How does the seat selection process differ between American Airlines’ Boeing 777-200ER and Boeing 787-9 aircraft?

American’s seat selection process varies between its Boeing 777‑200ERs and Boeing 787‑9s, reflecting differences in seat configurations and how the airline reveals them to passengers.

777‑200ER Seat Selection

• American’s 777‑200ER fleet can be equipped with either Safran Concept D seats (rear‑facing with a “V” cutout on the seat map) or Collins Aerospace Super Diamond seats (no cutout).
• At the time of booking the specific product is unknown; the airline initially shows the Safran Concept D seat map because those planes are more common, and updates the map a few days before departure when the aircraft assignment is firmed up.
• Passengers can identify which configuration they’ll receive by looking for the “V” cutout on the seat map – its presence indicates the Concept D layout, while its absence indicates the Super Diamond layout.

787‑9 Seat Selection

• American operates two distinct 787‑9 configurations: a 30‑seat layout using Collins Aerospace Super Diamond seats and a 51‑seat layout featuring the new Adient Ascent (Flagship Suite) seats.
• The 30‑seat Super Diamond 787‑9s are listed on American’s website as “789‑Boeing 787,” allowing travelers to know the product at the time of booking.
• The 51‑seat Flagship Suite 787‑9s are identified as “78P‑Boeing 787,” and are marketed as American’s best business‑class product, also visible to customers when selecting flights.
• Because the aircraft designation is shown during the booking process, passengers can deliberately choose the newer Flagship Suite layout or the standard Super Diamond layout, unlike the uncertainty on the 777‑20