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Few flights have had me counting down the days like my trip from Philadelphia to London on American Airlines’ brand-new Boeing 787-9P. The “P” stands for “Premium,” and I was stoked to see just how premium this plane really is on the short 5-hour-52-minute hop across the pond.
The experience was among the best I’ve had on American Airlines wide-body aircraft, though a few parts of the trip left me questioning whether it fully justified the current price tag — let alone the even higher future one once American begins charging extra for these Flagship Suite Preferred seats.
Here's how my flight went.
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What It’s Like to Fly American Airlines’ New Boeing 787-9P in Flagship Business Class
American Airlines’ Boeing 787-9Ps have only been flying passengers for a couple of months on a short list of routes. And on August 6, 2025, the airline officially inaugurated them on flight 728 between Philadelphia (PHL) and London (LHR).
Although the route itself isn’t new, it was still exciting to catch an inaugural flight of sorts — even if the airline wasn’t nearly as enthusiastic about it as I was.
Tickets for this route on this aircraft went on sale in May 2025. And the day they did, I booked the following itinerary for 45,000 Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan miles plus nominal taxes and fees: Myrtle Beach (MYR) to Philadelphia (PHL) to London (LHR). Oddly, this routing was 10,000 miles cheaper than booking the nonstop transatlantic flight from Philadelphia.
Years ago, I would have tried to avoid a long layover in Philadelphia. But, I was okay with it this time since my Flagship Business ticket included access to the recently opened Philadelphia Flagship Lounge. It’s one of the more impressive Flagship Lounges I've experienced. Even with the crowd, it was an easy place to pass a few hours before my flight to London.
My only regret was leaving the lounge too soon. By the scheduled boarding time, N848AN — the airframe operating flight 728 for my flight — was nowhere to be found.
Boarding
After about 45 minutes of mulling around Terminal A West, Philadelphia’s international terminal, the gate agents confirmed what I already knew thanks to ExpertFlyer: the aircraft was still in the maintenance hangar and only then making its way to the gate.
Maintenance delays have been a recurring issue with the airline's new 787-9Ps, and a quick look at recent flight logs for any given example shows plenty of them.
The announcement was also the first time that evening anyone mentioned the flight would be operated by the new aircraft. Most passengers seemed surprised, and it softened the disappointment of yet another delay. Boarding was pushed back while the crew got familiar with the plane, set out amenity kits, and finished final preparations.
But the wait was worth it. After scanning my boarding pass, I made my way down the jet bridge with high expectations.
At the aircraft door, I was directed left to Seat 1A, a Flagship Suite Preferred seat. These seats are designed to be the crème de la crème of the new business class cabins, with only eight in total out of 51 — four in the main business class cabin and four in the smaller mini-cabin.
My seat was at the very front of the larger cabin, and the walk from the door to the front makes it clear how premium-heavy this aircraft is. It’s a major upgrade over the rest of American’s long-haul fleet.
Related: Inside American Airlines' Boeing 787-9P Aircraft Featuring New Flagship Suites
My Flagship Suite Preferred seat
Flagship Suite Preferred Seat 1A was hard to miss. The black exterior stood out against the sea of light brown non-Preferred business class seats. Details like this help visually distinguish an already premium product from one positioned to feel even more premium. But on my flight, that seemed to be where the differentiation began and ended.
Outside of the color scheme and a little extra space, there were few noticeable differences compared to the surrounding seats. In fact, nearly everything else looked and felt the same.
The amenities were identical to those in non-Preferred suites. My seat came with a large zippered bag containing a mattress pad, blanket, and pillow, along with a smaller bag of slippers — all of which were also provided to every business class passenger. Pajamas were not offered, though they were unnecessary on a short transatlantic flight like this.
The amenity kit was also the same: a leather zippered bag labeled “Flagship,” with standard contents like an eye mask and a wooden toothbrush.
My suite, like the others, offered a modest amount of storage that could fit a backpack and a few smaller items.
And in the cubby next to the headrest held Bang & Olufsen headphones, which were available for use from gate to gate.
The suite also included a wireless charging shelf in a convenient spot, but it never worked no matter what I tried. The standard outlets, however, performed as they should've.
The in-flight entertainment screen worked flawlessly, and I didn't find it to be nearly as tiny as I've seen it made out to be online. But the bezel made it look kind of clunky.
Service
The service on my 787-9P flight felt like the biggest letdown. I swear I'm not the type to look for things to complain about, but you've got to remember American Airlines charges thousands of dollars — or at least 75,000 AAdvantage miles if you refer to the American Airlines award chart — for this product. Maybe my expectations were too high, but the service fell short of the price point.
I think a lot of that had to do with the new aircraft. The 787-9P is one of the airline’s most premium heavy planes, and from the moment I boarded it was obvious the crew was working double time to get the cabin ready and make sure everyone was situated. And the short duration of the flight meant they never stopped moving.
Some passengers didn't make it easier, like the ones who needed endless champagne refills, couldn't decide on a dinner order when asked before departure, or required constant reminders about the cross-body seatbelt strap. And no, that wasn't me.
Dinner
Once we were in the air and the seat belt sign went off, the crew rushed to get drinks and ramekins of nuts, olives, and a deceptively spicy pepper out to passengers. That part was quick, but things slowed afterwards. A stack of plates crashed in the galley and shattered, which pulled several flight attendants away to clean it up.
I'm convinced it was that delay that turned my pre-ordered sea bass from what could have been a decent dish into something rubbery and hard to eat. But the rest of the meal was overwhelmingly bland, and it required the assistance of the salt and pepper shakers.
Dessert always makes things better, and the toppings on the ice cream sundae were excellent. The ice cream itself, though, had the density of a baseball. It tasted good, but chiseling off bites at the end of an already long meal service was not exactly how I wanted to spend the rest of my flight. And that brings me to my next “issue” of sorts.
The flight time
The flight itself was too short. On the night I flew, it clocked in at 5 hours and 52 minutes. Dinner alone dragged on for nearly two hours from start to finish, which felt like an eternity.
That left just 2 hours and 18 minutes to actually make use of the mattress pad and blanket American provided in business class before breakfast service started promptly 90 minutes before landing. The bedding was arguably my favorite part of the flight, though I also appreciated the sliding door.
It was nice not having to make awkward eye contact with other passengers, which is a persistent issue with American’s rear-facing business class seats on aircraft like the 787-8.
Here you can picture the Flagship Suite Preferred seat with the bedding laid out — the photo I would have taken if I had not sat down, settled in, and immediately fallen asleep.
To be fair, I am not sure how much sleep anyone could expect on this route without skipping one or both meals. For the sake of this review, though, I stuck it out for both dinner and breakfast. Breakfast was light years better than dinner. Even though I ordered the frittata and was instead presented with a fruit plate, I was not the least bit disappointed.
Arrival
Once breakfast wrapped up, the flight attendants (thankfully) did not collect the Bang & Olufsen headphones and instead let passengers enjoy the approach into London.
Despite the late departure, we landed early and were quickly off the aircraft to clear customs. This was also my first real look at the exterior of the plane that had just carried us across the Atlantic.
A few minutes later I got lucky again and spotted it from one of the terminal windows.
Takeaways From My American Airlines 787-9P Flight
My biggest takeaway from my flight on the brand new Boeing 787-9P is that the suite and cabin raise the bar for business class on a U.S. airline. The bedding was extremely comfortable, and I wish I had been able to use it for more than a two hour nap.
The cabin itself feels premium. And the color scheme and Flagship branding give the impression that American is trying to position itself as a truly premium airline. At first glance, it feels like the airline actually cares about your experience in the front of the plane, which doesn't always seem like the case on its other wide-body jets.
This is also where expectations clash with reality. The cabin may be new, but the service is still very much standard for American Airlines. The food especially fell short, since it was the same uninspired fare you will find on any other flight between the U.S. and Europe.
If American wants to justify the higher price for these seats, service is where it has the most room to improve. Otherwise passengers may be left with a bad taste in their mouths, both literally and figuratively.
Is it worth buying up to Flagship Suite Preferred?
So would I pay extra for a Flagship Suite Preferred seat over a regular business class seat on this same plane? Probably not. We still don't know what the surcharge will be, but in its current form, it's hard to see how the experience could be worth paying more.
Even if the bedding is slightly cozier, there is a little more room to stretch out, and the amenity kit gets an upgrade, I don't think those things alone are enough to justify a higher price. That said, I'm willing to keep an open mind if American provides more reason to splurge when the time comes.
Bottom Line
If you have a chance to check out American Airlines’ brand new 787-9P — especially in business class — I don't think you will walk away disappointed by the hard product. The cabins are stunning, and the seats raise the bar for comfort. I just wish I had more time to enjoy it; my flight from Philadelphia to London was simply too short.
To justify the price tag, especially once American starts charging extra for the Flagship Suite Preferred seats, the airline will need to invest as much in service as it has in the new cabins. Outside of the fruit plate I enjoyed, the dinner service was mediocre at best. Devoting a couple of hours to a meal service that is underwhelming makes you want to throw in the towel, and I was close to that point myself.
All things considered, though, I got where I needed to go and did so comfortably. This aircraft is a fantastic way to fly, and I am excited for the day it becomes the standard business class product across all of American’s long-haul routes.
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