American Airlines’ A321XLR: A First Impression

Greetings everyone! I recently had the opportunity to try out the American Airlines XLR product from JFK to LAX. I will also be briefly covering my other flights in the series, DFW/JFK and LAX/DFW. 

So, what did I think? For a narrowbody aircraft, the suite is a huge bonus. Yes, it is true that it angles towards the center, and that you need to pivot slightly to look out the window — but it is still a legacy, lie-flat product. While it may not be as roomy as the flagship 77W product, especially for a daytime flight, it is an awesome upgrade. Let’s get into the review.

This trip started with a nonstop to JFK:

8/08 AA606 DFW to New York-JFK departing 11:20 arriving 16:00. B737-800

After taking care of luggage, clearing security was a simple process, as I typically find at DFW. I’ve even been able to walk up with no wait at all recently — great job TSA! 

Boarding began at 10:40, and eligible passengers were invited to pre-board. After settling into 1F, I was swiftly offered a pre-departure beverage, and chose the signature black coffee. It’s interesting how different the taste is in the air — much richer and stronger. I assume it is brewed the same way, so I am curious why it is even better aloft on AA. 

In good time, boarding wrapped up and we taxied out, before a southern takeoff. I’ve found the 737 to shake/vibrate more vigorously than most aircraft, especially noticeable along the front. 

For lunch, I had reserved the salmon option, which was quite good. The service on this flight was friendly and professional — a win! So, definitely a good impression for this flight.

Next up: 8/15 AA171 New York-JFK to LAX departing 06:00 arriving 8:59 on the A321XLR, followed by AA 2038 LAX-DFW departing 16:22 arriving 21:39 on the A321.

I arrived at JFK shortly after 4:00, however, the flagship check-in was not yet operational. I was told to ‘give them a few minutes.’ Not wanting to wait around, I headed to the regular premium check-in, where after a few minutes wait, was able to take care of luggage and head through security, which was moving efficiently at 4am Saturday morning. I passed some time in the Flagship Lounge, enjoyed a light breakfast, and headed out to gate 5 for my 5:25 boarding, which commenced normally.

After being welcomed aboard, I reached suite 7F. Again, pre-departure beverages were served, this time off a tray, with options for water, champagne, and orange juice. Personally, I really appreciate the option to get coffee, but this seems to be the standard on Flagship AA. Soon, we were taking off with a stunning full-sun view of the New York skylines at sunrise. Almost immediately after leaving the city, I rested, waking up over Kansas.

At that time, I was offered breakfast, and while I wasn’t given the choice to select an option, this was likely due to the extent of the flight being well underway. While I won’t take up a photo slot to share it, there was a fruit plate (described in the menu as a starter course,) bread choice, and an oatmeal bowl garnished with fruit. The oatmeal leaned to the sweeter side, but all the fruit was awesome quality, including the blackberries. The menu also mentioned a gourmet cheese plate with flatbread for dessert, but this was not mentioned onboard.

Again, this was possibly due to the delay, and the existing breakfast was quite satisfying already. Shortly afterwards, I asked for a cappuccino, because I had heard that the XLRs had espresso machines! WIN! And they did indeed! While there wasn’t a milk component installed, I relished a lovely Americano served in a full-sized mug. I also enjoyed the provided B&O headphones, which were great. A smooth descent into a foggy LAX followed. Service was excellent on this flight, and friendly — win!

Since I had a 7-hour layover, after a quick visit to the Flagship Lounge, I decided to go fly with Santa Monica Flyers in their electric 2 seat aircraft, the Velis Electro. What an awesome experience! With noise-cancelling headphones, this became a whisper quiet flight. The views were unbelievably stunning over Santa Monica and West Hollywood. I couldn’t recommend them more if you’re in the area. A quick 15 minute taxi ride from the LAX-IT lot takes you right to KSMO. 

After returning from the flight school, I headed to the Admirals Club in the TBIT section, where I had a terrific zucchini, pork, rice, and bell pepper combo. I have a picture, but I already have 5 photos I want to share. I’m curious to hear if you’ve also seen it around — it’s among the best AC meals I’ve found — win! Before boarding my flight to DFW, I had a fantastic chance encounter, meeting Lufthansa pilot @quax747 in the boarding area for the 747 Frankfurt departure. It was great to meet him! You never know who you’ll find around LAX! 

Unfortunately, the boarding process for AA 2038 was a mess. First, we were called, then held back at the counter, before told to proceed again. This was repeated a couple times, including right at the aircraft entrance from the jetbridge. Yes, AA wants to be premium, and they can be, but to do so, fundamentals like boarding need to be handled correctly.

This time, I experienced a very rare occurrence — the first class cabin had empty seats, with nobody on the waitlist. The flight in general had 122 empty seats the last time I checked before departure. However, this didn’t translate to better service. There were no pre-departure beverages, and crew announcements were often choppy. Strangely, the cabin lights weren’t turned on until we had parked at the gate back in DFW.

As another example, during the good-length flight, I only was offered 2 beverage services, and the first option was refilled without asking me if I wanted something different, which I did. So, while this wasn’t the crucial flight in my itinerary, there was quite a bit that could have been improved. For example, for much of the flight, the entire cabin crew were on their iPads. There’s nothing necessarily wrong with that, but they never really bothered to show themselves in the FC zone much after taking away the dinner trays, which was at least an hour.

And, finally, my seat 1F didn’t offer standard device charging, which was annoying. Strangely, the A321XLR didn’t either, but the kind FA offered to let me use her personal charger-not sure why there isn’t a proper option onboard. 

I hope you enjoyed the story. Gute reise! 

So, flying the A321XLR was awesome, and the service on the first two flights was great.