FORT WORTH- American Airlines (AA) is retrofitting its 20 Boeing 777-300ERs with a new long-haul cabin, removing international First Class and expanding Business Class and Premium Economy. Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) will handle final work on the first aircraft before it enters service.
The first retrofit aircraft, N718AN, was sent to Hong Kong International Airport (HKG) in December 2025 for the cabin overhaul. The aircraft is now returning to the United States after receiving the new interior, although certification and final preparations are still required.
American 777-300ER Retrofit Brings New Cabin
American’s 777-300ER retrofit program is known as Olympus. The airline originally planned to begin the work in September 2024, but the project was delayed.
These aircraft are being prioritized because they operate some of American’s most premium routes and currently include international First Class, which the airline plans to eliminate.
The airline also plans to reconfigure its Boeing 777-200ERs and Boeing 787-8s, although the timeline for those aircraft remains unclear.
The first 777-300ER selected for the project was N718AN. It flew to Hong Kong in December 2025 to become the prototype aircraft. As with most first-of-type cabin projects, the prototype requires more time, while later aircraft should be completed faster.
The aircraft is now heading to Dallas-Fort Worth and is expected to require at least another couple of weeks at American’s facilities before entering service, assuming certification proceeds smoothly.
The original expectation was for the aircraft to enter service before the end of the IATA Summer 2026 schedule, potentially earlier. OMAAT also highlighted the retrofit and the new 777-300ER configuration.
New American 777-300ER Seat Configuration
The current aircraft has 304 seats:
- 8 First Class
- 52 Business Class
- 28 Premium Economy
- 216 Economy
The new configuration will have 330 seats:
- 70 Business Class
- 44 Premium Economy
- 216 Economy
The retrofit therefore adds 26 seats overall. American removes 8 First Class seats, adds 18 Business Class seats and adds 16 Premium Economy seats, while economy capacity remains unchanged.
The new Business Class cabin covers rows 1-19, while Premium Economy occupies rows 20-25.
Cabin Space Changes
American creates the additional seating through several layout changes:
- The 2 forward lavatories are positioned closer to the flight deck.
- The second set of doors keeps two lavatories, but the walk-up bar is removed.
- The third set of doors goes from four lavatories to two. It is unclear whether both will serve Business Class or Premium Economy.
- The fourth set of doors loses both lavatories.
- The fifth set increases from 2 lavatories to three, while galley space is significantly reduced.
- Business Class seat pitch decreases from 43 inches to 42 inches.
- Main Cabin Extra pitch decreases from 35 inches to 34 inches.
The large reduction in galley space could make the aircraft more difficult for crews to work, while the 70 seat Business Class cabin gives American substantially more upgrade capacity.
American International First Class
American plans to eliminate its international First Class product and replace it with an improved Business Class offering, including Flagship Suite and the front row Flagship Suite Preferred experience.
The airline initially planned to eliminate international First Class in late 2024, but the delayed retrofit program pushed that timeline back.
Because all 20 777-300ERs cannot be reconfigured at once, there could be a transition period in which First Class stops being sold while some aircraft still physically have the cabin.
American continues to sell First Class through the end of the published schedule, into mid-2027, according to the original content.
American 777-300ER Compared With United
United’s Boeing 777-300ER configuration has:
- 60 Business Class seats
- 24 Premium Economy seats
- 266 Economy seats
- 350 total seats
Compared with United, American’s new aircraft will have 10 more Business Class seats, 20 more Premium Economy seats and 50 fewer Economy seats.
Bottom Line
American’s Olympus program transforms the 777-300ER from a 304 seat 4 cabin aircraft into a 330-seat, 3-cabin aircraft.
First Class disappears, Business Class rises to 70 seats, Premium Economy increases to 44 seats and economy remains at 216 seats.
The first aircraft, N718AN, began its retrofit in Hong Kong in December 2025. Once the prototype is certified and enters service, the remaining aircraft should be faster to complete.
The original expectation was that retrofitting the full 20-aircraft fleet could take around 2 years in the best-case scenario.
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