American Airlines: Fly Business or First Class Domestic

American Airlines flies several wide-body internationally configured planes in their domestic network, mostly as re-positioning flights. I love booking these planes when I can because it provides an international feel, if only for a short flight.

There’s several reasons why you would want to fly on one of these planes within the US:

• Domestic upgrade opportunities are generally better since there is more Business Class seats.
• In some cases, you can select a Business Class seat at time of booking (but receive economy service), because the plane is only operated as a two-class First and Economy flight.
• Generally they’ll be more room in the Main Cabin since the flight loads will be less and folks can spread out. This isn’t always the case, but there’s a good shot at it.

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Some tips to keep in mind when booking any of these flights:

• Aircrafts can and will change – you may be booked on a 767 today, but be downgraded to a 737 tomorrow. Keep an eye out for changes, though understand that generally an aircraft swap will not allow you to change your ticket for free.
• With the exception of the Dallas to Chicago flights, all other aircraft are operated on older 767s or 777s with the angled flat Business Class seats.
• As American continues to upgrade their aircrafts, you may see some of these routes go away. That said, some of them are clearly positioning flights so they may stick regardless as AA needs to move the plane from one city to another to take another flight.
• If you’re upgraded, it’s still a domestic service – so domestic food, etc.
• These flights are generally the same cost of their narrow body counterparts, so there shouldn’t be an extra premium for any of these aircrafts.

Have you ever flown a wide body aircraft on a domestic route on American Airlines? Share your experiences below!