American Airlines has pushed back the highly anticipated refurbishment of its Boeing 777-300ER fleet under “Project Olympus,” according to a report from View from the Wing. The program, aimed at modernizing long-haul aircraft interiors, has been derailed by supply chain setbacks.
In early May, one of American’s 777-300ER jets was flown from Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport to HAECO’s maintenance facility in Hong Kong for the planned retrofit. However, after nearly a month on the ground, the aircraft returned to the U.S. without any upgrades due to delays from suppliers. This disruption has significantly impacted the airline’s timeline for introducing its revamped cabin experience.
First Class Out, Flagship Suite In
Project Olympus includes a major cabin overhaul: retiring the existing First Class product in favor of American’s new Flagship Suite, which will become the airline’s most premium seating option. These suites are already featured on the airline’s Boeing 787-9P Dreamliners.
This summer, Dreamliners with the Flagship Suite will operate transatlantic flights from Chicago O’Hare and Philadelphia to destinations such as London and Zurich. In the winter, the upgraded aircraft are scheduled to serve transpacific routes from Dallas/Fort Worth to Brisbane and Auckland.
Passenger Complaints Mount as Aging Interiors Persist
With the 777-300ER refurbishments delayed, customers continue to report deteriorating cabin conditions. Frequent complaints include broken footrests, malfunctioning seats, and outdated inflight entertainment systems—issues that were expected to be resolved with the rollout of Project Olympus.
What the New Configuration Will Look Like
Once completed, the updated 777-300ER layout will feature seating for 330 passengers. The reconfigured cabin will include:
- 70 Flagship Suite seats
- 44 Premium Economy seats
- 48 Main Cabin Extra seats
- 138 Main Cabin seats
While American Airlines has not provided a revised timeline for the cabin upgrades, the airline remains committed to rolling out its new premium offering across its widebody fleet. However, ongoing supplier issues continue to pose challenges to the full execution of Project Olympus.
