American Airlines Drops First Class From Its 777s

American Airlines flew its first retrofitted Boeing 777-300ER on Wednesday, a made-over cabin that adds premium seats and drops international first class from the airline's biggest jets.

The new layout carries 144 premium seats, including 70 lie-flat seats with sliding doors in the Flagship Suite section at the front of the plane.

American uses the 777-300ER on its most popular long-haul international routes, including London, Tokyo and Sydney.

What's In The Plane

Seventy Flagship Suite lie-flat seats with sliding doors at the front.

Forty-four Premium Economy seats with privacy headrest wings and adjustable calf and footrests.

Thirty Main Cabin Extra seats with additional legroom.

One hundred eighty-six regular Main Cabin seats.

The refit also brings high-speed Wi-Fi and seatback screens, according to Forbes.

The Money

The lie-flat seats can bring in close to $10,000 on some long-haul international routes, CNBC reported, compared with $2,000 or much less for a seat in the back.

That gap is the whole strategy. American has been trying to catch up with Delta Air Lines and United Airlines, both of which got a head start courting high-spending travelers.