The differences between international First class and Business class can sometimes be insignificant, but most airlines tend to differentiate the product offerings all the way down to the amenity kit. American Airlines, however, currently provides just one “Premium†version to its First and Business class passengers. In this edition of Amenity Kit Reviews, I take on an American kit manufactured in April of 2010. For a better description of each category, and the 7-point scale for scoring, please review my introduction post here.

Bag/Container: This gray-colored nylon/canvas zipper bag features the American eagle logo on the top portion. The kit maintains its “pencil case†shape very well, and includes a mesh pocket on the inside portion of the zipper top. Given its durable feel, ease of zipper operation, and high likelihood of re-usability, I think American did a good job in this category. Score: 5

Skin Care: American is currently partnered with Burt’s Bees for their skin care items, and this kit includes the popular retail size Beeswax Lip Balm and the Naturally Nourishing Milk & Honey Body Lotion. The lip balm is great, but the body lotion’s color (think ‘dusty chocolate milk’) is less than appealing, and goes on oily. I wouldn’t want to use it as a facial moisturizer, so I feel American has room to improve in this area. Also included is an unbranded hand and face moist towelette. It is of adequate size, and although it shows ‘scented’ on the packaging, I couldn’t detect any (which isn’t necessarily a bad thing). Score: 3

Oral Care: I was pleased to find a full-size toothbrush with this kit, and an ingenious snap cover to the soft-bristled brush. The Colegate toothpaste had a security seal (plus), which was a bit tough to get off (minus) given the tiny size of the tube. No mouthwash was included, but a little package of Smints provided a similar amount of freshness necessary for “airplane mouth.†Toothpicks were also supplied. Decent quality items in this category pushed American above the middle. Score: 5

Comfort Items: The standard eyeshade & sock combo are banded together with a paper strap, and both fit fairly comfortably as a one-size-fits-all. The earplugs are soft and effective, and the package of facial tissue is always handy to have at your seat. Nothing awful, nothing exceptional here, so I’ve scored it accordingly.  Score: 4

Intangibles: Similar to the previous kit I reviewed, this one doesn’t emit a sense of exclusivity, but does feel welcoming and substantial. The color scheme of the items is seamless, and the American branding and logos are subtle yet acknowledged. Nothing really stands out to give this category anything other than an average rating. Score: 4

Total score & comments:

Overall, this amenity kit gets the job done and doesn’t lack anything major. I might like to see mouthwash, though, if there was a separate kit in the future for First class passengers. Two decent takeaways are the retail size lip balm, and the full-size ballpoint pen. Also, the pencil case design makes it ideal for multi-purpose home use. Plugging the values in for each category gives American a total score of 4.15 for this multi-cabin amenity kit.