Fewer 1st-class seats on American

[DALLAS] Three-class cabins on international jets, once a hallmark of passenger pampering, are dwindling at the world's largest carrier.

Waning customer interest in the costliest tickets prompted American Airlines to drop first class as it adds seats to its 47 long-haul Boeing 777-200s. The aircraft will get new lie-flat business seats - plusher than coach, but lacking first-class flourishes such as pajamas, slippers and hors d'oeuvre.

"We're responding to what demand is," Casey Norton, an American spokesman, said last week. "We've looked at what the demand level is for business and also what we need in the main c…