American Airlines says au revoir to first-class seating on international flights

American Airlines is eliminating first-class tickets on international flights, saying the carrier isn't selling enough of the pricey seats.

"First class will not exist on the 777, or for that matter at American Airlines, for the simple reason that our customers aren't buying it," Vasu Raja, chief commercial officer, said in announcing the company's third-quarter earnings on Thursday. 

Raja said many passengers are avoiding first-class and instead buying less expensive business-class tickets. American recently said that it will install a new premium level of business class seats called Flagship Suite on its Airbus A321XLR and Boeing 787-9 planes starting next year. That will require scrapping first-class rows.