American Airlines has the Airbus A321XLR coming into service in the near future. The aircraft will replace their A321 transcon jets, and offer an all-new Flagship Suite product up front.
The airline is going to utilize the Aurora business class seats by Collins Aerospace, which were first introduced during the Aircraft Interiors Expo in 2023. American is expected to first deploy these single-aisle lie-flat seats on JFK-based transcontinental routes in the US, before presumably expanding to routes across the Atlantic once the airline receives more deliveries.
Here are the details of this seat and what to expect once American puts these in the air.
Seat Details
The seats come in a herringbone layout, with 78 inches of bed length and maximized seat width.
More notably, the seats face more towards the aisle than the front of the plane. This is the first seat to break the 45-degree angle and poses some unique challenges with certification, as regulations had not been written for seats at a larger angle than 45 degrees. In a conversation with Runway Girl Network, Alastair Hamilton, Collins Aerospace VP for sales and marketing, noted that they had been working “with EASA to develop a CRI [Certification Review Item] for the new configuration.”
Similarly, American Airlines has looked for FAA guidance for testing these new seats.
Doors are an option for the Aurora seats. This will help the seats offer privacy in the dense configuration.
Additionally, these seats do not come with a premium bulkhead option, which is why we won’t see American’s Flagship Suite Preferred on the XLRs. Instead, Collins will offer additional galley space accommodating both a full and half cart for extra catering, which was specifically requested by airlines.
Despite this, American Airlines still cited the small galley space a couple of months ago and is pondering removing bread and butter as a compromise. However, there’s no question that the A321XLRs are tighter than a widebody, so I’m inclined to give them the benefit of the doubt.
American’s A321XLR
American Airlines will have 20 of these seats on their XLRs as Flagship Suites. This will mark the end of Flagship First on the A321 transcon aircraft once these are in service, the last of the major U.S. airlines to phase out first class.
These Flagship Suites come with doors, wireless charging, and other modern amenities that are also seen on the new 787s.
The current A321 transcon fleet is tired and in need of an upgrade. The XLRs will offer the much-needed improvement, in addition to allowing the airline to expand their premium service over the Atlantic.
According to aviation watchdog JonNYC, we most likely still have “many months” until American’s A321XLRs enter service. For now, the jets are staying in Europe.
As I said earlier, the first bunch will operate JFK originating transcon routes. The airline is prioritizing replacing the current A321 transcon fleet before they deploy these internationally.
Featured image by American Airlines.
herringbone seats… made worse by the ridiculous angle… Yuck! But could anyone have expected anything else from AA?