Although American Airlines had received delivery of its first Airbus A321XLR back in July, the aircraft was immediately put into storage in Europe, citing supply chain issues with its seats. About three months later today, one of the airline’s first deliveries has now reached the United States.
The aircraft is N303NY. It had left Hamburg at 12:48 pm local time and landed in Dallas-Fort Worth at 4:57 pm local time. American is the first airline in the United States to receive delivery of the XLR.
American has shared that the XLRs will first launch between JFK and LAX. The rumor and expectation is that these aircraft could see their first flight at around mid-December (at the very earliest, and subject to change), but a firm inaugural date has yet to be announced.
The airline is placing a pilot base for the XLR in New York City. Routes for the aircraft, aside from existing premium transcons operated by the A321T, are all speculation for now, but long and thin transatlantic routes out of the New York pilot base, in addition to Philadelphia, could be contenders.
Aviation insider JonNYC expects this XLR delivery to be in DFW for the time being.
The XLRs still need certification from the FAA, including its Flagship Suite business class seats by Collins Aerospace that are at an angle greater than 45 degrees relative to the fuselage.
Additionally, given the smaller fuselage compared to a traditional widebody, American may still have some passenger experience details to figure out as it begins service. In May, the airline began cutting bread and butter service in economy and premium economy on some flights as a trial.
Inside American’s A321XLRs
American Airlines will feature 20 Flagship Suites inside, in a 1-1 configuration. These Collins Aurora seats will bring 78 inches of bed length and maximized seat width. Additionally, American chose to add doors to its seats, adding a sense of privacy.
These Collins seats come in a herringbone configuration, unlike the Adient Ascent seats on the new Boeing 787-9s (78Ps), which are in a reverse herringbone configuration.
Premium Economy will feature the Recaro R5 seats:
The seats are arranged in a 2-2 configuration with 12 seats, with a comfort level presumably similar to domestic first class. Headrest wings will provide a bit of additional privacy.
Bottom Line
To start, passengers on American’s premium transcon routes can expect a nice upgrade with the XLRs, as the current A321T fleet is becoming tired and in need of replacement.
The timeline for the airline’s A321XLRs, unfortunately, took longer than expected due to issues related to the aircraft’s certification. The airline was supposed to receive eight deliveries beginning in 2023, 22 in 2024, and 20 more in 2025. Despite the delays, the airline’s launch of the aircraft should be an exciting time, especially as the first carrier in the United States to operate the XLR.
Featured image by American Airlines.
