WHY IT RATES: Tourists want to fly with a highly rated airline, and travel agents have the insight to show American is one of the best.-Donald Wood, Breaking News Senior Writer.
American Airlines was named a "Five Star Global Airline" on Monday by the Airline Passenger Experience Association (APEX). The ranking is a testament to the airline's $3 billion investment in the customer experience, including improvements in food and beverage offerings, inflight entertainment and Wi-Fi.
"Being named a Five Star airline shows that our customers are noticing our investments and the hard work by our team," said Kurt Stache, Senior Vice President of Marketing, Loyalty & Sales for American. "It's an honor to be one of only three North American airlines to receive this distinction."
APEX worked with TripIt from Concur to gather anonymous passenger feedback based on verified travel itineraries. Customers rated their overall flight experience, then rated their experience in seat comfort, cabin service, food and beverage, entertainment, and Wi-Fi. Customers of nearly 500 airlines from around the world rated flights they had taken during the year ending June 30.
In addition to having the youngest mainline fleet among the four large U.S. airlines, American's investments include:
-Adding fast Wi-Fi to its domestic fleet, available today on more than 240 aircraft and on all of American's long-term narrowbody fleet of more than 700 aircraft by mid-2019;
-Adding power throughout the cabin on mainline aircraft and two-class regional jets through 2021, ensuring customers arrive refreshed and recharged;
-Installing new larger overhead bins so customers will have space for their carry-on bag. American offers the largest overhead bins available on its new and updated aircraft;
-Enhancing the free onboard library with hundreds of movies, television, and music titles as well as new offerings such as Calm, which provides custom-curated sound and video to help customers relax and have a restful journey;
-Activating free live TV, now available on more than 100 domestic aircraft, with the rest being updated during 2019. American is already the only U.S. airline to offer live TV on long-haul international flights;
-Improving premium cabin offerings with amenities such as noise canceling headsets, elevated food and beverage choices, and bedding from Casper; and
-Flagship First Dining and Flagship Lounge locations, with Dallas Fort Worth coming in 2019.
American also recently announced a partnership with Zoes Kitchen to introduce a new food-for-sale menu for customers in Main Cabin designed to provide delicious, light and healthy choices. The new menu includes items unique to American as well as dishes found in Zoes restaurants, such as its signature hummus and The Gruben sandwich. The new items will be available for purchase on most domestic flights longer than three hours beginning Dec. 1.
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