By Shawn Gallagher
Today, Iberia completed the world’s first transatlantic flight with an Airbus A321XLR, marking the beginning of a new era for modern aviation. The flight, from Madrid to Boston, will be one of many new transpacific routes for the aircraft we will see in the coming years among various airlines.
The A321XLR, despite its smaller fuselage, boasts an impressive range with industry-leading fuel efficiency. This opens up new routes for airlines that were otherwise not possible or economically inefficient with widebody aircraft, such as the Boeing 777 and 787.
American Airlines is one of the airlines eagerly awaiting its delivery from Airbus. They have 50 of them on order, and expect them to arrive starting at some point in 2025.
Routes For The A321XLR
We can expect to see American Airlines fly the Airbus A321XLR in 2 markets: cross country routes within the United States, and transatlantic routes to Europe.
Currently, American Airlines is phasing out its A321 Transcon (A321T) aircraft, which has a 4 class layout with more premium seating compared to the rest of their domestic fleet. The A321XLR is planned to replace these with its own premium seating, connecting airports such as New York JFK, Boston, Los Angeles, and San Fransisco. These are expected to happen first, once they begin to receive deliveries from Airbus.
In the long run, we can expect some new routes established utilizing the unique range and flexibility of the A321XLR. It’s still early to know what exact routes they will add, but smaller market airports that aren’t currently served by their widebody aircraft are contenders to see flights. This means less or no layovers when flying to these routes, which makes for a more comfortable travel experience.
Inside The A321XLR
With a new aircraft comes a new interior. The Airbus A321XLR will have the airline’s newest cabin design, with seats not seen before in the airline’s history.
Their Flagship Suite products will get an overhaul, matching current industry standards with privacy doors and modern inflight entertainment.
These are a much needed upgrade from the current product, which are becoming out of date and are in poor shape.
Related: American Airlines Reveals A New Business Class Product, Flagship Suite Preferred
The Airbus A321XLR will feature 20 of these Flagship Suite seats. The seats come in a 1-1 configuration.
The aircraft will also feature new Premium Economy and Main Cabin seats as well. Premium Economy looks similar to domestic first class, coming in a 2-2 configuration.
Their widebody aircraft, the Boeing 777 and the 787, will eventually get retrofitted with a similar product to this one.
Bottom Line
The Airbus A321XLR opens up many new opportunities for airlines. American Airlines will be looking to expand its network in new ways that weren’t possible before. The addition of the new cabin interior will improve the travel experience as well.
Featured image by American Airlines.