Six and a half years ago, American Airlines promised to shake up international travel when it became the first U.S. airline to order Airbus’ brand-new, “extra long range” A321XLR jet — a single-aisle plane capable of crisscrossing the Atlantic Ocean.
Smaller and cheaper to operate than a big Boeing 777 or 787 Dreamliner, the airline saw the plane as a way to launch service to unique new destinations overseas — and offer a true premium experience on a domestic-sized plane.
Then customers had to wait through a pandemic, and many months of production delays.
But American’s posh new plane — lie-flat suites and all — is finally here.
American debuts the Airbus A321XLR
In one week, the Fort Worth-based carrier will become the first U.S. airline to fly the long-range Airbus when it deploys the XLR on its most premium domestic route between New York and Los Angeles.
Ahead of the jet’s first flight though, American showed off the aircraft at an exclusive preview event at its Terminal 8 hub at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK).
And there was good reason for the pomp and circumstance.
This plane includes American’s latest-generation onboard experience: Most notably, the aircraft offers a true global business-class cabin, complete with its brand-new Flagship Suites.
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There’s also a true premium economy section. And, the aircraft sports the all-new cabin look and color scheme that American is planning to eventually make standard on its planes — a design that involves far more prominent American Airlines branding, brown leather headrests and a far brighter shade of blue for many of the seats.
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Airbus A321XLR layout
American’s new XLR seats a mere 155 passengers — down from the 190 seats found on its standard-configuration A321 jets.
That smaller passenger count is a reflection of the premium-heavy configuration of the aircraft — with the focus on higher-end seats, not cramming a ton of flyers on board.
Flagship Suites
Up-front in the business-class cabin, you’ll find 20 of the carrier’s new enclosed Flagship Suites, complete with sliding privacy doors (which passengers should be able to close … soon, once the airline gains certification for that feature).
If this concept sounds familiar, this is the same spiffy Flagship product that America debuted just over six months ago on its newest Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners — a suite that instantly ranked among the best in the U.S. airline industry.
There’s one pod on each side of the aisle, and each is equipped with Bluetooth-capable entertainment screens, detachable touchscreen remotes and marble-colored cocktail trays.
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Premium economy
Behind the business-class cabin is premium economy, where passengers will find 12 recliners with winged headrests, domestic first-style cocktail trays and wireless charging pockets.
These seats should offer a fairly comfortable ride for travelers looking to catch some shut-eye, thanks to the foot and calf rests.
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Premium economy seats are arranged in a 2-2 configuration.
Main cabin
In the main cabin, the light-blue seat coverings are easily the biggest shift from the more traditional color pattern that American flyers have seen for years.
You’ll also notice some variety in the headrests: Brown denotes the airline’s extra-legroom Main Cabin Extra section, with navy blue signifying a standard coach seat.
SEAN CUDAHY/THE POINTS GUYIn a departure from American’s domestic fleet, there are seatback touchscreens at every seat — and each is set up to allow passengers to connect their Bluetooth headphones.
Where will American fly its new A321XLR?
American has two big plans for this new plane.
Replacing the Airbus A321T
Up first: premium transcontinental flying.
The airline plans to use the XLR to replace its older, premium-heavy transcontinental A321T aircraft the carrier is phasing out.
That means you’ll see the XLR on some of American’s top coast-to-coast routes.
The route from JFK to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) is up first, on Dec. 18.
But expect to see the XLR on a handful of additional routes currently served by the “T,” including:
- JFK to San Francisco International Airport (SFO)
- JFK to John Wayne Airport (SNA) in Orange County, California
- Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) to LAX
Worth noting: Unlike American’s popular (but aging) A321T, the new XLR jet does not sport a Flagship First cabin — that cabin is being phased out from all of American’s aircraft that have it.
But with the new aircraft, the carrier gains a premium economy cabin for its top transcontinental routes, something the A321T did not have.
New international flying
Far more exciting, though, are the airline’s plans for international flying with the new jet, which sports an impressive range of 4,700 nautical miles.
That range, combined with a smaller passenger count than American’s biggest long-haul planes, should see the airline make bets on less touristy destinations in Europe and beyond.
“The real sexy part of deploying the 321[XLR] is transatlantic,” top network planner Brian Znotins said Thursday. “That’s really what we bought the airplane for.”
American has already announced it will deploy the jet on a new route from JFK to Edinburgh.
And with a total of 50 of these planes on order, it’s eyeing additional cities on other continents for the coming years.
“By having an airplane that’s properly sized for demand in smaller markets, you’ll see us adding destinations in secondary France, Spain, Italy, Germany and the U.K.,” Znotins said. “Furthermore, as we take more airplanes, we’ll be deploying them to secondary markets in Brazil out of hubs like Miami and [Dallas Fort Worth].”
Translation? Stay tuned for exciting new routes in the future.
Flagship Suites arrive on more planes, flights
For those keeping track, this is the second aircraft type in American’s fleet to sport its new Flagship Suite product.
You’ll also find it on its Dreamliner “787-9P” configuration, which American is deploying on a growing number of international routes from Chicago, Philadelphia and Dallas — and, soon, New York.
Meanwhile, the carrier is getting set to retrofit its largest plane — the Boeing 777-300ER — with the suites and the all-new cabin look.
Side note
One important note about the Flagship product on this new aircraft: The XLR does not sport the extra-spacious front-row Flagship Suite Preferred you’ll find on its far larger 787-9P Dreamliners that launched this past summer.
To experience that, you’d have to fly with the airline on one of its Europe or South Pacific routes flown by its newest Dreamliners.
Bottom line
The long-awaited arrival of American’s new XLRs is welcome news for customers and the airline alike.
Loyalists of the carrier’s AAdvantage program will get new opportunities for a high-end business-class redemption — not to mention an expansion of the airline’s premium economy offerings on routes between the East and West Coasts.
Just as enticing: Where American could look to fly the jet in Europe and South America, at a time when its two top rivals (especially United Airlines) have turned heads with bets on more off-the-beaten-path destinations.
Speaking of competitors, the XLR should also prove to be a boost for American at a time when it’s hoping to close a financial gap with United and Delta Air Lines — which have surged, in recent years, with the help of their heavy complement of high-end products.
For now, though, American will be focused on rolling out the new plane across its schedule. Time will tell if it’s the game-changer American is hoping for.
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