5 amazing things about the American Airlines Airbus A321 Transcon

New York (JFK) to Los Angeles (LAX) is one of the world’s leading and most frequented airlines – and it’s easy to see why. These are two of the most populous cities in the United States, and all major airlines in the United States offer nonstop service on this route. Therefore, airlines will offer their most differentiated products on this highly competitive route, whether American Airlines Flagship First, Delta One or JetBlue Mint. Three airlines connect the City That Never Sleeps with the City of Angels, including American Airlines (9 flights daily), Delta (10 flights daily), and JetBlue (11 flights daily).

Photo: Markus Mainka | Stock struggle

However, American Airlines has a very special aircraft for these major routes – the A321T. The letter “T” in the plane’s name stands for “transcontinental.” Since 2014, American Airlines has operated a subfleet of seventeen A321-200 aircraft, configured specifically for a small number of high-profile domestic flights with strong demand for a premium product.

The A321T features fully lie-flat seats in first and business class, although American has previously announced that it will discontinue its flagship product at some point in 2024. When that happens, the Airbus A321Ts will be replaced by American’s new Airbus A321XLR aircraft, which Gonna feature a new business class product. But while it’s still around, we’re taking a look at some of the most impressive features of the American Airlines Airbus A321 Transcon.

1 Premium passengers get lie-flat seats

41% of the capacity is allocated to first and business class seats

When boarding the plane, boarding takes place through one door, which is the door at the front of the plane, meaning that each passenger passes through the Flagship First cabin as well as the Business Class cabin to reach the main cabin. While lie-flat seats have become common on wide-body aircraft for long-haul travel over the past two decades, lie-flat seats on single-aisle aircraft such as the A321 are rare. The pioneers of this trend were JetBlue with its A321neos and Flydubai with its 737 MAX.

Photo: American Airlines

Although JetBlue and FlyDubai’s business class seats offer incredible lie-flat comfort, American Airlines is taking it a step further, offering 30 lie-flat seats in two separate cabins. Each seat has a generous 21-inch width, perfect for getting some rest on board.

Although not everyone will be able to travel in premium cabins, there is another option for those who are used to traveling in economy class. The A321T has a spacious Premium Economy cabin, seating 36, offering an upgradeable route from Standard Economy for those passengers looking for a little more. The seats are 18 inches wide and 35 inches wide to allow guests to stretch out on the long flight.

2 Pioneer first

Only a true first-class experience is available on the transcontinental route

American is the only one of the “Big Three” U.S. airlines—United, Delta, and American—that offers an authentic first-class cabin on its intercontinental flights, as opposed to standard long-haul business class. American Flagship First’s suits can only be found on its A321T aircraft and Boeing 777-300ERs. The Flagship First cabin on the A321T has 10 reverse herringbone zodiac seats in a 1-1 arrangement with only one seat on either side of the aisle.

Photo: American Airlines

Flagship First’s intercontinental experience sets it apart from competitors with its specialized airport ground services, such as Flagship Private Check-in available at both JFK and LAX and its intimate onboard cabin, virtually guaranteeing personalized service. Everything from the menu to the service is top-notch and comes with everything one might expect from a first-class flight, from amenity kits to full Casper bedding. In fact, in the reclining position, the seat reclines a full 82.5 inches, and seat adjustments feature numerous options, allowing passengers to customize their seat to meet their needs so they can relax, sleep, eat or work in a comfortable position. position.

3 Three cabin layout

It is the only single-aisle aircraft in the United States that flies with three separate cabins

The luxurious A321T features just 102 seats, arranged in a three-cabin configuration, with 10 master suites in first class, 20 lie-flat seats in business class, and 72 seats in the main cabin, which is divided into 36 class seats. Regular economy, 36 seats. Additional seats in the main cabin feature additional legroom. With just 102 seats, the plane is quite spacious, especially compared to Spirit’s Airbus A321, which has 228 seats. In fact, the first class cabin has a “pet cabin.”

Furthermore, while America’s regularly configured A321s only have two galleys (one in the nose) and four lavatories (two in the front, one in the middle, and one in the back), the A321T features a layout similar to that of the A321T. . Long distance aircraft. With a kitchen in the front (for first class passengers only), one in the middle (for business class passengers only) separating first class and business class, and one in the back (for economy class). The A321T galleys were initially positioned exclusively for passengers traveling in that cabin, a design found on long-haul aircraft.

4 On a leisure trip

Each seat has seat-back touch screens and in-flight entertainment systems

While in-flight entertainment (IFE) screens are standard, even expected, on long-haul aircraft, this does not apply to single-aisle aircraft. Most single-aisle aircraft, especially in the US, do not include IFE screens and instead offer free movies and TV shows on your personal device. On the A321T, each seat has a high-resolution personal IFE display. These IFE screen sizes range from 15.4 inches in first class to 9 inches in the main cabin. All of these screens can be controlled using the touchscreen remote or by touching the screen itself.

Photography: Joshua Kobitsky | Simple flying

American offers a variety of entertainment options, including 190 movies, 125 different TV shows, 100 music albums and 20 games. There are other educational options, such as language courses at Rosetta Stone. Finally, IFE allows passengers to stream live TV programming from CNN, FOX News and ESPN.

5 Intercontinental routes only

It is only flown on a few major routes

American Airlines only operates the A321T on its best transcontinental routes, including JFK from New York to San Francisco, Los Angeles and Orange Country, and from Los Angeles to Boston or Miami. However, in some cases, Americans have used them at events such as the Grand Prix in Las Vegas. The transcontinental route saw an increase in premium options, with United flying its 46-seat Boeing 767 “High-J” between Newark and Los Angeles, with United Polaris.

Photography: Joshua Kobitsky | Simple flying

However, it is not the first to offer premium heavy flights between the East and West Coasts. While American has had success with the business model, several other airlines have failed, including MGM Grand, Legend, Air One, Air Atlanta, McLean, and Regent. For example, from 1987 through 1994, the MGM Grand flew between New York and Los Angeles at an average ticket cost of $1,400.

The premium heavyweight MGM producer promised that each flight would never have more than 33 passengers and that there would be five flight attendants on board to look after them. However, with the advent of business jets, the airline had difficulty attracting customers. By 1994, business jets were on the rise and were now the preferred choice of celebrities and business leaders. American’s current premium offering on the A321T has proven to be a successful business model.

Have you flown on major US airline service – either business or first class? Feel free to share your experiences with the seating and service in the comments below.