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Just last week American finally opened up reservations on its new route between Los Angeles and Beijing scheduled to start on 5 November and, just like with its routes to Beijing out of Chicago and Dallas, the airline scheduled a 787-8 Dreamliner to operate the route out of LA.
Now, in the latest routes update, American Airlines has scheduled a 787-9 Dreamliner to operate the Los Angeles Beijing route from 25 March 2018.
As well as the aircraft, the schedule will be changing slightly too.
For the winter season the Los Angeles – Beijing route will run on the following schedule….
AA181 LAX 10:55 – 16:20+1 day PEK (Daily 787-8 service)
AA180 PEK 18:30 – 15:15 LAX (Daily 787-8 service)
…..while, from 25 March 2018, the schedule looks like this:
AA181 LAX 10:15 – 14:15+1 day PEK (Daily 787-9 service)
AA180 PEK 17:30 – 14:45 LAX (Daily 787-9 service)
[HT: Routes Online]
So What Does This Mean In Practice?
The 787-9 can be thought of as the stretch version of the Dreamliner and American has used this fact to set out the cabins in the longer aircraft in a very different way to what you’ll find in the 787-8 variant.
The principle differences:
- The 787-9 offers 2 more Business Class seats than the 787-8
- The 787-9 offers a different Business Class seat to the 787-8.
While the 787-8 Dreamliner offers seats that alternate between forward and backward facing….
American Airlines 787-8 Business Class Cabin
American Airlines 787-8 Business Class Seat
…the 787-9 has all its Business Class seats facing forwards….
American Airlines 787-9 Business Class Cabin
and it offers a slightly different and, in my opinion, better seat:
American Airlines 787-9 Business Class Seat
- The 787-9 offers 19 fewer Main Cabin Extra seats compared to the 787-8
- The 787-9 offers American’s new premium Economy cabin with 21 seats in a 2-3-2 layout.
American Airlines 787-9 Premium Economy Cabin
What this all means is that, with two extra Business Class seats during the summer season, upgrades may be marginally easier to clear and there’s an outside chance seeing the rare beast that is the American Airlines Business Class SAAver Award (but don’t hold your breath).
More importantly the summer season will offer a Premium Economy option which should be of use to those who hate the ultra-confined feel of the Dreamliner’s Economy Class cabin (31″ of seat pitch and 17″ of seat width should be illegal) but who also don’t wish to pay for Business Class.
On the negative side, with 19 fewer Main Cabin Extra seats on offer, there will be noticeably more competition for the Economy Class seats that, with 33″ of seat pitch and 18″ of seat width, can =make a long flight slightly more bearable.
What Does Premium Economy Offer?
American Airlines 787-9 Premium Economy Seats
The Premium Economy seats offer 38″ of seat pitch (legroom) and 19″ of seat width and provide a considerably more comfortable flight than the veal calf section a few rows further back.
Passengers booked into American Airline Premium Economy also get;
- Priority Check-In & Boarding
- Noise Reducing Headphones
- Mini-Amenity Kits
- An Enhanced Meal Service
I’ve tried out American’s Premium Economy cabin between Madrid and Dallas (I must get around to writing that review!) and, while it really wasn’t anything to get excited about, it was noticeably better than the offering and service in Economy Class.
Pricing
Right now American Airlines appears to be offering Premium Economy Fares to Beijing from around $1,245….
….and Economy Class fares from around $745:
While that’s quite a mark up (percentage-wise) I would probably pay it if I had to fly this route – Economy Class on the Dreamliners really isn’t something most will enjoy…or probably wish to experience too often.
Aslo, when you consider that American and other airlines offering a non-stop service are selling Business Class on this route for over $3,500….
….Premium Economy looks like a reasonable deal….which is probably exactly why American has priced the fares this way.
Bottom Line
How you view the 787-9 Dreamliner will depend on your travel plans.
If you’re happy to pay for Business Class, if you’re happy to have a Premium Economy option, or if you’re hoping to upgrade into Business Class you’ll probably like this aircraft change (as long as American doesn’t change the upgrade rules before next year).
If, on the other hand, you’re in the unfortunate position of having to book tickets last minute and having to book into Economy Class this aircraft swap isn’t going to be good news for you – with significantly fewer main Cabin Extra seats on the 787-9 you’re likely to find it harder to snag one of the less terrible Economy Class seats on the aircraft.
