Earlier this week I wrote about how American Airlines had taken delivery of its first Airbus A321XLR. Airbus’ longest range narrowbody aircraft will eventually be deployed on transatlantic routes but first, the carrier will launch transcontinental service with the new planes.
American Will Fly the A321XLR Between New York and Los Angeles
While we knew the route that would initially see the new plane, tickets for the first flight are now on sale. American will deploy the Airbus A321XLR on flights between New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), beginning December 18, 2025.
Specifically the new plane, registration N303NY, will operate its first commercial flight as American Airlines Flight 3 between New York and Los Angeles. The aircraft will then return to New York as AA4. The flights will operate on the following schedule:
| Flight | Departs | Arrives |
|---|---|---|
| AA3 (JFK-LAX) | 9:30a | 12:53p |
| AA4 (LAX-JFK) | 3:20p | 11:46p |
Tickets for the inaugural flight are currently on sale and the new seat map has been loaded. If you’re looking for a chance to try out the new product, I’d recommend the return flight from Los Angeles to New York as the outbound flight is quite full and very expensive (Over $3,000 one way for a Business Class seat).
You can be certain that the inaugural flight will be filled with many media members and travel bloggers, but I certainly won’t be on board at those prices.
American has loaded the A321XLR on the route for select flights through February 2026. As the carrier takes delivery of more of these aircraft, you can expect to see them launch transatlantic service beginning in March.
While American hasn’t announced the first routes for the plane, pilots have been using A321neos to train for transatlantic flights, flying between Philadelphia (PHL) and Edinburgh (EDI). I would expect that to be one of the first, if not the first, transatlantic routes announced.
About American’s A321XLRs
American Airlines is outfitting its A321XLRs with 155 seats spread across three cabins. The carrier has 20 Flagship Suite Business Class seats at the front of the plane. These lie-flat seats are arranged in a 1-1 configuration and have direct aisle access. This is essentially the same seat that is being retrofitted onto the carrier’s Boeing 777s and 787s.
American has installed a small, 12 seat, Premium Economy cabin on the A321XLR. These are in a 2-2 configuration spread across three rows. The seats are a modern version of what you can expect to find on the carrier’s domestic First Class cabins.
At the rear of the plane, American has installed 123 Main Cabin seats which are arranged in a 3-3 layout. Unlike the rest of the carrier’s narrowbody aircraft, American has installed seatback in-flight entertainment (IFE) screens at every seat.
Based on the initial photos and seat maps, this should be the most comfortable narrowbody aircraft in the American fleet, especially as the carrier retrofits the aging A321Ts. While the interior looks great, I’m still undecided on whether I’d be willing to fly a narrowbody aircraft on a 7+ hour transatlantic flight.
Summary
American Airlines took delivery of its first Airbus A321XLR aircraft earlier this week and now the first flights are on sale. The Fort Worth based carrier will begin flying the plane between New York and Los Angeles in December before launching transatlantic flights in Spring 2026.
(Images courtesy American)