Take a peek inside American Airlines’ new aircraft

By Anne Majumdar

Better food, better coffee and more pyjamas will be among the enhancements delivered aboard American Airline’s new Sydney service operated by its brand new Boeing 777-300ER aircraft.

The airline will commence a new daily service from Sydney to Los Angeles from December 19, as part of its expanded partnership with Qantas which was announced earlier this year.

Speaking on Friday after the aircraft was showcased to Australian media, chief executive Doug Parker promised that the airline is “much better today than it has been in the past” as he outlined a raft of improvements to bring the product up to the standards expected by Australian travellers.

Among those, coffee will be a priority with senior vice president alliances and partnerships Kurt Stache admitting coffee takes on a new importance during long-haul travel.

“We’re looking to upgrade the coffee,” he said. “I’ve been here quite a few times and Australia is very much a coffee culture.”

Food is also a major focus.

“We don’t traditionally fly as much of a long-haul network as Qantas does so we’ve learnt a lot by observing what they do,” Stache said.

“Qantas only recent has changed its economy food and beverage service,” Qantas International chief executive Gareth Evans said.

“We now provide very substantial meals in economy cabins so it was great to share those learnings with American about the cadence and about when and how you present the meals in economy.”

Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce described the new AA food as “outstanding” and said that both airlines are working on creating menus that showcase the specialities of their respective countries in a complementary way. Qantas’ consulting chef Neil Perry will be involved in ensuring the inflight dining offered by each carrier is of an equal standard.

“Neil and the executive chefs on both sides are working together on the menus,” Joyce confirmed.

Pyjamas too are part of the plan, with American adding them to its business class offering.

“We’re very conscious if the Qantas code appears on it and we’re selling it to our passengers, it has to be a comparable product to Qantas,” Joyce said. “And this is – we have a responsibility to do that.”

Passengers travelling on the new Sydney to LA service will also be able to access Wifi onboard, something that American also offers on its other services. Joyce confirmed that Qantas is currently exploring how it can match this offering, following an unsuccessful trial in 2012.

Take a look inside the brand new aircraft:

AA Boeing 777-300ER First Class Seat

AA B777-300ER First Class Turndown

AA Boeing 777-300ER First Class Turndown service

AA B77-300ER First Class with mood lighting

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