Eight Hours on a 787-8: American Airlines Business Class from Miami to Santiago
by Krish Patel
Of the big 3 U.S. legacy airlines, American offers the most number of direct routes to South America. The carrier serves several destinations from its Miami and Dallas hubs across Latin America, including major cities like Buenos Aires and Santiago. For these long haul routes to Deep South America, American Airlines sends its fleet of Boeing widebodies, which includes the 777s and 787 Dreamliners.
Here’s our experience flying on American’s 787-8 in Flagship Business from Miami (MIA) to Arturo Merino Benítez Airport in Santiago (SCL).
MIA Flagship Lounge & Boarding
My American Airlines Business Class ticket granted me access to the Flagship Lounge at MIA, which is located in Concourse D. It’s a wonderful space to relax away from the hustle and bustle of the terminal before boarding. I headed there during my layover after spending some time at the British Airways Lounge in Concourse E.
Upon checking in, I received a black invitation that would grant me access into the actual lounge area. Guests can walk up the staircase or take the elevator to reach the actual lounge.
The American Airlines Flagship Lounge in Miami is unlike any membership-based Admirals Club. Its exclusive vibe means that it’s slightly less crowded during peak hours. There’s tons of comfortable seating, a dedicated quiet area, chef-curated buffet, and even showers. During my visit, I spent most of my time chilling out in the quiet zone.
The seating adopts American’s signature red, gray, and brown color scheme. You’ll find several design motifs such as bright wooden accents and gray marble flooring, which are standard in Flagship Lounges and even some Admirals Clubs. Ranging from dining tables to individual armchairs, this lounge truly has a variety of seating options.
You’re not going to be left hungry here. Thanks to a delicious buffet utilizing local ingredients from the Miami area, guests can enjoy a light snack or meal in the lounge. The main dining area is pretty spacious and the various light fixtures were a pleasant addition.
For First Class and Business Plus passengers, the Flagship First Dining facility is complimentary. It includes an á la carte menu and restaurant vibes similar to The Dining Room in United’s Polaris Lounges. However, most Business Class passengers are limited to the buffet.
Amenities in the Flagship Lounge include showers and a dedicated workstation. The workstation features computers and plenty of desk space in case you want to catch up on any emails before flying. I loved the views overlooking the tarmac.
After spending nearly three hours in the lounge, I went to board my flight at gate D27. American’s Business Class passengers are able to pre-board ahead of priority group 1, which I truly appreciated. Despite this, I still encountered a long line to board the aircraft while on the jet bridge.
American Airlines 787-8 Flagship Business Cabin and Seat
The 787-8 Dreamliner features 20 Business Class seats arranged in a 1-2-1 configuration across 5 rows. It’s worth mentioning that American has two types of Business Class seats on its 787-8s: the Concept D Zodiac seats (our cabin) and the newer B/E Aerospace Super Diamond seats.
The Zodiac seats are less modern and not an excellent product since they’re slightly narrower and offer less storage space. However, these seats manage to provide decent privacy when in bed mode and feature plenty of side table space. Their material is quite soft and makes for some decently comfortable seat fabric.
I found the dark gray color scheme to be quite bland and unappealing. The color palette makes the forward and backwards-facing seats look more like office cubicles rather than luxurious Business Class seats.
Each seat features a touchscreen entertainment monitor, which pops out at the press of a button. It’s a decent size, but isn’t easily accessible during take-off and landing. Adjacent to the screen is a small coat hook.
Right below your entertainment monitor is a leg rest, under which is room to store your shoes.
Located along the outer end of the seat is a small storage cubby for a phone, as well as two universal outlets and two USB-A ports. There’s also a pretty large side table, as well as a tucked away literature pocket.
Meanwhile, the opposite console is where the headphone jack, reading light, IFE remote, and seat controls are all located. The main preset of seat controls can be found on a small touchscreen right next to the remote, allowing you to customize the seat into a variety of positions.
The wooden bifold tray table pops out from the inner armrest. It’s noticeably smaller than the table on American’s 777-200ER, but still offers a moderate surface area.
When it’s time to sleep, the Business seat on the 787 converts into a lie-flat bed. The room around the upper body felt slightly narrow, but I appreciated the spacious amount of room by the feet. Thanks to the comfortable bedding, I was able to sleep so well that I almost missed the pre-landing breakfast service.
The lavatory on the 787-8 is somewhat spacious, featuring a spacious sink and decent counter space. You can easily tell that American has invested in the quality of its onboard lavatory. The D.S. & Durga liquid soap provided by the sink was a wonderful touch.
American Airlines Flagship Business Class Food and Drink
Unfortunately, there were no printed menus provided to Business Class passengers. Instead, flight attendants took our dinner orders before departure and asked if we wanted to be served breakfast.
The flight kicked off with pre-departure beverages, for which I chose orange juice. All of the drinks offered before takeoff were served in plastic cups. At this time, the crew also passed out plastic bottles of Pure Life water to each passenger.
After takeoff, flight attendants set up the tablecloth for dinner and offered warm nuts along with a beverage. I chose still water with ice.
After being brought my drink, I was served the entree, for which I had pre-ordered via an email from American Airlines. I chose the Japanese-style noodles, which were warm and fresh. Provided on the side was a sweet potato appetizer and mixed greens salad. The salad was also enjoyable and much better than the side salads I’m used to eating on United.
Dessert is really hard to beat in American Airlines Business Class. I went for the Häagen-Dazs ice cream sundae with hot fudge, whipped cream, berry compote, dulce de leche, and chopped pecans. It was hand assembled by the crew in the galley and absolutely delicious.
A wonderful breakfast was served prior to landing in Santiago, and I chose the fresh fruit bowl over the omelet. It came with toasted caramel granola and vanilla yogurt, though my favorite part was the biscuit. It was warm and flaky, pairing really nicely with the strawberry preserves on the side. For my drink, I ordered a mug of green tea.
Amenities in American Airlines Flagship Business
Upon boarding, each Business Class seat comes provided with the following:
Bedding Items (Pillow and Blanket)
Slippers
Raven Lily Amenity Kit
Bang & Olufsen Headphones
American’s bedding is made in partnership with Nest and composed of sustainable materials. It comes in a zipper bag branded with the American Airlines logo. The open-toe slippers are also provided from Nest Bedding.
American’s noise-cancelling Bang and Olufsen headphones are of very excellent quality and some of the best airline headphones in the sky. They’re comfortable to wear and have a great noise-reducing performance.
The Raven Lily amenity kit comes in a bright blue leather and consists of:
Raven Lily Key Chain
American Airlines branded eye mask
Dental kit
Socks
Earplugs
Joanna Vargas skincare items: refreshing towel, lip balm, hand lotion
Given that this is a widebody, travelers can enjoy a proper seatback screen on an American flight. The IFE system offers plenty of movies and shows, as well as a variety of playlists. There are even dedicated tabs for kids, the inflight map, and airline information. However, the screen is very difficult to interface with and not as modern compared to those on other aircraft.
Booking & Pricing for American Airlines Flagship Business Class
For a round-trip Business Class ticket on American from Miami to Santiago, prices start from $4,500 and can heavily fluctuate based on the season. However, the real value when booking Business Class tickets like this comes from leveraging mileage programs. American is part of the OneWorld Alliance, so there’s no shortage of options when it comes to booking Business Class on points.
American AAdvantage uses dynamic pricing for award redemptions, with web special rates on the Santiago route starting from close to 70,000 miles one-way, which is subject to availability. Citi ThankYou Rewards transfer to AAdvantage at a 1:1 ratio and can be earned through a credit card like the Citi Strata Premier or Citi Strata Elite.
You can also book through partner programs like British Airways Avios and Atmos Rewards, the combined loyalty program of Alaska and Hawaiian Airlines. British Airways typically charges a fixed 77,250 Avios on this route based on the distance tier. It’s possible to transfer several credit card points to the British Airways Club program, including Amex Membership Rewards and Chase Ultimate Rewards by using credit cards such as The Platinum Card from American Express or the Chase Sapphire Reserve. The latter currently offers an elevated welcome offer of 100,000 Ultimate Rewards Points.
Meanwhile, Atmos Rewards offers the best sweet spot of these three programs. If you can find award space, it requires just 50,000 points one-way on this South American route.
Overall Thoughts
Depending on the type of aircraft and seat you find yourself in, your experience in American Airlines Business Class can greatly vary. The Zodiac seats on the 787-8 are somewhat comfortable, but not the most luxurious in terms of storage and ambiance. I’m not a very big fan of the airline’s gray color palette since it feels very bland and uninspiring. However, a lie-flat seat on an overnight flight is well-appreciated, especially with the inflight Nest bedding. When departing an American hub such as Miami, the soft product feels enhanced since travelers will have access to the Flagship Lounge, which is above average compared to a typical airport lounge experience. If there’s solid award availability for Business Class on American’s 787-8, particularly through the combined program of Alaska and Hawaiian, then I’d consider flying this plane again. Otherwise, I’d much rather fly Flagship Business onboard one of the airline’s newer jets.