American Airlines A321XLR Flagship Suites business class from JFK-LAX

Quick take: Passengers will soon start seeing these suite-style seats on more transcontinental and transatlantic routes. Hopefully, the doors will be operational by then.

Pros

• There’s more privacy than in American Airlines’ older transcontinental business-class seats.
• They have excellent entertainment systems.
• The cost to upgrade isn’t prohibitive.

Cons

• Hopefully, the privacy doors will be certified to close soon.
• You have to be somewhat of a contortionist to look out the window.
• Award tickets can be pricey.

American Airlines is in the midst of a major glow-up. The airline introduced new Flagship Suites business class in May 2025 aboard select Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners. This addition includes the even more exclusive Flagship Suite Preferred seats, which are sort of like a “first class light” option.

Then, the airline unveiled a pared-down version of these suites aboard its new Airbus A321XLR aircraft back in December. These planes are meant to replace some of the airline’s older A321s and operate American’s premium transcontinental routes from New York City’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), as well as from JFK to San Francisco International Airport (SFO). Additionally, they fly on select transatlantic routes, such as JFK to Edinburgh Airport (EDI).

On my own recent flight from New York City to Los Angeles, I was able to upgrade my economy seat to one of the new Flagship Suites by paying cash. Here’s how I booked it and what the experience was like.

How much does it cost to book American Airlines’ Flagship Suites?

The cost of an American Airlines Flagship Suites business-class ticket will, of course, depend on the route and dates of travel.

For my one-way ticket from New York City to LA, American Airlines would have charged $1,866, or 149,500 AAdvantage miles plus $5.60 to purchase the ticket outright.

However, I had purchased a coach ticket for around $350, and when I checked my itinerary five days before my trip, I received an upgrade offer for just $885 or 96,900 AAdvantage miles. That’s still a chunk of change, but amounted to a $631 discount over the paid airfare.

My outbound flight from LA to New York City was on one of the airline’s A321Ts with the older business- and first-class seats. These are all lie-flat seats, and there are 20 in business class in a side-by-side 2-2 configuration; there are just 10 in first class with a 1-1 configuration (and these seats look like the airline’s reverse-herringbone international business-class seats).

On that flight, my ticket also cost around $350, but my upgrade offers were $1,200 (131,000 miles) to business class and $1,319 (144,400 miles) to first class, even though these seats are much older.

I decided to splurge on the Flagship Suites for my return, not just to take advantage of the lower price point, but also to try the new suites for myself. I spent the cash since the value of my miles would have amounted to around 0.9 cents apiece — well below TPG’s August 2026 valuation of AAdvantage miles.

If you do want to try booking these seats as an award, you can stock up on American AAdvantage miles by applying for one of the following cards:

The information for the AAdvantage Platinum Select has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Related: Is it worth buying up to American Airlines’ Flagship Suites Preferred business class?

Checking into and boarding American Airlines business class

The table below shows the priority services and amenities American Airlines transcontinental business-class passengers receive.

My flight departed JFK Terminal 8, where a lot of the Oneworld carriers operate from. Although my business-class boarding pass listed “FC” for “first class,” it did not give me access to American Airlines’ private first-class check-in area.

However, I could use the business-class priority check-in area reserved for American Airlines and British Airways business-class passengers, as well as those with Oneworld Ruby and Emerald status.

My ticket allowed me into American Airlines’ Greenwich Lounge near Gate 12. This was about a 10-minute walk from my departure gate, but quite close to the security checkpoint. It is open to folks flying a qualifying international or transcontinental itinerary, as well as to Hawaii in Flagship business class. It’s also open to AAdvantage Platinum and Alaska Atmos Gold members (and above) on qualifying flights on American or Oneworld partners.

I’ll skip the details since we’ve covered the lounge many times before, but if you’re looking for a quiet spot with elevated service within the lounge, I’d suggest The Tasting Room area.

This is in the former Flagship First Dining room, and you can try several beers on tap and order tasty small plates like chicken tinga tacos with cilantro lime crema and a delicious-looking burger with cheddar and chips.

My flight was delayed about 90 minutes since the inbound flight from Edinburgh was late. However, the ground and flight crews actually shaved about 30 minutes off the delay with a quick turnaround, so we only ended up boarding about 60 minutes late.

The aircraft only has 155 seats, which meant boarding went quickly, and we made it to LA only about 40 minutes behind schedule.

Related: The best credit cards for airport lounge access

How comfortable is American Airlines Flagship Suites business class?

American Airlines’ new A321XLRs have an interesting, premium-heavy configuration. The business-class cabin up front has 20 suite-style, business-class seats arranged in 10 rows of a 1-1 configuration.

Behind that is a small premium economy section with just 12 seats arranged in a 2-2 pattern across three rows.

Finally, the economy cabin has 123 seats in a 3-3 pattern. Of these, the first two rows comprising 12 seats are Main Cabin Extra spots.

Below is a quick look at the layout and dimensions of the Flagship Suites business-class cabin.

For comparison’s sake, American Airlines’ A321T jets that typically fly premium transcontinental routes have 10 first-class seats in five rows of a 1-1 configuration, 20 business-class seats in a 2-2 configuration across five rows and 72 economy seats, with 36 of those being Main Cabin Extra. So the new jet represents a real shift in the number and types of seats.

The new A321XLR Flagship Suites resemble the new Flagship Suites aboard American’s 787-9s, but with some significant differences.

They sport the same updated American Airlines premium color scheme, with gray upholstery and accents, caramel leather headrests and blond faux-wood paneling. I especially like the silvery embroidered airline logo on the adjustable headrest.

Unlike the 787-9 suites, though, these are arranged in a herringbone style angled toward the aisle so the seatback is against the cabin wall and the footrest is closer to the center of the cabin.

If these look familiar, it’s because they’re a similar style of seat to those used by other airlines in their A321LR and XLR business-class cabins; this includes Air Canada, Iberia and JetBlue, which notably flies these jets on its own transcontinental and transatlantic routes.

Some folks complain this orientation makes it hard to look out the window without contorting yourself, while others quibble that it forces you to look across the aisle at other passengers.

While I did find it difficult to enjoy the outside view, I only caught fleeting glances at the person across the aisle’s feet. Although these suites do have doors, they were not yet certified to be closed during flight when I flew. That is changing at the moment, so passengers should enjoy a lot more privacy soon.

I measured the seat shells and their doors at 51 inches above the ground, so once cocooned inside, you should be shielded from most aisle activity. The opening between the back of the door and the front of the seat shell is 17 inches, making it easy to get in and out of the seat. That’s a generous space compared to the gap some other suite-style seats provide.

The chair was 21 inches wide at the hips, and in full lie-flat mode, it reclined to a 74-inch bed.

There was a set of buttons along the armrest that I could use to manipulate individual components of the seat as well as preset options for takeoff and landing, dining, lounging and sleeping.

Across from the seat, the footrest was 16 inches wide by 14 inches deep and 13 inches tall, so it was comfortable for my feet when I was resting.

One small armrest could be rotated up and down to one side of the chair. Another wider but shorter one could be pulled up from the other side, then stowed back in place to provide more elbow room.

Below this, I found the wireless charging pad, which seemed to work well with my iPhone 17 Pro, even in its Magsafe case.

The bifold tray table flipped down from the side closest to the preceding row and measured 20 inches wide by 14.5 inches deep. I heard another passenger complain that his table was sagging, but mine felt sturdy whether I was eating or typing, so perhaps it was an individual maintenance issue.

Along the other side of the seat, there was a wide armrest with a faux-wood surface and a round, illuminated faux-marble cocktail table, which felt like an upscale touch. I found a universal power plug, a USB-C port, and a corded remote for the entertainment screen, all on the side table.

Above it, there was a hook for hanging provided headphones and a rack for the safety pamphlet and the food menu.

The seat did not have a ton of storage. There was a small red cubby just next to the seat for little personal items and a tray-size space along the other side that fit my Macbook Air, so I could keep it nearby to work (though I was worried about leaving it there while changing seat positions).

There was also a water bottle holder, but that was pretty much it. The seat also had a mirror that flipped out from the side of the shell and, next to that, a small flip-out reading light.

From the pictures, I thought the seat might feel a little narrow, but once I was ensconced in it, it felt roomy and private. I’d like to experience it again once the doors are operational.

One drawback of the plane’s configuration is that there is only a single lavatory at the front of business class for all 20 passengers and crew. So, as you might imagine, it was rarely empty. I did manage to get in there once, but the other two times I needed the loo, I had to hightail it all the way to the back of the plane, where there were three more restrooms.

Related: American Airlines unveils premium new Airbus A321XLR with Flagship Suites

Amenities in American Airlines business class

When I boarded, I found a bed set in a bag containing a lightweight duvet and a full-size pillow from Re-Thread by John Horsfall. I stowed mine in the overhead until I was ready to make up the bed.

I also found a small World Cup-themed amenity kit waiting for me, which contained:

• A dental kit
• Ear plugs
• An eye mask
• Socks
• Joanna Vargas lip balm and hand and body lotion

My favorite American Airlines business-class amenity was also waiting at the seat: A pair of noise-canceling Bang & Olufsen headphones, which you can use gate-to-gate rather than having to hand in before landing.

The seat’s entertainment screen was housed in the forward seat shell and could be flipped out during flight, then adjusted up or down for better viewing, depending on whether you were seated or reclined. This was a nice, ergonomic feature.

I’d heard some complaints that this, coupled with the tray table’s position right below it, could impede meal service, but the crew on my flight seemed to have no trouble maneuvering around it.

I measured the touchscreen to be 17 inches diagonally, and it was stocked with plenty of recent television shows and movies, including “Avatar: Fire and Ash” and “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.”

American offers free Wi-Fi to AAdvantage members. You just have to connect to the network, pull up aainflight.com, then enter your membership credentials and then watch a minute of ads. I found the process to be quick and painless, and the internet worked well throughout my flight.

Related: American Airlines is bringing its new Flagship Suites to another plane

How was the food in American Airlines business class?

Although boarding was hasty given our delay, the flight attendants in business class still found time to come by with a selection of Champagne, orange juice and water. Then, they handed out menus and took drink orders while they prepared the inflight meal.

Inflight drinks service started about 20 minutes after we hit cruise altitude, and dinner started 15 minutes after that.

We were served both a small plate of citrus-poached shrimp and fish ceviche as well as a seasonal green salad with strawberries and goat cheese. The salad was fresh and light, but the seafood in the ceviche was tough, so I didn’t eat much of it.

American Airlines lets business- and first-class passengers preorder meals between 30 days and 20 hours in advance, so for my main, I had selected a vegetable-grain bowl with lentils, roasted veggies, mushrooms, green beans and garlic dressing with salmon available as a topper. It felt very fresh, healthy and filling — just what I wanted during a full travel day.

The other choices included:

• Seared salmon with pesto cream sauce and quinoa
• Grilled chicken with mashed red potatoes, spinach and chive beurre blanc sauce
• Truffled ricotta ravioli
• Beef filet with demi-glaze, truffled mashed potatoes and grilled zucchini
• A fruit and cheese platter

There were also two preorder-exclusive entrees celebrating the airline’s centennial with a historical theme:

• Chicken Florentine roulade with spinach and mozzarella in mushroom sauce, accompanied by prawn cocktail and a Waldorf salad
• Beef Wellington with veggies and bearnaise sauce, along with the same accompaniments

As intrigued as I was by the beef Wellington, I couldn’t bring myself to order such a heavy meal. After the main meal service, the choice of desserts included:

• Pecan tart with vanilla ice cream (another centennial dish)
• A gourmet cheese platter
• Traditional ice cream sundae with a choice of toppings

After my grain bowl, I couldn’t resist the temptation and asked for a fully loaded sundae, but restrained myself to just a few bites.

The airline was serving a small but nice selection of wines, including:

• Castelnau Brut Champagne
• Migration chardonnay from Sonoma, California
• Pfaffl Vom Haus Gruner Veltliner from Austria
• Justin cabernet sauvignon from Paso Robles, California
• Castello di Verrazzano Rosso Verrazzano from Tuscany

There was also a selection of spirits (plenty of whiskies, in particular), beer, soda, juice, water, tea and Lavazza coffees to choose from.

About 45 minutes before landing, the flight attendants warmed up chocolate-chip cookies and passed them out. It was just the right pick-me-up before we started our descent. It was also a final chance to thank the two flight attendants taking care of the cabin, who were among the friendliest, most courteous I’ve met on American Airlines.

Despite our delay, they helped folks board quickly, get settled into their new seats (which they took time to explain), served meals quickly, and generally seemed to enjoy chatting with passengers about their travels.

Would you recommend American Airlines Flagship Suites business class?

Sometimes new things feel different — too different for folks to adjust to quickly. I had heard from some passengers who had flown these suites that they preferred American’s older versions or those on American’s wide-body planes. While I understand that the familiar is often comfortable, I enjoyed the new Flagship Suites experience overall.

It certainly beats the older A321T business class, which feels very outdated at this point, with its 2-2 layout. I do understand some folks’ aversion to the new suites’ herringbone layout since it forces you to face the aisle and makes it hard to enjoy the view out the window.

But the seats’ privacy and all-new technology — including bigger, fancier screens, wireless charging pads that actually work and, miracle of miracles, an actual USB-C port so I didn’t have to use a toggle adapter for my phone (which I inevitably leave behind on the plane) — were all welcome evolutions.

While it’s not often in my budget to buy up to business class, if I see any similar offers on a transcontinental flight, or if I find myself on one of the A321XLR’s transatlantic routes, I’d like to test drive these seats again. I especially want to try them when the privacy doors are working.

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