Lie-flat seats are… quite literally the dream. For someone who has been a budget traveler since the dawn of time, my first lie-flat experience was one of myths and legends (and I’ll never forget it).
On American Airlines, you can usually score a lie-flat seat on a number of U.S. routes, if you know where to look. Whether you are flying across the country or just want a super solid nap on your short-haul flight, here’s your go-to guide for finding lie-flat options on American Airlines.
Planes That Offer Lie-Flat Seats
American’s lie-flat seats show up on select aircraft types that are usually reserved for international routes, but they make some domestic appearances, too. Here are the planes you should be watching out for:
Airbus A321T – American’s premium transcontinental plane. This one has lie-flat seats in both First and Business Class and is used almost exclusively on cross-country routes.
Benji Stawski / Daily Drop
Boeing 777-300ER and 777-200 – International wide-body planes with lie-flat Business (and sometimes First) Class.
Benji Stawski / Daily Drop
Boeing 787-8 and 787-9 Dreamliners – These usually fly abroad but pop up on high-traffic domestic routes.
Boeing 787-9 (Flagship Suite version) – American’s brand-new cabin layout now flying select domestic routes like Chicago (ORD) to Los Angeles (LAX).
Photo by Marcus Adolf / Daily Drop
Phew, that was a lot of letters and numbers. But if your flight is on one of those aircraft, chances are pretty good you’ll be stretching out horizontally.
Domestic Routes to Look For
Some of the most frequent domestic routes with lie-flat seats include:
New York (JFK) to and from Los Angeles (LAX), San Francisco (SFO), Orange County (SNA)
Boston (BOS) to and from Los Angeles (LAX)
Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) to and from Los Angeles (LAX), Honolulu (HNL), Chicago (ORD), and Philadelphia (PHL)
Miami (MIA) to and from New York (JFK), Charlotte (CLT), Philadelphia (PHL), Chicago (ORD)
Flights and schedules change from month to month, so don’t assume these are year-round, and always double-check before booking. After all, you know what assuming does….
How To See if Your Flight Offers Lie-Flat Seats
You don’t have to be what we call an “AvGeek” to figure out if your flight has lie-flat seats (though it definitely helps). Here are two ways to do it:
Check Aircraft Type on AA.com
Start with a flight search on American’s site. And once your results load, click “details” on whatever flight you’re considering. You’ll see the aircraft type (look for 777, 787, or A321T).
Screenshot from AA.com
Even more useful? If lie-flat seats are available, you’ll sometimes see a little blue banner that says, “Lie-flat seat available” or “Flagship business.” And that’s your green light!
💡 Pro Tip: Head to the AA Cargo site, click “Schedules,” and download the domestic wide-body PDF. It shows every domestic route operated by a wide-body aircraft for the current month (aka… flights with lie-flat seats).
Another option is Google Flights. When you search for flights, click through to view the seat map. Business class with 1–2–1 or 2–2 seating layouts is a good clue it’s lie-flat. If you see the word “flat” or “bed” in the seat description, then ding ding ding.
💡 Pro Tip: Did you know you can filter your preferences on Daily Drop Pro flight searches? You can toggle the airline and type of aircraft, which could help you spot those lie-flat seats.
Best Ways to Maximize Your Bookings
Listen — I want the lie-flat seat, but I don’t want to pay for the lie-flat seat. Is that too much to ask? Not around here, it’s not!
Here’s how to use those super-duper-wonderful miles and points in these cases:
AAdvantage Miles – Prices are dynamic, but you can sometimes score lie-flat flights for as low as 18,500 miles, especially on shorter routes like Miami to Charlotte.
Alaska Mileage Plan – You can sometimes find seats on Alaska for just 9,000 miles for flights under 700 miles in first class (like CLT to MIA), which is tough to beat.
Chase Ultimate Rewards® – You can use points through the Chase Travel portal to book cash fares, and sometimes the math works out better than transferring miles.
Bottom Line
Lie-flat seats are (thankfully) no longer only for international routes. American Airlines flies dozens of domestic routes using these premium planes, and with a little research, you can book one of these seats without taking out a loan.
Whether you’re cashing in points or just want a better seat for your trip, it pays to check the aircraft and be a little more strategic about your booking. Because once you fly lie-flat, it’s really hard to go back.
