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BUSINESS CLASS : the new angled lie-flat seat tested on Boeing 767
flights. Whilst an improvement on the old AA seats, this is a poor competitor to
other major airlines new business class seats. In the upright / semi reclined
position, we found the width of the seat to feel quite tight - particularly at
shoulder height where you feel very close to your neighbour. It is very much an
angled lie-flat, and not suitable for side sleepers : even on your back, there
is a tendency to slide down just as you fall asleep. Bigger / split table, and
seat movement novelty, but this does not conceal the fact this is not a very
comfortable seat. Privacy levels restricted with very small partition flap. Comfort Score : 7/10
FIRST CLASS : review on the older flagship suite, where comfort levels
generally good. In seated position it offers reasonable privacy and comfort -
fully flat, there are a few bumps that intrude, and the cushion support is too
firm and needs a mattress enhancer to help sleep. Comfort score : 8/10 |
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Date: 26 SEP 2007 |
Aircraft: Boeing 757 |
Cabin: Business |
Review: Mark Steele |
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SLEEPING |
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SITTING |
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SEAT LENGTH |
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SEAT WIDTH |
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No business class check-in at Miami? Old leather type seat but reasonably comfortable but little
recline and no foot-rest. |
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Date: 26 SEP 2007 |
Aircraft: Boeing 767 |
Cabin: Business |
Review: M Palumbo |
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SLEEPING |
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SITTING |
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SEAT LENGTH |
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SEAT WIDTH |
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The new reconfigured 767 - - uncomfortable, cumbersome and very claustrophobic. If seated in the
window: forget to get over the next person, specially if it has on the earphones (as the plug in is
located in the seat back in front of you) or when the tray table it's open. Controls are a nightmare,
ie when reclining: if you do not stop on time the leg extension control you can risk to fracture your
ankles against the small cavity for the feet. Terrible lighting, need to wear the eyemask if the
person next to you is with the light on. |
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Date: 24 SEP 2007 |
Aircraft: Boeing 767 |
Cabin: Business |
Review: Maurice Carter |
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SLEEPING |
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SITTING |
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SEAT LENGTH |
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SEAT WIDTH |
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I cannot understand why AA is spending money to replace its old business class seats with these flawed
uncomfortable angled, so-called "lie-flats.” Actually, besides being much angled, they aren't even lie
flat, but very bumpy and uneven. When they are fully extended in the sleep position, your feet are
tucked away in a narrow opening under the seat in front, where normally one keeps one's carryon bag.
Therefore, to put it down, you have to move your carryon and (if you can find a space) put it in the
overhead locker. With the seat in this position in an aisle seat, the window seat passenger is
completely trapped. Who would have thought AA could be so short sighted?
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Date: 24 SEP 2007 |
Aircraft: Boeing 767 |
Cabin: Business |
Review: G Colosse |
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SLEEPING |
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SITTING |
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SEAT LENGTH |
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SEAT WIDTH |
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Two weeks ago I had the opportunity to test the new Business Class seats - the overall AA flying
experience is still below average. If AA is planning to use this seat configuration for 5 or more
years, they have performed a huge step back on the competitiveness run. Even though seating improved,
the cabin and your personal space seems crowded and reduced. It is impossible to get over the person
next to you, if you are in the window seat, without disturbing her or him. Entertainment system is
complicated to operate, movies selection is poor and outdated and in-flight music is limited (only a
few internationally recognized singers/authors). What was AA thinking when they launch this system!!
It is by far the most complicated on the airline industry.
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Date: 24 SEP 2007 |
Aircraft: Boeing 767 |
Cabin: Business |
Review: John Connolly |
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SLEEPING |
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SITTING |
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SEAT LENGTH |
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SEAT WIDTH |
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Boeing 767, new business class. The new business class is not all it is hyped up to be.
The seats are close together, but you have a privacy screen. The claustrophobic feeling happens
when you recline as your legs go under the seat in front of you. Basically it doesnt offer what you
pay for, which is space. |
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Date: 24 SEP 2007 |
Aircraft: Boeing 767 |
Cabin: Business |
Review: Jim Ash |
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SLEEPING |
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SITTING |
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SEAT LENGTH |
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SEAT WIDTH |
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I flew to Hawaii and had the new Business Class product. The new design is over-all very good with one
exception. I noticed those who were in a window seat had challenges getting past their fellow
passenger when in the lie-flat position. The domestic routes do not have the video entertainment like
the international flights. A flight attendant mentioned that Hawaii is too touristy to have the
updated video system. There are several positions which one can get comfortable, and not just the lie-
flat position. One note, do not place anything in the storage area in front of you if you plan to lie-
flat, as the flat position will either crush what you have in place or stop at some point.
The old product had more room in front of you, but the new configuration is not too bad. |
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Date: 4 JUL 2007 |
Aircraft: Boeing 767 |
Cabin: Business Class |
Review: David Thomson |
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RATING |
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Finally got a chance to experience the new business class seats on BOG-
MIA flight. They are cumbersome, really hard to get over the person next
to you if you are in the window, controls are a nightmare and cycle
through instead of stopping at a certain place etc. The whole feel for
the business class cabin now is one of much less space and much more
clutter. Claustrophobic feel to it. If I wasnt an American Platinum FF I
would really consider going with other options. |
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Date: 4 JUL 2007 |
Aircraft: Boeing 767 |
Cabin: First Class |
Review: John Weber |
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RATING |
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DFW to NRT. Flagship Suite. Very good product. I am 6'5" and was able
to lay flat. Moveable armrests made the seat very wide, for sleeping.
The only negitive would be that the seat was hard. But for the comfort
this is minor, compared to all of the positives. Cabin on this flight
seemed fine and was clean. Flying on JAL, they give you a bottom sheet.
This would have been very nice, however on a 12 hour flight, by the time
I wanted to sleep, it was not a big deal.
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Date: 30 MAY 2007 |
Aircraft: Boeing 767 |
Cabin: Business Class |
Review: Antonio da Costa |
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RATING |
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GIG-MIA in the new business cabin . While it was a change from those
awful & obsolete old seats, the overall experience still is not the same
as on a leading international airline. The obsession with collecting
those diabolical headsets is a major set back. The crew have no trouble
waking you up to re-confiscate them (yes, that is the feeling) since
there is no visible location to put them now, once you are done with it
or just fed up with that hostile pick-up routine. The cumbersome and
unattractive new duvets are an accident waiting to happen in case of
an emergency. They take too much room and sure look like something out
of a Soviet era shelter. The food on American is still sadly inspired
on the average mall's food court experience.
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Date: 30 MAY 2007 |
Aircraft: Boeing 767 |
Cabin: Business Class |
Review: Rainer Herkenrath |
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RATING |
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Direct flight from MIA to LIM. Business class with outdated seats. No
real footrests. Just barely reclining. Impossible to sleep. I wonder why
AA is charging a multiple to economy class based upon those seats. |
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Date: 5 APR 2007 |
Aircraft: Boeing 767 |
Cabin: Business Class |
Review: George Davis |
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RATING |
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GRU-MIA. Return trip in newly-reconfigured 767. Clearly a huge
improvement over the old, but that is not saying much since the former
was horrendous for sleeping. Still cannot lie flat in the new seats
(why go to all the trouble and expense if you don't accomplish at least
that??). The video system arrangement is cumbersome and makes one
wonder why an airline would make things more difficult for both staff
and passenger. I am guessing that the airline has concluded that the
new system will lead to fewer breakdowns - if that is the case then so
be it. Did notice a marked improvement in food quality, but on MIA-GRU, the
kitchen did not load sufficient amounts of two entree |
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Date: 28 MAR 2007 |
Aircraft: Boeing 767 |
Cabin: Business Class |
Review: Gregg Hillier |
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RATING |
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Chicago - Shannon. AA must hurry up and get their new Business Class
seats installed as I had the misfortune of flying two 767's with the
older seats in January 2007. The aircraft used to Ireland looked and
smelled like a public bathroom and several passengers remarked that
their seats we not reclining properly. The Crew seemed at a loss to
help. The return trip was on a much newer, cleaner 767 still with the
older seats. They are OK to sit and relax but impossible to sleep in.
At least the duvet and better blanket were offered. |
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Date: 28 MAR 2007 |
Aircraft: Boeing 777 |
Cabin: First Class |
Review: Richard James |
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RATING |
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American have moved their old fashioned Non Suites from the Pacific
Routes to the Atlantic routes. Seats not as long and foot rest causes
numbness and pins and needles in calves and feet. Seats are hard and
uncomfortable. Most head rests are worn out and will not stay in place.
Trim coming away in places. |
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Date: 28 MAR 2007 |
Aircraft: Boeing 777 |
Cabin: Business Class |
Review: Suzanne Cooper |
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RATING |
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We have a 10 month old baby and requested a bassinet row when we booked
our flights. We got the row OK, but when I asked for the bassinet to be
hooked up (the bulkhead had holes in it for this) I was told "I'm sorry
we don't carry them onboard, you should have asked at check-in".
To make matters worse, the bulkhead seats head no room in front of the
seats to lay the baby on the floor (all other business seats had plenty
of room for this). Apart from this, the seats were old, the service was
lousy and the BOSE headphones were collected very early (as if they dont trust
you with them!). This was my first and last AA business class flight |
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Date: 28 MAR 2007 |
Aircraft: Boeing 767 |
Cabin: Business Class |
Review: David Redding |
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RATING |
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Dallas to Zurich route in the new American Business Class. These are
the new lie-flat seats which American is rolling out in all of their
767's. I had high hopes but, alas, these are not much of an improvement
over the old seats. These seats are similar to the old "sling seats" on
Virgin Atlantic, wherein your feet slide under the seat in front of you
when fully extended. They are long, but all of the cushions mean there
are lots of uncomfortable bumps. Space between seats seems surprisingly
smaller than before. Most disappointing was the entertainment system.
Acknowledging the need to offer on-demand viewing, American chose to go
with individual players which are preloaded with movies and TV shows
before departure. The units are then plugged into your seat before
departure. Because all of the shows are saved to the hard drive, there
is not a large selection, which was a disappointment. The flight
attendants, who were still getting used to the new systems, were vocal
in their complaints about how long it takes them to install the systems
at the beginning of the flight and collect them afterwards. In fact, it
took well over 30 minutes to install all of business class and they told
me they usually don't install them until after takeoff. We had an
extended ground delay, so they installed before takeoff, but under
normal conditions, you would lose a lot of entertainment time. |
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Date: 27 FEB 2007 |
Aircraft: Boeing 777 |
Cabin: Business Class |
Review: Mary Saylor |
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RATING |
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Delhi to Chicago. This was one uncomfortable and outdated plane, the seats
barely reclined to a comfortable level, the entertainment system was on par with a cheap walkman
from the 80s (you have to wiggle the earphone plug to maintain sound, my neighbour's seat barely
reclined, her headrest was broken, and her personal TV didn't work (That's ok, said the flight
attendant, you can look at the monitor above the seats). The FAs were slow to hand-out the over-
used BOSE headsets, and really quick to collect them, in fact they awakened more than a few
passengers to collect the headset more than an hour before landing in Chicago. The duvet was nice;
but the amenities kit wasn't handed out unless you asked for it, and then it was only after we
"Reached the halfway point" of our trip. What am I going to do with it if I receive it 20 minutes
early, or at the start of the flight? |
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Date: 30 JUL 2006 |
Aircraft: Boeing 777 |
Cabin: Business Class |
Review: B van Dongen |
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| |
RATING |
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Awful, I was seated in the first row of Business class and the available
leg-room was completely unacceptable. Could not even stretch my legs. Asked to
be moved but only middle seat was available. Make sure you don't get seated on
the first room of Business. Inflight service is also far below other airlines.
NO magazines, only a few newspapers, a tiny LCD monitor smaller than proper
airlines have in economy! Did like the Bose headsets, but for some strange
reason they collect them 1 hour before landing, so tough luck if you're still in
the middle of a film. Food not too bad, but very American, not exactly health
oriented.
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Date: 1 JUN 2006 |
Aircraft: Boeing 777 |
Cabin: First Class |
Review: John Brooks |
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RATING |
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DFW to KIX return, NRT to ORD. Both flights in First, with the AA Suites. Far
more comfortable than Business on long flights. Better service from the FAs,
better food. There are certain problems: cabins do indeed appear to be beat up,
dingy, and in need of a good scrubbing. The lighting above the seats seems to
have been designed to discourage reading - it was a challenge to shift myself
into a position where light actually fell on the page of a magazine. The seat
does become flat for sleeping, but I am an average sized man and I found the
seat far too narrow to actually get comfortable. On the plus side: large "shelf"
running under the three windows of the "suite," providing ample space to place
things that you might use during your flight (books, computer, iPod, reading
glasses), all easily accessible. Tray table is very large, can be folded in
half, and is adjustable in terms of distance from you. TV screen a nice size;
VCR cassettes of current films offered just after take-off. (Each film I watched
had not been rewound, which I had to do myself). Seat adjustable in a wide
variety of ways, including a very comfortable "foot rest" position that supports
the entire length of your legs (I am six feet tall). As another reviewer noted,
avoid the last row in First - a hub of activity for both Business and First FAs.
I would also avoid the front row in First for the same reason.
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Date: 27 MAR 2006 |
Aircraft: Boeing 777 |
Cabin: Business Class |
Review: Lori Sezdegah |
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| |
RATING |
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RD to New Delhi, India, non-stop on AA business class was unenjoyable. Seat was
very stiff and uncomfortable and recline was poor. Seat controls were not
electronic but rather consisted of levers which made positioning the seat a
chore. IFE was one of the worst I've seen, especially since this is a very long
flight. Pitch, however, was good.
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Date: 27 MAR 2006 |
Aircraft: Boeing 777 |
Cabin: First Class |
Review: F Roberts |
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RATING |
 |
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DFW to LGW. I fly this return trip every two weeks. I rate the flat bed seat
excellent with certain qualifications, namely, the Flagship Suite passenger
deserves either a larger pillow, as suggested by another reviewer, or the
availability of two pillows, which is my preference. Also, the weight and
quality of the blanket needs to be greatly improved. Otherwise, I like the
ability to swivel to a desk-type arrangement when I need to do some work, swivel
to another position for dining and sleeping, and lastly swivel to yet another
position for takeoff and landing. I have utilized the "companion seat" on
occasion during cocktails and dining and find it a very agreeable arrangement.
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Date: 13 FEB 2006 |
Aircraft: Boeing 777 |
Cabin: First Class |
Review: Merijn Boender |
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| |
RATING |
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A recent trip in First Class on AA from JFK to LHR left mixed impressions. The
terminal appearance (using the old Terminal 8) was downright shabby and the
Admirals Club is well past its prime (especially since the brand new one at
Terminal 9 is the opposite, brand new, light and pleasant). The take-off
position of the seat is quite uncomfortable with the curved front wall and the
upright position hindering a comfortable position (the the average taxi time at
JFK for overnight flights to London does not help). Once in the air, the seat
reclines comfortably and the lowering armrests in the flat position allow for a
comfortable sleeping position. A larger pillow would take away the hard "lump"
of adjustable head rests, and sheets and a better duvet seem a necessity. The
inflight entertainment system is out-of-date.
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Date: 10 FEB 2006 |
Aircraft: Boeing 777 |
Cabin: First Class |
Review: Rich James |
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RATING |
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AA first class seat is the best on Atlantic routes - more length than United and
BA. The hardness is no issue for me. I like being able to lower sides -
adjustment from Seat to Bed allows for greater reclining than others without the
seat going forward too much but is not as good as the Japanese carriers I have
been on. My complaint is the lack of bedding, compared to BA. The American
Airlines static inducing blanket is not nice. I also wonder why they introduced
the swivel seat, it does nothing for me.
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Date: 10 FEB 2006 |
Aircraft: Boeing 777 |
Cabin: Business Class |
Review: Julian Sevillano |
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| |
RATING |
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I am an executive platinum flyer and do most of my travel to South America on
overnight flights originating from Miami. As such, my main priority is
maximizing sleep and the business class seats are simply not comfortable for
sleep. They are spacious enough but are too hard and do not recline enough. I
always wake up with a stiff neck the following morning. The older 767 seats are
actually more comfortable. The service of the FA's is spotty at best, and the
boarding process in some airports has become a cattle call. If it weren't for
their AAdvantage/One World mileage program, I would be traveling on other
airlines more frequently.
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24 October 2005 |
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Boeing 777 First Class
MIA - Buenos Aires in First Class. There was an equipment change at the last
minute and the scheduled Flagship Suite was replaced by the old- fashioned
sleeper seats. Oddly, I found the older seat more comfortable and easier to
adjust than the Flagship Suite, which was offered on my return trip. The
Flagship seats are lumpy and really beginning to wear. The thin blanket and
skimpy pillow are shameful on International Flights.
|
Score: 3/5
(review by Gregg Hillier) |
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13 October 2005 |
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Boeing 777 First Class
American are obviously not investing in any repairs to the inside of their
aircraft, let's hope that they are spending the money where it counts. The cabin
was dirty and shabby. Tape everywhere holding panels in place, carpets in place
and covering nasty cracks. In the locked take off and landing position, the
seats are terribly uncomfortable and it doesn't get much better when you move
them. That's if you can get them to move. They seem to stick and I just couldn't
get the "right" position in 11.5 hours. The pillow and the blanket seem to have
been brought up from coach and did little to soothe. Big thumbs down to American
- and, they're not interested when you try to complain constructively.
|
Score: 1/5
(review by David White) |
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23 May 2005 |
|
Boeing 777 First Class
LAX TO LHR. I had been told the new "Flagship suite" in first class of the 777
was great (including in reviews here). I was actually surprised to walk into a
cabin that seemed anything but new. From the seats, to the carpets, cabin looked
tired, well-worn, with many of the "pods" showing dents and missing bits. The
atmosphere overall felt dilapidated, with crumbs on the floor, and even tape
holding one of the first class pods together! The FA's explained this was
because they were constantly bumping into them with their food trollies. The
seat itself was more comfortable and soft than the new Virgin Upper class
product (though it was shorter). Like Virgin, the lighting situation was
ridiculously poorly designed; if you try to read, you find yourself having to
twist and turn to get into a beam of light. But unlike Virgin, AA offers no
duvet (you get the same flimsy, small blanket you'd get in coach) and no bottom
sheet of any kind, so you're basically sleeping on the same seat hundreds of
thousands of other people have slept on, sat on, etc. Imagine a $14,000 dollar a
night hotel doing this. When I asked an FA about this, she just laughed (albeit
good-naturedly). I only tried AA because a consolidator said they had a
promotion on AA First Class costing less than Virgin's Upper Class. It's amazing
to realize that AAs First class product has now fallen so far below Virgin's
business class one - but, in my opinion, it has. Food and Entertainment were
also below both BA and Virgin standards. AA needs to spend some money and soon,
if it doesn't want to completely give up on the first class market.
|
Score: 3/5
(review by Peter Simon) |
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11 May 2005 |
|
Boeing 767-300
First Class
Simply terrible. we took what American now calls first class to South America
and clearly these were worn and torn US business class seats. The worst feature
for American flights in business and now first class overseas flights is that
the seats are narrow, and the footrest does not rise more than 12 inches - which
ensures you will never get to lie in a comfortable position. I have stopped
flying American overseas and switched to the foreign line carriers. Same price
and much better seating and service. AA has become a third world airlines.
|
Score: 1/5
(review by Joe Kaiser) |
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19 January 2005 |
|
Boeing 767-300
Business Class
Decent recline-probably 150 degree. The leg/footrest rise is insufficient. I
prop my feet a top my 22 inch roll aboard bag but if the seat in front of me is
reclined fully I must move my feet and bag- need the bulkhead to prop my feet
undisturbed. 6 abreast in the narrow cabin means narrower than normal seats and
little elbow room if the adjacent seat is occupied. Non-electronic controls
require one to "sit-up" while pulling recline lever to raise seatback. The 4
seat control levers tend to stick and can require great force to move into the
"action" position-I have struggled with many a stiff lever. Having saved a
bundle by skipping the more expensive to install and maintain electronic
controls, AA does not seem to stay on top of maintaining these seats. I have had
malfunctioning leg/footrests and lumbar supports on many flights.
|
Score: 3/5
(review by Paul Petrakakis) |
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19 January 2005 |
|
Boeing 777
Business Class
London Heathrow to NYC-JFK in Business is no great shakes on AA. The "Techie"
looking business class seating has all the standard features you would expect,
except seat pitch. The seats are too narrow and hard - and just don't recline
far enough. It's time to renew the business class seating.
|
Score: 3/5
(review by Lee Certilmans) |
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11 October 2004 |
|
Boeing 767 First Class
Due to a change of equipment at last minute we were in first class in the 767
London-LA instead of 777. Very disappointing. Hardly better than business.
Although the seat did lay flat you were sharing arm space and leg room with the
person next to you. Definitely not worth the miles or money to upgrade or buy.
|
Score: 3/5
(review by Barbara Summitt) |
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|
1 October 2004 |
|
Boeing 777 Business Class
AA Business seats on the 777 are getting worn and tired. AA hasnt changed their
service in years and its way past due. As an executive platinum I never have a
"bad" experience, but the wear and tear is noticable clearly. Poor habits of the
FA's is not to offer drinks when you sit. Sometimes coach gets them first. The
seat is large and spacious, no longer smells of leather. Many are torn with pen
marks, and windows seldom clean.
|
Score: 3/5
(review by John Connolly) |
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11 March 2004 |
|
Boeing 777 First Class
Seat is uncomfortable in its locked takeoff and landing position. Wonderful to
lay back in and watch a movie or read, nice as a lay flat seat. Avoid the last
row in first, noisy flight attendants from Business make it hard to sleep.
|
Score: 3/5
(review by David Ruppell) |
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30 December 2003 |
|
Boeing 777 First Class
American's 777 Executive Suite seats are incredibly spacious as well as
comfortable. Travelling alone ? Get a window seat, and swivel to the window to
watch the world fly by!
|
Score: 5/5
(review by Ray Sorin) |
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Reviews
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