American Airlines is launching a new range of amenity kits across selected international and premium transcontinental flights. The amenity kit bags are designed by Shinola and stocked with goodies from D.S. & Durga. Passengers on some routes will see the new amenity kits this week. Others will have to wait until later in the northern summer.
“American Airlines is introducing new onboard amenity kits for premium cabin customers in partnership with Shinola and D.S. & Durga,” says American Airlines in a statement. Perhaps over-emphasizing the role an amenity kit plays in most passenger’s lives, the airline goes on to say;
“These thoughtful and creative partners will help keep memories of customers’ travels top of mind, even when customers aren’t flying 35,000 feet in the air.”
New amenity kits rolled out on American’s London flights this week
The new amenity kits will be available to passengers in Flagship First, Flagship Business, and premium economy classes on flights between the United States and London from this week. This includes American Airlines London-bound flights departing from Charlotte, Dallas/Fort Worth, Miami, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York Kennedy, and Seattle. The new kits will show up on other long-haul international and premium transcontinental flights throughout the summer.
But passengers will need to target flights operated by certain aircraft. London-bound passengers will need to fly on one of American’s Boeing 777-300ER services to snag a Flagship First seat. American’s Boeing 777-300ERs also feature Flagship Business and premium economy seating. Passengers in the main cabin miss out on the new amenity kits.
American’s domestic transcontinental passengers will need to book a seat on a premium seat heavy aircraft such as the Airbus A321T. According to reporting in The Points Guy, transcontinental passengers will see a small downgrade in their amenity kits. Transcontinental first class passengers will score a Flagship Business amenity kit. Transcontinental business class passengers will receive a premium economy amenity kit.
Fancy a desk clock made from a former American Airlines MD-80?
Shinola is a United States-based luxury design brand best known for its watches and leather goods. Shinola is also getting busy making clocks for American Airlines when not stitching new amenity bags for American Airlines. Using metal from the now-retired McDonnell Douglas MD-80 aircraft fleet, Shinola is making desk clocks.
Each clock dial is unique and bears small markings from the aircraft’s decades of service. Shinola is only making 1,000 of the clocks. American Airlines’ loyalists will be able to buy one with or without the airline’s vintage logo.
What is in the new American Airlines amenity kits?
What’s in the new amenity kits? Much of the product is standard, but helpfully so. Toothpaste, toothbrush, socks, and eye masks never go astray on a long flight. But the amenity kits will also include lip balms and lotions with scents made by New York-based perfumers D.S. & Durga.
American Airlines provides two samples of the scents. One is called Rose Atlantic. Apparently, it is inspired by “summers on the New England coast with aromas of wild rose and the salty sea.” But it is the Radio Bombay scent that sounds most interesting. D.S. & Durga says the scent channels “hot copper tubes warm the soft wood releasing the blooms of musk, cream, peach, ambrette, coco, and cedar distillates.”
If you’re an airline amenity kit collector, best book a flight. Doug Parker will welcome the business. If you want one of Shinola’s limited edition American Airlines desk clocks, head to Shinola’s website.