American Airlines is introducing new amenity kits for
premium class travelers on long-haul international and transcontinental
flights, the carrier announced.
The kits, which on Monday are debuting on flights between
the United States and London and will be added to more routes throughout the
summer, feature different designs for each cabin. American partnered with Detroit-based
luxury design brand Shinola for the kits and are designed so that passengers
will want to "re-use them in another form," Shinola CEO Shannon
Washburn said.
The carrier also has partnered with Brooklyn-based fragrance
company D.S. and Durga for the kits to include "really modern
fragrances," such as Rose Atlantic and Bombay Radio, founder David Moltz
said.
American typically refreshes its amenity kits every few
years, and the carrier now is preparing for the return to long-haul travel,
including business travel, American director of premium services and customer
experience Nick Richards said. They go alongside other initiatives including
refreshing entertainment content and allowing passengers to access Facebook
Messenger via Wi-Fi for free, he said.
"We want to ensure we're partners with experts in the
space, and we want to remain relevant to the evolving customer base,"
Richards said. "We've held several focus groups, including with corporate
customers, to understand what they value, and on a 10-hour flight, they're
looking for additional ways to get comfortable."