chutney, garlic couscous and pomegranate seeds

Clint’s meal started with an appetizer of pan-seared shrimp with a tropical fruit garnish and a mango gazpacho.

An arugula salad came on the same tray, as did bread and butter. His main dish of smoked beef brisket was delicious and cooked well.

Unfortunately, the main course didn’t come until almost two hours into the flight. That’s quite a wait for a relatively short overnight flight where passengers try to maximize shut-eye time; it didn’t leave much time for sleep. That’s not a dig at the flight attendants who were working efficiently, though. It’s just that 51 business-class seats meant there were a lot of passengers to serve.

Clint also chose the classic sundae, served with butterscotch sauce and extra whipped cream, for dessert. The other options were a gourmet cheese plate or a Belgian chocolate cheesecake tart.

Staff served breakfast an hour and 15 minutes before landing. The selections were an egg frittata with potatoes and a side fruit plate, or fruit and yogurt. The flight attendants also served a warm bread option, which included a cinnamon bun or croissant.

Clint’s breakfast was fine, but he always finds airline breakfasts a bit disappointing.

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CLINT HENDERSON/THE POINTS GUY

The drink menus were virtually identical on both flights, too, and Flagship Suite and Flagship Suite Preferred passengers were offered the same menus. Among the highlights were:

• Nicolas Feuillatte Reserve brut
• Mon Frere chardonnay
• Bodegas Salentein Reserve cabernet sauvignon
• Quinta da Pacheca tawny port
• Dos Equis beer
• Goose Island India pale ale

There was also a selection of spirits, such as Jack Daniel’s, Bacardi rum, Aviation Gin, Tito’s vodka and Socorro Tequila, as well as nonalcoholic choices like Coca-Cola, Diet Coke, Coke Zero, Sprite and Dr. Pepper.

Flight attendants on Eric’s London-to-Chicago flight were proactive about offering refills whenever they passed through the cabin, and they answered call button summons within 30 seconds.

The friendly flight attendants on Clint’s Chicago-to-London flight were also quick to offer refills (including making several of those espressos prior to landing).

In fact, the service was among the best Clint has had on any American Airlines flight. Mariano, Kelly and David deserve special praise for going out of their way to be friendly. Mariano was actually working this as his last flight after 40 years with American. He retired not long afterward.

Booking American Airlines Flagship Suites

American Airlines’ Flagship Suite business class is currently flying certain frequencies between LHR and both ORD and Philadelphia International Airport (PHL).

Tickets to fly the new product can cost upward of $6,000 each way. However, there have been pockets of good award availability where seats have been bookable for 55,000 Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan miles or 62,000 American Airlines AAdvantage miles each way. Taxes and fees from the U.S. to the U.K. should only be $5.60 per ticket, but beware that surcharges mount to nearly $400 in the opposite direction.

For now, there’s no upcharge for the Flagship Suite Preferred seats, so if you can snag one, do it for the extra room and cushy bedding. Once these go on sale separately from the regular seats, we expect the upcharge to be about $300 to $700 in each direction.