AMERICAN ROLLS OUT 500th JET AIRCRAFT WITH EXPANDED LEGROOM THROUGHOUT COACH

Entire Fleet Conversion Going Ahead Of Schedule

Making roomier coach cabins much faster than expected, American Airlines announced today it has completed conversion of the 500th aircraft outfitted with more legroom throughout the entire coach cabin. Nearly 87 percent of American’s domestic fleet now features the "More Room" seating arrangement.

The 500th aircraft, a Super 80 with two rows of coach seats removed to produce the roomier cabin, will roll off a special maintenance line at American’s Tulsa maintenance base today. The plane will operate Friday afternoon at 5:45 p.m. from Chicago O’Hare continuing to Syracuse at 8:44 p.m.

"Few initiatives in the history of our airline have produced as much positive feedback among customers, employees and industry observers as the coach legroom campaign," said Mike Gunn, American’s executive vice president of marketing and planning. "Delivering these aircraft at a rate of nearly 30 a week is a testament to our workers at Tulsa and Fort Worth Alliance maintenance bases."

American is the only carrier reconfiguring its entire coach cabin, and is expanding legroom to provide a predominant level of 34 and 35 inches of space, with some seats offering 36 inches.

American’s entire two-class domestic fleet of nearly 600 jets will be completed by October. Shortly thereafter the airline will begin to reconfigure the coach cabins on all its nearly 100 three-class international aircraft. The carrier will finish that work by early next year.

In all, American will remove a total of about 7,200 coach seats and expand the passenger living space for more than 75,000 coach seats. Adding to coach comfort is the fact that American flies a large number of new-generation coach seats with a roomier seat contour, a six-way adjustable leather headrest, and armrests on most aisle seats that move up and back for easier seat access.