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Editorial Disclosure
For years, one of the best ways to fly commercially between the coasts has been American Airlines’ Airbus A321T.
This specially configured jet, designed for premium transcontinental flying, has long been a joy to fly.
Whether you’re seated in the 10-seat Flagship First cabin, the 20-seat Flagship Business cabin, or the 72-seat economy cabin — half of which is made up of extra-legroom Main Cabin Extra seats — the plane feels spacious and premium.
But after a 12-year run, this configuration is headed for the boneyard.
And after my latest business-class flight on N109NN, I’m ready to say good riddance — even though I’ll miss aspects of this jet. Here’s why.
Wear and tear
American’s A321T hasn’t been meaningfully updated since it debuted in 2014.
After all these years, the jet is really showing its age.
As I approached the gate, I got a notification that my seat had been changed. For a moment, I thought I’d won the operational upgrade lottery — Flagship Business passengers are often bumped to first class on this jet when the economy cabin is oversold.
Sadly, that wasn’t the case.
Instead, my originally selected seat — bulkhead 6D, which I chose for the larger footwell — was inoperable because of broken seat controls. I was moved back to 10C.
When I finally got to my seat, I was disappointed by all the visible wear and tear. Scuff marks lined the shell, the armrest was frayed, and the seat control panel was damaged.
Interestingly, these are similar issues I’ve found in JetBlue’s original Mint cabin, which also debuted in 2014.
The same goes for Flagship First. During boarding and deplaning, I noticed plenty of scratches and scuff marks around those seat shells, too.
Broken remote
It wasn’t just the seats that showed their age.
No matter how many times I tried resetting the entertainment system, my remote control stayed stuck on a black splash screen (displaying the Thales logo, the company that makes the TVs).
The buttons didn’t work either, so I had to reach out to the screen every time I wanted to change the content.
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Wobbly power outlets
This isn’t unique to the A321T, but I couldn’t get any of my chargers to stay plugged in.
My workaround is a European power adapter. I always pack this one from Epicka on domestic trips for exactly this reason, and it did the trick here too.
Still, wobbly power outlets are another sign of just how much use these seats have gotten over the years.
Catering woes
This isn’t really a problem with the plane itself, but I was surprised to find flimsy paper menus waiting at my business-class seat.
I knew American had been dealing with some catering issues in London, but I didn’t realize those problems had reached New York. (The airline has reportedly been struggling with a planned catering transition from LSG to Gate Gourmet.)
I fly this route often enough that I don’t even need to look at the menu to know what I want (pretzel rolls and the ice cream sundae, of course), but imagine the first impression this creates for someone paying $2,000 or more for their ticket.
I get it — things happen.
But at least print the menus on heavier cardstock instead of flimsy paper that starts falling apart the moment condensation from a glass of water hits it.
I’ll still miss the A321T
Here’s the truth: for as much as this plane is showing its age, I’m still going to miss it.
For a single-aisle jet, this is about as airy and spacious as it gets. I’ve never had to gate-check a carry-on on the A321T, and with just 102 passengers on board, boarding has never taken more than 15 minutes.
The first-class product still offers one of the most spacious and comfortable ways to fly across the country. (Non-rev employees will certainly miss it too. More often than not, they clear into first class because American doesn’t offer complimentary elite upgrades from business to first.)
In a statement, American shared that “the A321T was designed with lie flat seats to offer a premium transcontinental travel experience and we strive to maintain a premium cabin experience throughout the life of the aircraft. American anticipates operating the A321T through next year as we await deliveries of the A321XLR that feature Flagship Suite seats and elevate transcontinental travel with a refreshed premium experience.”
American is replacing this configuration with the Airbus A321XLR, which features 20 Flagship Suites, 12 premium economy recliners, and 123 economy seats. That includes just 12 extra-legroom Main Cabin Extra seats — a whopping 67% reduction compared to the A321T.
The A321XLR undoubtedly offers more modern bells and whistles, including sliding privacy doors in business class. But it doesn’t feel nearly as spacious. Plus, business-class passengers also keep complaining about how tight the seats are.
I haven’t flown the A321XLR yet, but even though I know it represents the future of American’s premium transcon service, the A321T will always hold a fond place in my memory — even though it’s clearly well past its prime.
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