Which Are The Best Seats?

The Boeing 777-300ER plays a crucial role in American Airlines’ present mainline fleet, with ch-aviation.com showing that the oneworld carrier currently has 20 of the type at its disposal. These aircraft, which are 9.7 years old on average, have 304 seats onboard, but which are the best in each class? Let’s find out.

Premium cabins

The most exclusive cabin on American Airlines’ 777-300ERs is its Flagship First section, which consists of two rows of four seats at the front of the aircraft. These are laid out in a 1-2-1 configuration, meaning every seat has direct aisle access. There really isn’t a bad seat in the house, but for bathroom access and to be the first to disembark if the front door is being used, you can’t go wrong with 1A.

Meanwhile, Flagship Business Class occupies considerably more real estate on American Airlines’ Boeing 777-300ERs, with 52 seats available. These are also laid out four abreast, but they are spread across two different sections due to their sheer number. Data from aeroLOPA shows that the first is situated between Flagship First and the aircraft’s second door, spanning rows 3 and 4.

Photo: American Airlines

Given that this section features the same amount of seats as Flagship First Class, it offers similar exclusivity despite not being as high a class of travel. In this instance, the rear row of the pair, namely row 4, is preferable, as it offers better access to the bathroom, snack bar, and exit behind it, as well as having one more window.

Of course, that isn’t to say that the rest of the Flagship Business Class cabin, which spans from row 5 to row 15 behind the second door, is full of bad seats. Indeed, while not such an exclusive affair, the luxurious onboard product and service remain the same. Rows 5 to 10 offer the best views as they are unobstructed by the plane’s wings, while passengers should note that rows 11 and 13 have one window fewer.

Moving backward beyond the third door on American Airlines’ Boeing 777-300ERs, we encounter the premium economy cabin with 28 seats in a 2-4-2 layout. This comprises three staggered rows of eight seats followed by another central block of four. Row 16 offers the best legroom due to being situated at the front by the exit, but passengers should be aware of its lack of windows.

Photo: Markus Mainka | Shutterstock

Economy class on American’s 777-300ERs spans from row 20 to row 44. However, for passengers looking for a bit of extra legroom without having to splash the cash, you can do worse than to pick a Main Cabin Extra seat. There are 28 of these onboard, offering 36 inches of seat pitch rather than the usual 31/32. You can find them in rows 20, 31, 32, and 33-35 (central blocks of four only for these last three).

Standard economy seats

Normal economy class seats account for almost 62% of the capacity onboard American Airlines’ Boeing 777-300ERs, with 188 Main Cabin spaces to choose from. Most are laid out in a tight 10-abreast (3-4-3) configuration, so naturally, any escape from this is a bonus. Luckily, some rows offer respite.

Indeed, row 21 has a 2-4-2 layout, with row 30 merely comprising two outer pairs of two seats with no central block. Additionally, rows 41 to 43 follow this layout to accommodate the curvature of the aircraft’s fuselage at its rear. While the seats themselves aren’t any wider, they give couples the chance to sit exclusively together, which can make a big difference onboard longer flights.

Sources: aeroLOPA, ch-aviation.com