American Airlines Seats and Services Are Finally Living Up To Its Marketing

Colin Nagy, head of strategy at Fred & Farid, a global advertising agency, writes this opinion column for Skift on hospitality, innovation, and business travel. “On Experience” dissects customer-centric experiences and innovation across hospitality, aviation, and beyond. 

Advertising for U.S. airlines for the past few years has promised what will be the passenger experience of the future, not what the reality is now.

American Airlines, for one, has touted a beautiful vision: a huge improvement in its fleet, a lounge refresh, and other overhauls. As the merger with US Airways was coming to a close, it was hard to believe some of the promises especially when sitting in a not-quite-flat bed on a dusty old 777 from Narita, Japan.

But, after a fairly tumultuous period for the carrier, recent trips on the airline have seen considerable improvements. The brand is feeling fresh, many routes have sparkling new planes, and the awkwardness of the merger is in the past.