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AA and International First Class

I saw a newsfeed article saying that American was going to be phasing out their first class seats on international flights. The reason was quoting an official who said that customers were preferring business class, and taking out first class would let them add more business seats. I cant confirm or link to anything, but thought it was worth sharing.

Posted by
2267 posts

It's really only a loss for AA employees, who often got to non-rev upfront because no one was actually paying for it.

Posted by
5239 posts

I think they'll find that people do prefer first class but they prefer paying for business. I'll take first class over business every time but if the price isn't right then I'll opt for business and then check the upgrade offer until it reaches a price that I consider right.

I like BA's first offering however my last flight to and from Barbados was lacking in service, it didn't match the level that I'd experienced previously. Next month I'll be trying out BA's new business class on my flight to Phoenix. There's no first class on that flight presumably because it wasn't popular enough however the new business class has done away with the 2-4-2 configuration and each seat is in an enclosed suite with a closing door and no having to climb over your neighbour. It looks almost as good as a first class seat so I'll be interested in seeing how it compares and also the food, wine and service. It may be that BA plans to follow the route that AA is taking.

Posted by
14809 posts

This doesn't surprise me. I fly AA biz class often on international flights. A few times I've been upgraded. Except for better seats, the service in both classes was very similar. Not really worth the difference in price.

Posted by
2267 posts

JC: BA's first class has long been joking, dismissively referred to as "the best business class" in the skys. Even then, it's a much more whole product, offered across far more of their fleet than AA's is. (AA has international first on only its 77W's- less than 20% of it's widebody fleet.)

Posted by
8258 posts

First class has already been eliminated on several long haul routes for years. I doubt this will have a large impact on the average traveler.

Posted by
5239 posts

JC: BA's first class has long been joking, dismissively referred to as "the best business class" in the skys.

I know but sometimes I find that derision a bit too harsh. Sure, they've not got a patch on the Middle Eastern carriers but if I'm flying transatlantic I'm pretty much confined to BA or Virgin. I like Virgin's Upper Class and their lounge at Heathrow is superb but their routes are pretty sparse and I'm not flying Delta so BA is often my only option plus I'm tied in to their loyalty program.

They have declined over the years though and if I'm flying eastbound longhaul then I'm more prepared to look at other airlines however direct flights are one of the most important factors in my decision and as much as I like Emirates or Qatar I'm not interested in a layover in Dubai or Doha so I usually end up with BA.