In the past, American flew (internationally configured)three-cabin aircraft on a few domestic routes, among them Dallas-Chicago and Los Angeles-Miami. But American only sold seats as coach and First Class, leaving the Business Class cabin seats to be confirmed at time of booking by AA elites, full-fare coach passengers, oneworld elites, and some preferred AA travel agencies. This used to be one of my favorite upgrade games—upgrading without going for an upgrade.
Nothing lasts forever. On most domestic routes offering a three-cabin aircraft, American has fares for each cabin now.
But we came across one route where AA still only charges for a two cabin class: New York (JFK)-Miami on AA1165 and Miami-New York (JFK) on AA1510, when the plane is a B767-200. Anyone can just buy the lowest economy fare, usually priced about $240 including all taxes, and you can confirm a Business Class seat for free if one is available. (The plane has 24 seats in Business Class, rows 7 to 11; make sure to confirm seats in these rows.) The seat reclines 50 degrees, is 18.5 inches wide, and has 49 to 50 inches of pitch. The lowest First Class fare on this route is usually about $1,200.