DALLAS — American Airlines will start selling premium-economy service on international flights.
The service includes leather seats, entertainment systems and meals, and will cost more than coach but less than business class. American isn’t stating prices.
American, the world’s largest airline, said Wednesday that it will launch the service late next year on select planes. It seeks to stand out from U.S. rivals and compete with foreign airlines that already offer premium-economy seating.
Premium-economy customers will get wider seats, but they won’t lie flat like those in business class, a personal entertainment system, meal service, alcohol and priority check-in and boarding, American said. The service is a step up from American’s Main Cabin Extra seats, which offer economy-size seats with more legroom. Premium economy will be walled off from both business class and the main cabin.
“We had a large set of customers that wanted something that was greater than the main-cabin experience but not all the way to business class,” Andrew Nocella, American’s chief marketing officer, said.
