Passengers onboard
American Airlines Super 80 aircraft can look forward to having more
powerports at their fingertips and larger overhead bins for stowing
carry-ons during their travels on MD80s. Today, American announced plans to make several improvements to former TWA
MD80 (S80) aircraft—improvements that will bring the airline closer to
fleet standardization, one goal of American’s Turnaround Plan. The
improvements are a result of employee feedback as well as customer input.

“Seeking feedback from employees and customers helps us provide more of
what our customers value,” said Dan Garton, American’s executive vice
president - Marketing. “Feedback from Flight Attendants was instrumental
in our decision to make these cabin improvements.”

The powerport initiative calls for installation of powerports for every
First-Class seat on the former TWA MD80 aircraft, and 45 outlets in every
Coach-Class cabin on the MD80s. American already has more powerports than
any other U.S. carrier and more powerports in Coach seats than any other
airline.

“We understand our customers want to stay connected via powerports
inflight, and they’ve told us they like the convenience of storing their
carry-ons wheels first in the overhead bins, which allows for quicker
deplaning after landing,” Garton said.

American’s powerports deliver 15 volts of direct current, using a
cigarette-lighter type plug. Customers already familiar with American’s
powerports know that in addition to powering laptops and recharging cell
phones, they also can be used to operate CD players and DVD players.
Installation will begin later this year.

The bin expansion calls for extending bins on the former TWA MD80s, which
will create more carry-on space on the triple-seat side of the aircraft
and simplify the boarding and deplaning process for passengers. American
already has increased overhead storage capacity on many of its aircraft, a
move that has been praised by customers who now can store their roll-on
luggage wheels first.

American also will replace the galleys on 33 of the MD80s, making them
consistent with the galleys on the rest of the AA MD80 fleet. The projects
should be completed by fall of 2005.
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