Suite dreams
As American Airlines and United Airlines prepare to slug it out in the premium cabin sector, Chris Sloan analyses both airlines’ new products and their deployment
The gloves are off in a US premium cabin showdown between American Airlines and United Airlines, slugging it out seat by seat and suite by suite, in a no-holds-barred battle to dominate the skies – and the margins. Their weapons of choice are two reimagined, premium-heavy Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners. American’s is already flying, while United’s enters the ring later this year with the delivery of its first aircraft. Both represent the sharpest turn yet in the race to capture high-value travellers.
US carriers are not renowned for their premium cabins and in-flight service, both of which are not yet on a par with leading global airlines such as Air France, All Nippon Airways, Cathay Pacific, Emirates, Etihad Airways, Japan Airlines, Qatar Airways and Singapore Airlines. However, the debut of American’s Flagship Suite and United’s Polaris Studio – particularly the latter – represent a meaningful step forward, signalling a renewed commitment by US carriers to raise the premium experience beyond the seat and towards something more globally competitive.
Flagship vs Elevate
While corporate travel still lags at pre-pandemic levels, premium leisure and blended ‘bleisure’ trips have driven airlines to chase higher-margin seats, particularly on international routes. US carriers are shifting long-haul widebody fleets toward premium-heavy configurations that can compete with international carriers for comfort, privacy and service. American and United have emerged as the two most aggressive players in this shift, launching dramatically reconfigured Dreamliners representing a generational upgrade. This is the first major cabin update for both since United introduced Polaris in 2017 and American inaugurated its current long-haul and transcontinental products in 2013 and 2014 respectively. Both carriers are leaning into the new Business Plus category pioneered by Virgin Atlantic and JetBlue Mint. The most significant change is that both have joined the closing doors fray – a trend becoming the new standard for premium carriers.