American Airlines Ends First Class

American Airlines is eliminating its first class product, with Flagship First being retired from its Boeing 777-300ERs and premium transcontinental Airbus A321Ts. The airline will keep domestic first class, but business class will become the top cabin on long haul and premium cross-country flights. Lifetime pass holders, who paid $250,000 for unlimited first class travel, will still be able to use their passes, but only in lower cabins.

When American Sold Unlimited First Class Travel

American introduced its lifetime AAirpass in 1981. They needed cash, and interest rates made borrowing expensive. Selling decades of future travel brought in money immediately. Honestly it’s not that different from the sales you used to see from U.S. Airlines around 2002-2003 and 2009-2011. Sell future travel, raise cash, make payroll. American’s Robert Crandall said he’d expected companies to buy the passes for top employees. Instead, individuals bought them and found plenty of reasons to fly. On top of the $250,000, a companion could be added for $150,000, so $400,000 bought unlimited first class travel for the pass holder and someone traveling with them. Prices rose substantially before American stopped regularly offering the deal. They haven’t sold this in years. Buyers included Mark Cuban, Michael Dell, Willie Mays and America’s Cup sailor Dennis Conner. Cuban says he spent $125,000 after selling MicroSolutions in 1990, then paid more to upgrade the pass.

American Revoked Some Of Its Most Heavily Used Passes

Two of the most prolific users were Steven Rothstein and Jacques Vroom. Rothstein bought his pass in 1987 and added the companion feature in 1989. Vroom financed his purchase with a loan at 12% interest. He used it to attend his son’s college football games and take trips that would’ve made little sense if he’d had to buy a ticket each time. Rothstein booked more than 10,000 flights over roughly two decades. Once you’ve paid for unlimited flying, a trip just for lunch starts to look reasonable. The airline gets its money once, while the customer’s next flight costs them no additional airfare. American revoked both men’s passes in 2008, alleging misuse. They accused Vroom of selling companion travel. He disputed that he’d violated his contract. Rothstein’s case centered on improper companion reservations. Rothstein booked seats under fictitious names, including “Bag Rothstein,” to keep the adjacent seat empty. He argued that American had tolerated his booking practices. In June 2011, a federal judge ruled for American on his breach of contract claim, finding that the airline could terminate his pass for fraudulent use. American reportedly calculated that Rothstein and Vroom each cost it about $1 million a year. The retail value of every seat they occupied isn’t money the airline lost. Some of those seats would have gone empty and some would have been sold at a discount, been occupied by employees, or given as upgrades.

Flagship First Now Has An End Date

American announced its replacement business class suites in September 2022. Boeing 777-300ER retrofits were originally supposed to begin in late 2024. After repeated delays, the first refurbished aircraft finally entered commercial service on September 2, 2026 as AA953 from New York JFK to Buenos Aires. As I reported when that aircraft launched, the schedule is now:

• November 19, 2026: Flagship First stops being sold for travel on Boeing 777-300ERs.
• March 28, 2027: Flagship First stops being sold for travel on premium transcontinental routes.
• 2027: American’s target for completing the refurbishment of all 20 Boeing 777-300ERs.

Those first two dates don’t mean every old seat will have been replaced by then, but rather that Flagship First will no longer be sold for travel after those dates.

Impact on Lifetime Pass Holders

The retirement of Flagship First does not affect the lifetime passes, which will still be honored by American Airlines. Pass holders can continue to travel in business class, premium economy, and coach, as well as domestic first class. According to American Airlines, the current AAdvantage rules will continue to provide distance-based mileage earning for limited and unlimited Lifetime AirPass members. The airline has also preserved the flying privileges of lifetime customers, despite ending the later AirPass program, which let customers deposit money and buy travel at fixed rates.