American Airlines Introduces Next Generation Business Class

FORT WORTH, Texas, July 17 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- American Airlines takes another step toward increasing its leadership position in international travel with the official unveiling of the airline's Next Generation Business Class today at the National Business Travel Association (NBTA) International Convention & Exposition being held in Chicago. The new 767-300 Business Class is designed to give passengers more comfort, flexibility and privacy. It features new, innovative, lie-flat seats, a personal in-flight entertainment system with audio and video on demand, state-of-the-art lighting and ergonomically-designed overhead bins.

In addition, as part of American's ongoing strategy to focus on key products and services for its premium class passengers, American will install its new Next Generation Business Class on its Boeing 777 fleet beginning in 2007. Also in 2007, based on rave reviews from First Class customers on the 777 Flagship Suite, American will also install the Flagship Suites on the remaining 777s that do not currently feature the product to ensure customers will have this popular product every time they fly on an American Airlines 777 flight. American's 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 new seats and other cabin enhancements. In addition, some of the airline's most-frequent business travelers and flight attendants participated in the research and development of the new seats and other amenities. The result is the Next Generation Business Class, designed to make the Business Class travel experience more comfortable, productive and customized 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. "Travelers 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."

Cush added that, compared to some other major airlines, the new Next Generation Business Class gives customers in Chicago and throughout the Midwest a superior Business Class product.

"Chicago is home to our international gateway, where American and its regional partner, American Eagle, offer nonstop service to 22 international destinations including Shanghai, Delhi, Tokyo, London, Paris and Mexico," Cush said.

The new product reflects American's ongoing strategy of competing for leisure travelers while investing in and maintaining a strong focus on enhancing products and services for premium class customers. 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 most of the airline's transatlantic services, as well as on select routes within the United States and to Latin America. American's 58 767-300s serve more than 50 routes to more than 20 cities.

Details on American's Next Generation Business Class

Ergonomically-Advanced Seat Design. The new, highly-adjustable, lie-flat seat allows passengers to customize 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 77 inches. Raise the privacy divider and drop the outer armrest to gain a seat width of 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 travelers to move closer to the tray table and powerport.

Industry-First Interlocking Tray Tables. American, a founding member of the global oneworld(R) 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 Theater on 767-300 international flights features a portable entertainment device with a 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(R) QuietComfort(R) 3 Acoustic Noise Cancelling(R) 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 vary by market and aircraft and can 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 http://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 liberalize its cell 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 flown with widebody aircraft 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.

Editor's Note: Fact sheets and images are available below. Fact Sheets * Business Class Cabin http://www.aa.com/content/images/amrcorp/biznextgencabin.pdf * Quotes http://www.aa.com/content/images/amrcorp/biznextgenquotes.pdf * Business Market http://www.aa.com/content/images/amrcorp/biztravelermarket.pdf Images http://www.aa.com/content/images/amrcorp/bizentertainment.jpg http://www.aa.com/content/images/amrcorp/bizinterlockingtray.jpg http://www.aa.com/content/images/amrcorp/bizseatlyingdown.jpg http://www.aa.com/content/images/amrcorp/bizusingtray.jpg Video available from satellite. Satellite Feed Details: Date: July 17, 2006 (Monday) Time: 13:30-13:45 ET Satellite: Intelsat A-6 (C) Uplink Freq: 6225 Horizontal Transponder: 15 Downlink Freq: 4000 Vertical Orbital Slot: 93 Degrees WL Audio: 6.2 & 6.8 Bandwidth: 36 MHz

The video and sound bites are available on the Post Asylum web page -- http://www.postasylum.com/approval/aabiz.htm. The full stream video is provided in 2 formats, MPEG-2 and QuickTime, and in a Windows Media low resolution viewing version. Online press kit available at http://www.aa.com/content/amrcorp/pressreleases/2006_07/17_bizclass.jhtml as of 10:00 a.m.

About American Airlines

American Airlines is the world's largest airline. American, American Eagle and the AmericanConnection(R) 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, AA.com, provides users with easy access to check and book fares, plus personalized news, information and travel offers. American Airlines is a founding member of the oneworld(R) 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. AmericanAirlines, American Eagle, AmericanConnection, AA.com and Admirals Club are registered trademarks of American Airlines, Inc.

AmericanAirlines(R) We know why you fly(SM) Current AMR Corp. releases can be accessed on the Internet. The address is http://www.aa.com