I recently traveled Down Under to lead the February 2026 Wheelchair Travel Group Trip to Sydney, Australia. It is a long journey and I wanted to fly in business class, but cash fares were prohibitive and most award tickets to Sydney were hundreds of thousands of miles each way. Award tickets to Brisbane, located in the Australian state of Queensland, were priced much more favorably, and domestic flights onward to Sydney were under a hundred U.S. dollars. I jumped on the deal, and was excited to test out the new Flagship Business Class Suite on the American Airlines Boeing 787-9 aircraft. Here are some basic flight details to get started with the review:
Airline/Flight: American Airines, AA 7
Route: DFW-BNE — Dallas, Texas to Brisbane, Australia
Flight Date: February 3, 2026
Scheduled Departure: 9:50 p.m. CT
Scheduled Arrival: 6:30 a.m. AEST (February 5, 2026)
Scheduled Flight Length: 16 hours, 40 minutes
Flight Distance: 8,305 miles
Aircraft: Boeing 787-9
Registration: N842AA
Seat: 01A
Rather than writing a nearly identical review of my return flight, I have decided to include details and photos from that flight in this article. Here are the facts and figures for my return flight from Australia:
Airline/Flight: American Airines, AA 8
Route: BNE-DFW — Brisbane, Australia to Dallas, Texas
Flight Date: February 18, 2026
Scheduled Departure: 9:40 a.m. AEST
Scheduled Arrival: 8:25 a.m. CT
Scheduled Flight Length: 14 hours, 45 minutes
Flight Distance: 8,305 miles
Aircraft: Boeing 787-9
Registration: N848AN
Seat: 10L
American's new Flagship Business Class Suite is available only on a select number of the airline's Boeing 787-9 aircraft, and it differs substantially from the grossly inaccessible suite offered on the carrier's Airbus A321XLR aircraft. This review is specific to the wheelchair accessibility of the Flagship Suite on the Boeing 787-9.
How I booked the flight
This flight was the final leg of a one-way itinerary that took me from Knoxville to Brisbane with a connection in Dallas. I purchased the ticket with American Airlines frequent flyer miles (“AAdvantage miles”) — The total cost was 77,500 AAdvantage miles plus about $28 in taxes and fees.
My return itinerary — Brisbane to St. Louis with a connection in Dallas — cost a bit more, 86,000 Advantage miles plus $92 in taxes and fees. That brought my total cost for a round-trip business class journey to Australia to 163,500 miles and $120, making this an excellent redemption — cash fares were around $8,000 to $10,000 round-trip.
American Airlines Boeing 787-9 (789P) Seating Layout
American Airlines has two versions of the Boeing 787-9 currently flying — the "787-9P" Dreamliner, which is reviewed here, features 51 Flagship Suites arranged in a 1-2-1 configuration, 32 premium economy seats arranged in a 2-3-2 configuration, and 161 economy class seats in a 3-3-3 configuration.
Images courtesy American Airlines.
The airline's earlier iteration of the Boeing 787-9 aircraft features a more accessible business class seat without a door, the Collins Aerospace Super Diamond seat. That aircraft features 30 business class seats in a 1-2-1 configuration, 21 premium economy seats arranged in a 2-3-2 configuration, and 234 economy class seats in a 3-3-3 configuration.
High-quality seat maps of Americans’s B789 types are available from aeroLOPA: B789P with Flagship Suite, and B789 with Super Diamond Seat.
The American Airlines Flagship Suite, Business Class Seat with Sliding Door on the Boeing 787-9
American Airlines debuted its premium-heavy Boeing "787-9P" in June 2025. Its Flagship Business Class Suite with a sliding door is based on the Adient Ascent platform, a seating platform also used by Alaska Airlines and Qatar Airways on select aircraft. I first tested the new Flagship Suite on a flight from New York-JFK to London in December 2025. Knowledge gained on that flight, and my round-trip to Brisbane, informs this accessibility review of American's business class suite.
Flagship Suite Preferred, left, and standard Flagship Suite, right.
There are 51 Flagship Suites on the Boeing 787-9P, but eight of those suites are slightly larger than the rest and include an additional pillow and blanket. The larger suites, dubbed "Flagship Suite Preferred," are numbered 1A, 1L, 2D, 2H, 10D, 10H, 10L, and 11A. Having sat in one of the standard-sized suites on my first flight aboard the aircraft, I opted for one of the larger suites on my flights to and from Brisbane.
At the time of publishing, American Airlines does not charge extra for Flagship Suite Preferred seats, however I would expect that to change in the future.
After boarding the aircraft, I was offered a choice of sparkling wine or orange juice as a pre-departure beverage (I took the wine). The lights in the cabin were dimmed and I found the environment to be comfortable. I liked the dark design accents in the Flagship Suite Preferred and, in my opinion, it is the most visually appealing premium seat offered by a U.S. carrier.
The seat features lap and shoulder securement belts (not pictured), with the shoulder belt required for takeoffs and landings. It can be removed during flight.
After takeoff, passengers are able to adjust their seats into various positions, including flat bed mode — the 180 degree flat bed seat is best used for sleeping on long-haul flights like this one.
Passengers seated in the standard Flagship Suites receive a pillow and blanket, whereas Flagship Suite Preferred customers receive two pillows, two blankets, a mattress pad and pajamas! You can't go wrong with extra bedding on a flight of just over 16 hours.
One major benefit of the Flagship Suite Preferred seat is the additional space in the seat's footwell. That additional clearance was especially valuable for a side-sleeper like myself.
A console to the left of the seat served as an armrest, while also containing a tiny storage compartment. A series of buttons gave me full control over seat positioning, with the ability to adjust the seat’s backrest, bottom cushion and leg rest. While I was awake, I was able to recline into a lounge position, then lay the seat fully flat for sleep.
Just behind the seat control panel, passengers will find a Universal AC power socket, together with USB-A and USB-C charging ports. There is also a (poorly designed) wireless charging pad, but it would not charge my iPhone 17 Pro — I used it instead to charge my AirPods.
American Airlines provides business class passengers with an amenity kit that contains an eye shade, toothbrush, toothpaste, lotion and more. Slippers are also provided, though they were of no use to this triple amputee. 😛
An 18″ touch screen display provides access to a large entertainment library with movies and TV shows and a moving map to track flight progress.
Noise-canceling headphones are stored in a cubby next to the seat, though they are of low-quality. One exciting new feature is the ability to pair your own wireless headphones with the inflight entertainment system.
During the flight, I focused primarily on working from my laptop (the Viasat Ka-band satellite wifi is fast and free), but I also got about six to seven hours of sleep.
A couple other tidbits regarding seat and cabin features:
- Overhead lighting can be controlled using the IFE menu.
- Adjustable air nozzles are available at the window and center seats — the nozzles are much closer and easier to reach from the window seats.
- There is no under-seat storage, so all carry-on baggage must be stowed in the overhead bin during taxi, take-off and landing.
- There are a series of small storage cubbies within the suite, but none are particularly large — it's disappointing that more thought was not put into storage for things like laptops and even the complimentary bottle of water!
Wheelchair Accessibility of the American Airlines Flagship Suite (Boeing 787-9 version)
I have put multiple all-suite business class products to the test — check out my articles on British Airways Club Suite Wheelchair Accessibility and Qatar Airways QSuite Wheelchair Accessibility. I will dive in to the accessibility of the Boeing 787-9 version of the American Airlines Flagship Suite, but its accessibility is roughly on par with the British Airways Club Suite, meaning it will prove difficult for many wheelchair users to access.
I had hoped American Airlines would take accessibility seriously (that would be a break with character) and incorporate a retractable wall or partition to make safe, lateral transfers from the aisle chair to seat possible. Unfortunately, the American Airlines Flagship Suite features a fixed and immovable wall — to see how a moveable wall improves access, read my review of the Wheelchair Accessibility of the Delta One Suite on the Airbus A350.
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Like the British Airways Club Suite, the Flagship Suite's enclosure (specifically, the wall panel that encases a retracted sliding door), blocks access to a large portion of the seat’s surface area. Walled enclosures with narrow openings restrict the ability of disabled passengers to make lateral transfers from the onboard aisle wheelchair and substantially increase the risk of injury.
Given my range of motion and present physical abilities, I was able to transfer into the seat independently and without too much difficulty. That said, I am a triple amputee with a full range of motion — not the typical profile of a passenger boarding with an aisle wheelchair. One my first flight from New York to London, I put the assistance staff to the test — I asked them to lift me into the seat, but they did not demonstrate the knowledge or skills necessary to execute a safe assisted transfer (I am not sure they had ever seen the Flagship Suite before). The airline will say that they provide comprehensive training, but my experience suggests otherwise.
The Adient Ascent seat is comfortable enough, I suppose — but on the long flight to Australia, it proved much less comfortable than the Collins Aerospace Super Diamond seats deployed on American's other Boeing 787-9 aircraft. The Flagship Suite seat is not as adjustable as competing seats, which hampered my ability to find comfort and relieve pressure during the flight. That said, the seat still lays flat into a bed, which is a major improvement over the seats in the Economy and Premium Economy cabins!
One final thought: the retractable aisle armrest is not load bearing. Like many wheelchair users, I press down on the armrests to lift my body and reposition myself. The aisle armrest collapses somewhat violently under pressure, and I nearly insured my hand on the return flight from Brisbane. It's yet another case where savings took precedent over accessibility, and it makes an already challenging seat call the more difficult for disabled travelers to use.
Food & Beverage Service in American Airlines Flagship Business Class
The first of two meal services began shortly after the flight’s departure and upon reaching cruising altitude of 36,000 feet (later in the flight, we ascended as high as 42,000 feet).
My beverage of choice, Woodford Reserve bourbon on the rocks, was served with a ramekin of warm nuts. The three-course meal followed, with the appetizer, entree and dessert served separately.
I regrettably failed to make a record of the choices, but can say that the food on the Dallas to Brisbane flight was good (which included a beef steak and potatoes), whereas the food served on the Brisbane to Dallas flight left a great deal to be desired. The meal on the return was truly the least appetizing meal that I have had in a premium cabin on any airline (American needs a new caterer in Brisbane).
The ice cream sundae is always something that I look forward to, and I top it with both the berry and butterscotch sauces. Why not?
About halfway through the flight, the flight attendant asked if I fancied a mid-flight snack — I wasn’t very hungry, and decided to pass on the barbecue sliders.
Prior to landing in Sydney, two breakfast choices were offered, and I selected the egg omelette with potatoes and sausage. It was a nice meal to enjoy before arriving in Brisbane at about 6:00 a.m.
Accessible Lavatory on the American Airlines Boeing 787-9
The designated accessible lavatory for passengers using the aisle chair on American’s Boeing 787-9P is located behind boarding door 2L and row 9 of business class.
When I needed to use the bathroom, I rang the call bell, told the flight attendant, and was pushed to the lavatory using the onboard aisle wheelchair. I made about three trips to the lavatory during this long-haul flight.
Accessible lavatories come in a number of shapes and sizes, and some are much more accessible than others. I’m happy to report that the American Airlines Boeing 787-9P features what I consider to be among the best accessible lavatory styles, with space to park the onboard aisle wheelchair directly alongside the toilet. The design allows for safe, lateral transfers between the aisle chair and toilet, with space for a travel companion or caregiver to provide assistance.
Bottom Line: Is the American Airlines Flagship Suite Accessible?
With its new Flagship Business Class Suite, American Airlines has once again proven that accessibility is not among its brand priorities. As an ever-expanding list of carriers have adopted business class "suites" with privacy doors, we find that there are two types of carriers: those that work to mitigate potential negative impacts on accessibility (like Delta Air Lines did with its Delta One Suite) and those that write-off accessibility as a luxury not worth investing in (like American has just done).
The Flagship Suite is less accessible than other reverse herringbone seats without a privacy wall or door, and much less accessible than forward-facing business class seats. While many compromises have to be made in the aircraft cabin environment, accessibility shouldn’t be one of them.
Is there anything good that can be said about American's Flagship Suite on the Boeing 787? It looks good! I was personally able to access the seat and overcome its accessibility barriers. But for travelers who cannot transfer independently? It's dangerous! Will I fly it again? Sure. Should you fly this product? The purpose of reviews like this is to provide information that airlines do not and, if you find this seating product will meet your accessibility needs, I hope you have a comfortable trip!
