American Airlines will stop selling first class on its Boeing 777-300ER aircraft starting November 19, 2026, marking the end of the carrier’s last true premium cabin offering as it retrofits the fleet with expanded business-class seating. The airline is also eliminating first class on its Airbus A321T aircraft beginning March 28, 2027, according to an announcement from the company’s newsroom.
The 777-300ER retrofit replaces eight first-class seats with 70 Flagship Suite business-class seats featuring privacy doors and lie-flat configurations. The reconfigured aircraft will carry 144 total premium seats, including 44 premium economy and 30 extra legroom seats in the main cabin, offering what American calls the most premium seats of any U.S. carrier configuration.
American’s decision reflects a broader industry trend toward business class over first class. On heavily trafficked transatlantic routes, a business-class cabin can now generate nearly as much revenue as an entire economy cabin while occupying significantly less space and delivering higher profit margins, according to McKinsey research published in June 2026. First class, by contrast, generates less revenue per square foot than business class, making it less attractive to airlines managing tight cabin configurations.
The shift has been accelerating across the industry. Since 2020, the number of scheduled business and first-class seats on domestic flights has grown 27 percent—nearly three times higher than economy seat growth of 10 percent over the same period, according to data cited in the McKinsey analysis. Business-class and first-class cabins combined accounted for a growing share of total revenue from 2019 to 2025, even as they represented a smaller percentage of seats.
American first announced plans to phase out first class in 2022, but the original timeline slipped. The airline’s first retrofitted 777-300ER entered commercial service on September 2, 2026, flying from New York to Buenos Aires. American expects to retrofit all 20 of its 777-300ERs by some point in 2027, with the entire fleet conversion completed by late 2027.
For travelers, the change means the end of American’s Flagship First product, which offered eight seats in a 1-2-1 configuration on 777s. However, American is converting its Flagship First Dining facilities—premium restaurant-style lounges previously reserved for first-class passengers—into Flagship Dining, which will be available to all business-class customers beginning September 15, 2026. The airline has also expanded snack and beverage offerings as part of its broader premium cabin improvements.
American is the only major U.S. airline to have offered a true international first-class product. Delta, United, and other carriers eliminated comparable cabins years ago, opting instead to maximize business-class seat counts. The move leaves American’s premium strategy aligned with industry-wide priorities: maximizing revenue per square foot in the front of the plane while simplifying cabin management for operations teams.
Sources
- American Airlines Newsroom — official announcement of 777-300ER retrofit with Flagship Suite business class and elimination of first-class sales starting November 19, 2026
- One Mile at a Time — detailed timeline and cabin configuration details for 777-300ER and A321T first-class elimination
- McKinsey & Company — June 2026 analysis of premium cabin profitability, showing business-class revenue nearly equals economy revenue on transatlantic routes while using far less space
- Wall Street Journal (cited in McKinsey) — data on 27 percent growth in business and first-class seats domestically since 2020 versus 10 percent growth in economy seats
