American Airlines has joined other international carriers by adding a premium-economy cabin to its long-haul fleet.
To create the new cabin on its Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft, the airline will reconfigure the forward cabin, replacing eight business-class seats with 28 premium-economy seats. After the change, the Dreamliner fleet will seat 20 passengers in business class.
The premium-economy product is designed to deliver a noticeably upgraded experience compared with standard economy. Passengers can expect increased legroom, dedicated footrests, larger in-flight entertainment screens, an expanded meal selection, individual amenity kits, plus a set of pillows and blankets for each traveler.
American is also modifying the interiors of some Boeing 777-200 aircraft to accommodate premium economy. On those jets, the carrier plans to remove eight of the existing 13 business-class seats to make space for the new cabin.
At present, premium-economy seats are installed on 67 American Airlines aircraft. The airline intends to expand that number to 124 planes by mid-2019, offering the product primarily on long-haul international routes while excluding shorter regional services such as routes to Mexico.