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Welcome on board American Airlines new business class suite. You're about to see the full tour from seats to eats to sleep. But warning, don't miss this one major deal breaker. Hello jet setters. I'm Jeb Brooks from greenergrass.com and today we're trying American Airlines brand new Dreamliner and you're coming along. Here's the plan. We'll fly from London to Chicago covering just under 4,000 m in just over 8 hours. American Airlines began operating 787-9s with these new interiors in June 2025. These are the first planes to feature two all-new business class seats, both of which we'll be checking out today. Now, these two Dreamlininers are America's most premiumheavy configuration yet, featuring 51 flagship suite business class seats. That takes up nearly half the plane. that compares to their older 787-9s with 30 business class seats. You'll know you're booking one of these new planes if you see 78P P for premium on the booking page. But does a new seat mean a more premium experience? We're about to find out. Today's trip begins at London Heathrow's Terminal 3. Check-in and fasttrack security were a breeze. So, we're now uh in the airport and I think that means it's time to check out the Admirals Club. A key part of an airlines premium experiences their lounge. And if you have an international business class ticket on American, you can enter this one. Now, this club may not be quite as nice as some of the flagship lounges you can access when departing the United States, including this newly opened one in Philadelphia. However, it's still a comfortable space. We had no trouble finding seats together. Now, the buffet is small, and we were surprised to see breakfast even though it was almost noon. There's also a self-service bar if you're so inclined. The highlight of our time here, though, definitely the views. The Admiral's Club is a great place to pass time here, but if you've got a business class ticket on a one world airline like American Airlines, there are so many more choices here at Terminal 3. So, let's show you a couple. The Cafe A Pacific Lounge is truly phenomenal and well worth your time. It's one of the nicest business class lounges anywhere in the world. There's a buffet with international options. But since this is a Hong Kong based airline, there's an impressive noodle bar, too. The best seats in the house are the ones with the views of the action, of course. [Music] We even spotted our Dreamliner as it touchdown after its inbound flight from Chicago Cafe. That's nice. But let's check out Quantis. There's nothing quite like lounge hopping here in T3. And you definitely don't want to miss this one. The downstairs bar and restaurant are only open for a few hours before Quantis departure, so we missed them. But we could still go upstairs for the buffet. [Music] Got to save room for a meal on board, but I can't say no to some onion rings and a glass of Australian Shiraz, right? I really like the aesthetic of this space. It wetted my appetite for a visit down under, hopefully soon. Since American Airlines is upgrading their cabins, I hope they'll take notes from lounges like these to improve their ground game, too. And that's enough lounge hopping. It's time to board this bird, a 2-month-old Dreamliner. See if it still has that brand new airplane smell. We got to the gate just before boarding began. Next stop, Chicago. It definitely still has that new plane smell. Now, there are two types of business class seats on board. I'm booked into seat 1L. It's one of eight flagship suite preferred seats. and Suzanne is in 2L, one of the 43 standard flagship suites on board. The preferred seats are much larger and located in the bulkheads. That's rows 1 and 10. Now, interestingly, you won't pay anything extra to book one of these larger seats, at least for now. That could change in the future, especially considering the additional amenities you get here, like a second pillow, blanket, a mattress pad, and even pajamas. Now, regardless of which business class seat you're in, you'll get slippers, headphones, which you'll need to leave behind, a bottle of water, amenity kit, a card outlining the seats features. I wish more airlines did this, and of course, a menu. Once we're in the air and have had a chance to get comfortable, we'll share the pros and cons of both of these seats. But for now, it's time to get going. We're all set to go up here. Uh once we get airborne, 8 hours and 7 minutes in route. Please sit back, relax, and enjoy. As we taxied out, I could not help but overhear the flight attendants expressing frustration about the new cabin. It was clear they had not been fully trained on these changes. They also seemed overwhelmed by the sheer number of business class passengers on board and were not sure how to approach the workload. Let's find out how the service unfolds as we make our way to 34,000 ft. But first, let's take a closer look at these two seats. We'll start with Suzanne's flagship suite. The first thing we noticed was that it has a newer, fresher look, but the design is not radically different from other business class seats in the American Airlines fleet with one major exception. These seats now have doors. Unfortunately though, on our flight, they're not yet functional. American is working with the FAA to certify them, and as a result, the airline gave us each 10,000 mi. The challenge with this seat, though, is the lack of storage. There's very little space for much of anything. The seat is 21 in wide, but tapers down in the footwell. That's pretty typical of most business class seats. Let's move on to a tour of the preferred suite. Now, it has the same width, 21 in, but instead of a narrow footwell, it has a generous shelf, which becomes even more space for your feet when the seat is in bed mode. And that also offers more storage, too. There's only one window, but lots of storage pockets. There's also a giant tray table, which I pulled out about an hour after takeoff because service has begun with nuts, olives, and a genonic for me. We generally try to keep things very positive on this channel, but I'm already noticing some problems with this new suite. Let me explain. First, like the flight attendants, it seems like the cleaners were not well trained. When I raised my armrest, I discovered an old partially used amenity kit left behind. And with only three lavatories for 51 business class passengers, you may wait longer than you'd like for the bathrooms. And finally, the parts surrounding Suzanne's remote fell off shortly after takeoff. Hopefully, that's just a teething problem as these new seats get broken in. Now, as always, please don't mistake our criticism for a lack of gratitude. We just want to make sure you know what to expect if you choose to use your hard-earned money or miles on this plane. But enough of that. It's time to eat. We started with a mixed green salad and bara. Now, I'm not saying you should do it, but if you find a button hole in your napkin, you can attach it to the front of your shirt if you want. Suzanne had the sesame and soy chicken, which she said was juicy and delicious. Well, I opted for the beef smoked Sunday roast. It was a really good meal, one of the best I can recall having from American Airlines. I hope it's a sign of improvements in their catering. For dessert, I had the cheesecake. Suzanne opted for the ice cream sundae. Our desserts were cleared 2 hours and 12 minutes after takeoff, but passengers at the back of the cabin were still getting their main courses at this point in the flight. For context, we usually expected to take around 90 minutes from takeoff to having your tray cleared in business class on US Airlines. Now, that's no fault of our crew. They were working their tails off. I think American Airlines just doesn't have enough people working in a cabin with 51 seats. At $25, the Wi-Fi was expensive, but at least it was reliable for the entire flight. The headphones were good, too, but we both struggled to get the wireless charging pad to work. I really liked this touchscreen remote control for the in-flight entertainment, and for the first time in a long time, it was nice to see a bright and responsive screen on American Airlines. That said, it does not tilt, making it difficult to watch when a bed's in lie flat mode. Now, some reviewers have said that the screen is too small. I don't agree, but let's put it to the test. It's time for the greener grass tape measure. 18 in. And what about the flagship suite? Just for good measure. How about that screen? Confirming. Also 18 back here. Inside the amenity kit, you'll find some skin care products, an eye shape, socks, and my favorite, a toothbrush and toothpaste. Suzanne's amenity kit had the same contents, but was a different design. And what about the beds? If you're booked into the first row, you'll get an extra blanket, pillow, and mattress pad. You'll definitely get more space as well. What I think is strange is that American Airlines does not charge extra. I feel like that could change in the future. Again, the biggest difference between the preferred suites and the standard ones are the footwells. And you can really see it in bed mode. This is my preferred suite. And here's Suzanne's footwell. But let's get her impressions. And welcome to my bed. I don't think it's a huge departure from what they used to have. We didn't doubt the door. It's very private. I don't think anyone can see in. I can't see anyone else's suite. The door, you don't really need it. It's a little narrow here. You can spill over into this space if you need to. And I'm not finding the footwell to be too narrow. And this will be a great space to sleep. And public service announcement to airlines out there. Don't put Velcro on your eye masks. I like this one a lot. Although everyone in the cabin dimmed their shades, it was nice that the crew left control with each of us. At one point, one of the flight attendants realized they'd forgotten to pass out the pajamas for passengers in the preferred seats and gave me a set. About two hours before landing, flight attendants offered a pre-landing snack. I went for the bow buns, which were too hot to eat. I had to let them sit for about 10 minutes before I could even touch them. Suzanne had the Thai noodle salad, which she said was mushy and bland. [Music] I took a walk through the rest of the plane. Economy is laid out in a 333 configuration with two rows of 232 at the back. Those are the seats to seek out if you can. The premium economy cabin arranged in a 232 configuration as well looked amazing to me and is definitely on my list to check out soon. And business classes arranged in a 121 configuration. The seats in the middle are angled toward each other, but there's an adjustable partition if you don't know your neighbor. And all of the window seats are the same with a ledge between the seat and the window. As we fly over Grand Rapids, Michigan, it's a great time to consider the Jeb Score. We'll look at the lounge, the seat, the food, the in-flight entertainment, and the service. We'll also give you our final verdict on this experience, and share what we paid. First, the lounge. If you have an American Airlines business class ticket departing London, we'd recommend skipping the Admiral's Club and heading straight to Cafe A. The Admiral's Club is nice enough, but you can do so much better. That means three stars. Next, the seats at the bulkheads are impressive, and since that's what I was in, that's what I'll rate. That said, the rest of the seats aren't that much different from what American currently offer, but my seat earns five stars. Now, the food. Our main courses were both great, but the pre-landing snacks were mediocre. Suzanne's noodles were bland, and my bow buns were so hot I couldn't even touch them. Three stars here. The in-flight entertainment was impressive. I do not agree with the criticism the screen is too small. Sure, they could have made it bigger, but I don't think they needed to. Five stars here. Finally, the service. And I'm struggling to rate this. On the one hand, the crew were friendly and present, but it was clear they were not properly trained. I don't blame them for that. I blame the management. So, this score is not a reflection of them, but the company. And unfortunately, the service earns three stars. Before we total that up, what did we pay? Well, we each used 88,500 mi and paid another $38121 in taxes. What's our final verdict? Sure, the new seats are nice, but there just too many of them to provide efficient service at America's current staffing levels. And maybe this will improve over time with further training and as crews get used to the plane. But at least for now, we're not likely to choose this plane again. But if you want to fly on one of them for yourself, you'll find them all over the world, including to Brisbane, Australia, beginning in winter 2025. And with 30 on order, they'll be reaching even more destinations soon. All in. American Airlines new Dreamlininer earns 19 out of 25 possible stars. Between now and the next time, see in the sky. Next stop, Dallas. No. Where are we going? Chicago. You like my haircut? It's a good one. Destroyed. That's enough lounge hopping. Never enough lounge hopping. There's never enough lounge hopping. That is one weird looking shot.