• American Airlines 777-200 Seating
• American Airlines 777 Seating Chart

Eighteen American Airlines Boeing 777 are in the fleet configured 8F/52J/250Y typically flown from Los Angeles to Sydney & LHR, JFK to Sao Paulo & London Heathrow, and Dallas to Hong Kong, Sao Paulo, LHR, DFW and LAX. 777 For airlines that want to win on the world stage and grow now, the 777 family offers flagship status and more growth potential than the competition, providing a clear path to a successful future. The performance and economics of the 777-300ER are unbeaten, and its range, capability and efficiency help operators maximize profits. American 777-300ER 777-300ERs are American’s flagship aircraft, featuring four classes of service, including international first class. Presumably this plane is being flown to Orlando because that’s where the capacity is indeed, and not because there’s necessarily any premium demand.

American Airlines offers more Premium Economy than almost any other airline in the United States. As one of the first airlines to reconfigure their long-haul fleet, American Airlines Premium Economy is available on nearly every long-haul flight. Premium Economy provides the extra comfort many travelers seek on long segments without the price tag or the lay flat business class experience.

From Dallas to Sao Paulo, the flight experience is similar to any other American Airline flight to Southern South America. Whether you’re flying from Miami to Rio, Santiago or Buenos Aires. Or New York to Brazil, you get the point. American Airlines Premium Economy standard and experience will be similar. The same can be said for long-haul flights to Asia or Europe. Don’t expect a true premium experience, but an upgrade from economy. Premium Economy is similar to domestic first class, but long-haul in this case.

American Airlines Premium Economy Inflight Experience

Somewhere between a lay-flat seat in the front of the plane, and ten abreast in economy, Premium economy finds itself in the middle. On American Airlines’ 777-300ER Premium Economy has 2 seats by each window and 4 in the middle of the plane. With only eight seats across, there’s more room for each passenger than economy. Looking at the seat, it also appears as though American Airlines took their 737 first class seat and plopped it onto the 777.

The American Airlines Premium Economy seat is much more comfortable than economy. Since there’s only 8 seats across each seat is 18.5 inches wide. This is 1.5 inches wider than an economy seat. The arm rests are much wider in Premium. The seats really aren’t much larger, but each passenger can comfortable rest their arms There is no fighting for arm rests in Premium. The legroom is plentiful in premium economy, each seat offers 38 inches of pitch. That is 7 inches more than economy. To round it out, there’s also a footrest and a larger tv screen with USB power adaptors.

Once on board, each seat offers Casper bedding products. AA Premium Economy provides a large pillow and a light Casper throw blanket at every seat. There is also a State branded amenity kit with the all the basics: Hand lotion, lip balm, eye mask, toothbrush and ear plugs. There are also American Airlines branded semi noise canceling headphones. If you didn’t know better, you’d think you were in business class lite. Or domestic First.

AA Premium Economy Meals

Meal service onboard is also a step above economy. Meal service includes a printed meal card with a couple of meal options. I honestly am not sure if the meal is really any better than economy, but it is presented is a better way. Every passenger enjoys complimentary beverages and a hot meal with real china. AA claims meals are upgraded, but they really are pretty basic.

Dinner service first started with a drink. In a plastic cup, and then dinner was served. Dinner options are provided, and all alcohol is free. This is a step above just free beer or wine in economy. The entire meal is on one tray. Dinner service was completed within the first 90 minutes of the flight. Flight attendants working Premium economy cabin also worked the main cabin. Yet, I found them to be friendly and checked on refills often.

Between meals in the galley there is a light snack basket. Drink refills are also never a problem. Whenever I needed a refill of my wine someone was there to refill it. The wine was honestly not that great, but then again Vivino only gives it 2.6 stars. Pretty poor for a $10 wine. Thankfully beer and hard alcohol is also free!

Before landing in Brazil there is a second light meal service. This meal is basic and includes fresh fruit, a croissant, and yogurt. About 90 minutes before landing, breakfast is optional. I would recommend sleeping through this meal if you can. As it’s pretty basic.

Is American Airlines Premium Economy Worth It?

This is going to be up to the individual flyer. Some people want more space and more amenities without the price of business class. In this case Premium Economy is worth it. Think of Premium Economy as domestic First Class. Are you willing to pay an extra few hundred dollars for slightly better service? If so, then yes American Airlines Premium Economy is worth it. It’s no AA First Class, but it’s an upgrade!

American Airlines has done a good job finding a happy medium between Economy and Business Class. By adding domestic First Class seats and offering it on long-haul flights, there is now a good middle ground between Coach and Business. Is the experience amazing, no. Is it better than Economy. Absolutely! There’s nothing special about the ground experience, but the inflight experience is a step above.

If you want a slightly better inflight experience with more room, free booze, and slightly better meal. Premium Economy is worth ever cent. I would be willing to pay a few hundred extra dollars for this, but not a grand more.

Looking for a comfortable business class flight over the Atlantic? Within Oneworld alliance, American Airlines 777-200 between London Heathrow (LHR) and New York (JFK) is one of the best candidates.

American Airlines Boeing 777-200 Business Class Details

Cabin and seat

Boarding started precisely on time and was completed relatively smoothly. Flight attendants gave a quick greeting on a door, nothing special there.

American Airlines B777-200 seat configuration is 1-2-1, kind of “ying-yang,” but you don’t have to stare fellow passenger straight in the face. Every seat has aisle access, but they still offer relatively decent privacy. In my opinion, privacy-wise the seat is better than Finnair A350 or Qatar A380.

The seat, manufactured by Zodiac Aerospace, is relatively comfortable, but in my opinion, it wasn’t as good as American Airlines A321T. One problem is the seat length on the sleep mode, which is not enough if you are taller than 190 centimeters. Especially the foot area was too tight.

The Cole Haan amenity kit was placed on a seat as well as a puffy Casper pillow and a blanket. There was also a bottle of water, which is a nice touch.

American Airlines 777-200 Seating

There is a separate touch screen controller for adjusting the seat.

There has been a lot of discussion about the vibration issue of the Zodiac seats, but it didn’t really bother me during this flight. I noticed the seat shake a couple of times – but it wasn’t too bothersome.

Best seats

For single passengers, the window seats are the best bet. If you are concerned about the vibration issue, try to book seat 1A, 7A, 7L, 12A, or 12L, which are disconnected from other seats. Based on my experience, I’d avoid the seats next to the galley, since flight attendants were really loud during the flight.

Middle seats are a good option if you are traveling with a partner.

IFE and amenities

American Airlines 777 Seating Chart

Excellent Bose QuietComfort 15 acoustic noise-canceling headphones, an unofficial trademark of American Airlines, were delivered before the departure.

The charging options were excellent, two power plugs and two USB ports.

The TV series and movie selection were almost identical to American Airlines A321 Transcon – so enough entertainment for 6-7 hour flight.

15-inch foldable IFE screen was decent, not as good as on A321T but definitely better than for example Finnair A330.

Cole Haan Amenity kit contained an extensive set of supplies; there was a tissue, mouthwash, headphone covers, socks, eye shades, ear plugs, pen and a “refreshing travel kit” by C.O. Bigelow.

Food, drinks and service

Water, orange juice, and Champagne were offered before the take-off. Once again I opted for Champagne – which on this flight was Lanson Black Label Brut.

Dinner service started with a plate of nuts and some more refreshments. For the main course, there were four options on the menu. I ended up choosing the Bourbon-Glazed Salmon with fig and roasted pepper orzo.

The whole dinner was served at the same time, as you can see from the photo below.

Starter and the small plate were fresh and tasty, but unfortunately, the salmon was too dry for my taste and lacked flavor

In my case, the highlight of the dinner was the dessert – Häagen-Dazs Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream, VERY delicious.

Before landing in London Heathrow, a small breakfast was offered. Since I wasn’t too hungry, I chose the healthier option, the fresh fruit bowl.

Outside the dining period, the service was not anything special or attentive; no extra effort was made. The more significant problem was flight attendants’ loud chatter in the galley area during the night hours. I was forced to use the earplugs, which are generally not needed.

Conclusion

• Pretty comfortable seat…
• …but not the best one for sleeping (if you are taller than 190 cm)
• Decent food options, delicious ice cream
• Good movie selection
• Excellent headphones
• Loud flight attendants focused more on talking than serving customers

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