American Airlines has unveiled its Next-Generation Business Class today at the National Business Travel Association (NBTA) International Convention & Exposition being held in Chicago.
As part of the airline's ongoing strategy to focus on products and services for its premium passengers, the new Boeing 767-300 Business Class, is designed to give passengers more comfort, flexibility and privacy. It features new, innovative, lie-flat seats in a 2-2-2 configuration, a personal in-flight entertainment system with audio and video on demand, state-of-the-art lighting and ergonomically-designed overhead bins.
Enhancements to American's Boeing 767-300 Business Class are underway at American's Alliance maintenance base in Fort Worth, Texas, with completion scheduled for early 2007, making it one of the fastest installations in the industry. The Boeing 767-300s are operated on many of the airline's transatlantic services, as well as on select routes within the United States and to Latin America. American's 58 Boeing 767-300s serve more than 50 routes to more than 20 cities.
Beginning in 2007, American will also install its new Next-Generation Business Class on its Boeing 777 fleet. At the same time American will install its award-winning Flagship Suite First Class seats on all of its Boeing 777 aircraft that do not currently feature the product, ensuring that customers enjoy the comfort and amenities of this popular seat every time they fly on an
American Airlines Boeing 777 flight. American's Boeing 777s are flown to London, Japan, China, India and to select cities in Latin America as well as other destinations.
American's product specialists, employees and its key supplier, Recaro, a leading expert in aviation seating, used their combined expertise to develop the Next-Generation Business Class. In addition, some of the airline's most-frequent business travellers and flight attendants participated in the research and development of the new seats and other amenities. The result is designed to make the Business Class travel experience more comfortable, productive and customised for each passenger's needs.
"American Airlines continues its emphasis on serving Business Class customers in international travel by unveiling our Next-Generation Business Class, which features a new lie-flat seat that provides more comfort and adjustability," said David Cush, American's Senior Vice President - Global Sales. "Travellers will now have the capability of making this innovative Business Class seat adjust to their personal preferences, as opposed to having to adjust to seats that have only a few positions, which are in use by a number of competing airlines. Our Business Class passengers can now fly more comfortably, work more productively and enjoy the flight with expanded entertainment features and dining options."
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Details on American's Next Generation Business Class
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Ergonomically-Advanced Seat Design.
The new, highly-adjustable, lie-flat seat allows passengers to customise the setting to their personal preference. Passengers can individually adjust any component of the seat, including the seat bottom, seat back, leg extension and leg rest, resulting in infinite flexibility of seat positions. They can select one of the convenient preset positions to sit up, recline or lie flat and then further fine-tune the comfort settings to suit their individual preferences. The seat features a memory setting so that passengers can easily return to a favorite seat position throughout a flight.
Stretch Out and Relax.
The new seat extends to a length of 195.6 centimetres (77 inches). Raise the privacy divider and drop the outer armrest to gain a seat width of 58.4 centimetres (23 inches).
Unique Track Forward Feature.
American's new Next Generation Business Class seat is the only Business Class seat in the industry that has the ability to move forward while in the upright position. This allows customers to move the seat forward so they are offset from their fellow passengers for added privacy and comfort. Tracking forward also allows travellers to move closer to the tray table and powerport.
Industry-First Interlocking Tray Tables.
American, a founding member of the global oneworld® Alliance, now has the only interlocking tray table offering in Business Class. The innovative tray table design has two separate tables - one drops down from the seat back, and a second lifts from the center console. The tables can be used separately or together to create one large work or dining surface.
In-Flight Theatre On Demand.
American's Next Generation In-flight Theatre on 767-300 international flights features a portable entertainment device with a 27 centimetre (10.6-inch) monitor allowing passengers to view it hands-free in the seat back or remove it and place the unit in the best location given their chosen seat position. Customers also receive Bose® QuietComfort® 3 Acoustic Noise Cancelling® headphones to complete their audio or video sound experience. The system offers up to 14 feature films, 10 hours of pre-loaded television and news programs, 50 music CDs, 15 music videos and a variety of games. Inflight entertainment language options include English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, German, Japanese and Chinese.
Fine Food and Wine.
Customers have long enjoyed American's Business Class for the excellent cuisine and award-winning wines. American's Chefs' Conclave has designed culinary fare such as Stephen Pyles' signature cowboy steak with red chili onions and corn-bean ragout and lamb shank with tomato coulis for American's business class menus. Beginning in September, American will introduce additional enhancements to its premium class menus including artisan breads, an antipasto plate and after-dinner chocolates. To complement the meal, American maintains 18 different wine lists that are specially selected for various markets. See www.aa.com/dining for details on American's international food and wines.
Larger Overhead Bins.
Designed to accommodate "wheels first" luggage, the bins are larger and extend lower when open, making storing and retrieving luggage easier.
Connectivity for the Future.
American understands that real-time broadband connectivity is important to its business customers and was the first airline to liberalise its mobile phone policy. As one of the first airlines to introduce global satellite phone service, American will continue to offer this service to its customers on international flights and is actively engaged with suppliers to further enhance the travel experience in the future with real-time broadband connectivity options.
Enhancements that Count.
The hard-shell exteriors of the new seat preserve each passenger's space. Powerports located in the seatback are convenient and easier to access than powerports traditionally located on the floor or under the seat. A hook on the seatback and an amenity kit that doubles as a shoe bag are perfect for keeping personal belongings close at hand. Forward-facing seats and luxurious duvets offer added privacy and warmth inflight. American's professional and attentive flight attendants ensure customers are safe and receive excellent customer service.
ABOUT AMERICAN AIRLINES
American Airlines is the world's largest airline. American, American Eagle and the AmericanConnection® airlines serve 250 cities in over 40 countries with more than 3,900 daily flights. The combined network fleet numbers more than 1,000 aircraft. American's award-winning Web site, www.americanairlines.co.uk, provides users with easy access to check and book fares, plus personalised news, information and travel offers. American Airlines is a founding member of the oneworld® Alliance, which brings together some of the best and biggest names in the airline business, enabling them to offer their customers more services and benefits than any airline can provide on its own. Together, its members serve more than 600 destinations in over 135 countries and territories. American Airlines, Inc. and American Eagle Airlines, Inc. are subsidiaries of AMR Corporation.
Recap of American Airlines European Services
American Airlines 767-300 Routes
Brussels - Chicago (daily), New York/JFK (daily)
Dublin - Chicago (daily summer season, then 5 per week)
Frankfurt - Chicago (daily)
Glasgow - Chicago (summer season)
London LGW - Dallas / Fort Worth (daily)
Madrid - Miami (daily)
Manchester - Chicago (daily), Miami (subject to seasonality)
Paris CDG - Boston (daily summer season), Chicago (daily), Dallas/Fort Worth(daily), Miami (daily), New York/JFK (2 daily)
Rome - Chicago (daily), New York/JFK (daily)
Zurich - Dallas/Fort Worth (daily), New York/JFK (daily)
American Airlines 777 Routes
London LHR - Boston (up to 2 daily), Chicago (5 daily), Los Angeles, (2 daily), Miami (2 daily), New York (6 daily)
London LGW - Dallas/Fort Worth (up to 3 daily, one operated by 767-300), Raleigh/Durham (daily)
Frankfurt - Dallas/Fort Worth (daily)
American Airlines 757 Routes
Shannon - Boston (daily summer season, then 5 per week)
Manchester - Boston (subject to seasonality)
*Currently operated in an all economy configuration
Note: This press release was accurate at the date of issuance. However, information contained in the release may have changed.
If you plan to use the information contained herein for any purpose, verification of its continued accuracy is your responsibility.
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