We have known for a while that American Airlines is planning on refreshing its long haul product, and there is an exciting update regarding that. American Airlines has a fleet of 46 Boeing 787s, and is ordering 43 more. American will have one of the largest Boeing fleets in the world when all is said and done. We are having to wait a bit longer than planned for new jets because American has been having issues with Boeing delivery delays. There is an interesting update regarding that, as the always knowledgeable xJonNYC has some insights about what we can expect. It is expected that American will deliver their Boeing 787-9s starting in 2023. New 787-9 designated 787-9P. 51 biz, 32 PE, 18 MCE, 143 MC. New PE seat, new biz seat with doors, same MC seat as 7878T. Walk up bar in galley @ 2 L/R. Viasat & Thales.American’s new Boeing 787 configuration
This represents a huge change to how American is configuring its Boeing 787-9s, both in terms of the number of seats and the product.
There is no official word on what business class seat we should expect on the new American Airlines Boeing 787s. There were two options under consideration when American was testing new business class seats in 2020.
The Collins Aerospace Super Diamond seat has a door similar to what you'll find on the A350-1000s of British Airways and the A380s of Qantas. This would be a logical evolution since American currently has reverse herringbone seats on most of its planes.
The Adient Ascent seat was the only one that was on the Boeing 787-9s. The configuration of the product can differ between airlines, making it unique.
The product would be a nice improvement over what American currently has.
Premium American is planning on making the new Boeing 787-9s. Is this a sign that American wants to become a more premium airline? I wouldn't read too much into that.
We have seen configurations change several times, as American has struggled for years with configuring its wide body jets.
My guess is that these new planes will be used to create a new subfleet for premium markets. The plan is for the Boeing 787-9s to be American's flagship aircraft.
Even though the 787-9s have not had enough premium seats for some routes, American has sometimes flown the Boeing 777-300ER to these destinations.
It's clear that American is trying to make sure it has a jet that works in premium markets but has better economics than the 777-300ER, and that's exactly what this will be.
By the year 2023, American should start taking delivery of more Boeing 787s. We knew that we should expect a new business class seat, but we didn't know how premium the jets would be.
The upcoming Boeing 787-9s will have more business class seats than the current 787-9s have. The economy will be going down in seat count while the premium economy will be going up.
I can't wait to learn more about this development from American.
What do you think about American's plans for Boeing 787-9s?
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