American Airlines to expand premium seating and upgrade narrowbody fleet

American Airlines has announced a major investment to overhaul its narrowbody fleet, focusing on expanding premium seating and upgrading inflight technology. The airline aims to increase the proportion of premium and Main Cabin Extra seats from approximately 25 percent to 40 percent across its single-aisle aircraft in the coming years.

To achieve this, the company is retrofitting existing Airbus A319 and A320 fleets to add extra First Class rows and expanding Main Cabin Extra capacity. Future deliveries, such as the Boeing 737 MAX 10 and reconfigured A321neo aircraft, will also feature increased First Class seating.

Inflight entertainment will see a significant upgrade with the installation of 4K seatback screens at every seat. New aircraft deliveries starting in 2028 will feature these displays, while existing planes will be retrofitted through the early 2030s. The updated systems will include Bluetooth audio pairing, USB-C fast charging, and high-speed Starlink satellite Wi-Fi.