American’s Plans To End A321T Premium Transcon Flights

We know that American has plans to reconfigure its subfleet of “premium” Airbus A321T aircraft, which operate select transcontinental routes. I wanted to cover what we know about how this is going to happen, including new information that the first aircraft is expected to be reconfigured in the next month.

The basics of American’s A321T fleet

American operates a special subfleet of Airbus A321s (known as A321Ts), which serve premium transcontinental routes, including from New York to Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Orange County.

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These planes are unique, and among the most comfortable ways to fly within the United States. They feature just 102 seats, and include four seating options:

• There are 10 first class fully flat reverse herringbone seats with direct aisle access, in a 1-1 configuration
• There are 20 business class fully flat seats, in a 2-2 configuration
• There are 72 economy seats, with 36 of those seats being Main Cabin Extra, featuring extra legroom; all economy seats have personal televisions, unlike the rest of American’s domestic fleet

American will replace A321Ts with A321XLRs

In 2022, American revealed plans to eliminate its subfleet of Airbus A321T aircraft. Here’s what that plan currently looks like:

• A321Ts will be configured in the standard A321 layout, featuring 190 seats, and will be taken off premium transcon routes; these planes are an average of just over 10 years old, so have quite a bit of life left in them
• American has 50 Airbus A321XLRs on order, which will be delivered starting in 2025 (barring any additional delays, which are of course possible); these planes will eventually be flown on premium transcontinental routes, in addition to planned transatlantic service, and will replace A321Ts
• American’s A321XLRs will be in a premium configuration, and will feature an all-new business class with direct aisle access and doors, plus a premium economy cabin

I find American’s logic with this somewhat puzzling. On the one hand, A321XLRs are kind of “wasted” on transcon routes, which they have a lot more range than standard A321s (which can operate these routes without issue). Furthermore, by first replacing existing A321Ts with A321XLRs, it’s going to be years until American has enough A321XLRs to expand across the Atlantic.

On the other hand, American is focused on fleet simplicity, and there is something to be said for having fewer subfleets. Planes could then be operated on both premium transcontinental and transatlantic flights. Furthermore, American’s premium transcon business class isn’t really competitive anymore, with Delta and United mostly offering direct aisle access business class on these routes.

There’s an interesting update now, as the always knowledgable @xJonNYC shares that American’s first A321T is expected to be converted to a standard domestic configuration within the next month. However, this is a one-time thing, and is a prototype to get paperwork approved for this work to be performed in the future. The next jet after that will only be reconfigured once the A321XLRs start to be delivered.

When will American eliminate “premium” first class?

We know that American is planning on eliminating its “premium” first class, which is currently available on Airbus A321T and Boeing 777-300ER aircraft:

• American’s Boeing 777-300ERs have eight first class seats
• American’s Airbus A321Ts have 10 first class seats

Officially, American has stated that the plan is to eliminate “premium” first class as of late 2024. When that plan was made, the intent at the time was that this would coincide with the timeline for A321XLRs being delivered, as well as 777-300ERs being reconfigured.

I can’t help but wonder if maybe that timeline has been pushed back a bit, and we might now be looking at 2025. After all:

• A321XLR deliveries have been pushed back from 2024 to 2025, and there’s always the possibility of additional delays, given how certification for new aircraft has been drawn out lately
• American has had delivery delays with its new “premium” 787-9s, which is where the new business class is supposed to launch

So we won’t see the first A321XLR before 2025 at the earliest, though it’s anyone’s guess when American chooses to stop selling its “premium” first class product. After all, during a transitionary period, the airline could just start selling first class seats as premium business class seats, so that there’s no need to differentiate the soft product.

With American eliminating first class, there are also questions about what that means for the future of Flagship First Dining facilities. My hope is that American finds a way to keep these and monetize them (like with Flagship Business Plus fares), rather than eliminating them altogether, as they’re pretty special.

Bottom line

American plans to discontinue its “premium” first class in the next year or so. As part of this, the carrier’s subfleet of Airbus A321Ts will be reconfigured into a standard domestic layout, while newly delivered Airbus A321XLRs will be used to operate premium transcontinental routes.

The new A321XLRs will still feature three cabins, though they’ll have business class and premium economy rather than the current first class and business class (in addition to economy). American is already reconfiguring its first A321T in a standard domestic configuration in the near future, though this is just a prototype, with the other jets being reconfigured as A321XLRs are delivered.

What do you make of American’s plans for premium transcontinental routes?