AA Makes $20 Million Investment in Aircraft Flying Transcons

[DAL767-400ER]

http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/061213/daw009.html?.v=86

FORT WORTH, Texas, Dec. 13 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- American Airlines today announced plans to invest $20 million in upgrades on its entire fleet of Boeing 767-200 aircraft. The upgrade includes updated First and Business Class seats, a lighter and brighter cabin interior, and new audio and videoon-demand personal entertainment devices in First and Business Class. The upgrade also includes an additional First Class seat, increasing the number of First Class Seats from 9 to 10 on each aircraft.

...

Customers will begin seeing the enhancements as early as summer 2007. The upgrade will be implemented in a phased approach, beginning with new inflight entertainment and updated interiors and will be followed by:



* Upgraded, fully motorized seats in the First Class cabin -- offering
customers greater seat flexibility to assure comfort.
* The addition of one First Class seat per aircraft, made possible by
utilizing currently unused space and additional space made available
by the installation of the new and smaller digital inflight
entertainment system. American will gain almost 11,000 additional
First Class seats annually in the New York to Los Angeles and New York
to San Francisco transcontinental markets.
* Updated interior throughout the aircraft for a lighter and brighter
look including new upholstery, carpeting and lighter "basket-weave"
sidewalls.

Seems like UA's p.s. service has made an impact on AA that lead them to this move.

[uy707]

Not a waste of money for sure. Some improvements were getting long overdue. Interesting : the airline may have embarked on a long series of moves to repostion itself as a top end player.
Alain

[FlyingPhotog]

Only $20 million? I saw somewhere yesterday UA will be spending about $130 million to put first class "suites" on widebodies.

[DAL767-400ER]

Only $20 million? I saw somewhere yesterday UA will be spending about $130 million to put first class "suites" on widebodies.

Slight difference :
AA's 762 transcon fleet: 11 planes
UA's int'l widebody fleet: around 100 planes

[transitfan]

Now if they would only update the pressurization in their 752s to make it easier on my ears :P

[Chris Kilroy]

Now if they would only update the pressurization in their 752s to make it easier on my ears :P

There are a lot of good things about the 757. The pressurization system isn't one of them. It's "not as smooth as it could be," to put it mildly.

Regarding the topic at hand, it's nice to hear of another airline trying to bring the premium market business back to its side. I wonder what the timetable will be on these upgrades, though. United isn't expected to introduce its first reconfigured widebody until Q4 2007, and Delta isn't expecting their first aircraft with the new BE config to be in service until sometime in 2008.

[DAL767-400ER]

Delta isn't expecting their first aircraft with the new BE config to be in service until sometime in 2008.

Actually, the first imrpoved BE planes will roll out nexyt year in time for the summer season, mainly on the converted 764s. The only difference those seats will have to the seats planned for the 77Ls is that they aren't lie-flat. Other than that, service, IFE, and such will be the same.

[FNT_flyer]

Now if they would only update the pressurization in their 752s to make it easier on my ears :P

AMEN! Every time I ride on a 752 my right ear takes forever to unclog.

Is it me, but I actually like coach in AA's MD-80's better than coach seating on the 752.