American Airlines will soon begin the process of retrofitting its Boeing 777-300ER aircraft, dubbed “Project Olympus,” bringing new seats with up-to-date amenities and tech.
The first of the 777s, N718AN, was ferried to Hong Kong on Dec. 7:
The airline has 20 Boeing 777-300ERs in its fleet. Thus, the retrofit for the full fleet will take time.
The process for N718AN specifically will also take time with the retrofit itself and certification, and it will likely not be ready for passenger service until at least the spring.
During the refurbishment, these aircraft will have their Panasonic inflight Wi-Fi swapped for Viasat’s satellite connectivity, according to aviation insider JonNYC.
This is key, as American introduces free Wi-Fi in January, and aircraft equipped with the Panasonic system are left out due to the inability to handle the increased usage that comes with complimentary access. Project Olympus will further expand the number of American aircraft with free Wi-Fi.
Further, the Boeing 777-200s will also have their Panasonic inflight Wi-Fi swapped for Viasat starting in the fall of 2026.
The retrofitted 777-300ERs will feature 70 Adient Ascent seats up front, the same product currently offered on the airline’s newest Boeing 787-9s (78P).
The aircraft currently holds 52 business class seats. Project Olympus will deliver an extra 18 seats, for a total of 70 Flagship Suites.
This will play a role in the airline’s bet on premium, as it hopes to increase premium seating by 30% over the next decade and by 50% on long-haul routes.
Premium economy will include 44 seats and will feature the MiQ 2.0 seat by Collins Aerospace, not the Safran Z535i seats seen on the new Boeing 787s:
Related: A Closer Look at American’s Refurbished 777-300ER Configuration with Flagship Suites
Below is the new configuration:
The most obvious change is the elimination of first class and the increase in premium capacity. Although the eight first class seats will disappear, the airline was able to add 18 business and 16 premium economy seats in their place, while maintaining 216 economy class seats.
Other changes on the retrofitted 777-300ER will be:
- The number of lavatories has decreased from 12 to 9. The 216 economy class passengers have just 3 lavatories at the back. There are none between premium economy and economy, and it is unclear at the moment whether premium economy passengers will be able to access the ones between them and business class.
- Galley space has been reduced significantly. Particularly the galley in the back, whose space has to accommodate the 3 lavatories in the new configuration.
Bottom Line
The first Boeing 777-300ER, N718AN, has made it to Hong Kong to begin cabin retrofits. Although this process will take time, passengers can look forward to a fresh interior on American’s flagship routes soon, and the airline is eager to roll out aircraft with increased premium capacity.
Featured image via Wikimedia Commons.
