Here’s what’s inside American’s new long-range Airbus A321 XLR
Economy cabin of American Airlines A321XLR.
Leslie Josephs/CNBC
American Airlines On Thursday, it flew its first customers into a slim, long-range plane that it hopes will transform air travel. The airline’s network planner now needs to decide where else it should fly.
The first Airbus A321XLR for a U.S. airline took off around noon ET on Thursday from John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York to Los Angeles International Airport.
XLR stands for extra long range, and with the ability to go up to 4,700 nautical miles, the plane can fly much further off-road, although New York to Los Angeles is a highly lucrative route.
American will focus on routes from its Philadelphia hub or New York City to smaller European cities that may not warrant the larger, more expensive planes to operate in its fleet. Boeing’s 777 or Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner.
Brian Znotins, American’s senior vice president of network and program planning, suggested in an interview with CNBC that he was considering destinations like Bordeaux and Marseille in France; Oslo, Norway; Stockholm; Copenhagen, Denmark; and Mallorca and Seville in Spain.
“This really opens up the menu for all these destinations that are too small for a broad audience,” Znotins said.
The airline will introduce its aircraft in Europe with a non-stop flight from New York to Edinburgh, Scotland, starting in March.
American Airlines A321XLR.
Courtesy: American Airlines
Airlines are increasingly turning to smaller planes for longer, nonstop flights. JetBlue Airlines It said it will use Airbus A321LR aircraft, which are between the regular 321neo and XLR, for flights to Barcelona, Spain and Milan next year. XLR first debuted on America’s partner, Spanish airline Iberia, in November 2024.
premium seats
American unveiled the jets’ new interior and configuration with the first flight on Thursday.
The carrier is focusing heavily on premium seats, which will take up a fifth of the plane, as its executives try to catch up with more profitable rivals Delta Airlines And United Airlines. Together, these two airlines accounted for nearly 98% of the profits of the four largest U.S. airlines in the first nine months of the year. Southwest Airlines.
American Airlines’ Airbus A321XLR has 20 business class suites with reclining seats.
Leslie Josephs/CNBC
Unlike the American Airbus 321T, which has 102 seats and separate first and business class cabins, the 321XLRs will have 155 seats: 20 in business class, 12 in premium economy and 123 in the main cabin. This is less than the standard 190-seat Airbus A321s still in the American fleet.
Rhonda Crawford, American’s senior vice president of customer experience design who previously worked at Delta, said the new interior in navy blue and caramel tones is meant to be “a tribute to American.”
But the privacy doors in the suites won’t be able to be closed until early next year due to the certification delay; This problem has delayed deliveries of new planes as airlines increasingly seek premium seats.
American ordered 50 XLR jets in 2019. The carrier said it expects to have 40 XLRs by the end of the decade. United has also ordered the planes and expects to receive the first one next year.
American retired its Boeing 757s and 767s, planes frequently used for international routes during the pandemic, and is now looking to overhaul its network, while United and Delta, to a lesser extent, have retained older long-range jets.
American is also increasing its investment in cabin renovations and larger lounges. The airline said Wednesday it will renovate the Admirals Club at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport to increase seating by 50%.
In making these investments, the company’s executives are now trying to balance making money with expenses, including new lounges and champagne.
The American Airlines Airbus A321XLR premium economy cabin has 12 seats.
Leslie Josephs/CNBC
“You’re not going to close the margin gap by just continuing to increase cost,” Nat Pieper, American’s newly appointed chief commercial officer and longtime airline executive, told CNBC. “Will Americans spend more to generate premium income and increase our income? Yes, it is, but let’s do it wisely.”
Meanwhile, America this week quietly killed off its customers’ ability to earn frequent flyer miles and status-granting Loyalty Points on its cheapest tickets, basic economy.
American was the first of the US carriers to order the XLR more than six years ago. Planes have an extra fuel tank that gives them longer range; This ushers in an era of leaner flying on long routes that can easily exceed eight hours and tests passengers’ willingness to buy a smaller jet.
The 321XLR is also available from aircraft manufacturers Airbus and Boeing’s They continued to improve their old aircraft designs to create an entirely new aircraft.
