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Editorial Disclosure
It’s time to start bidding farewell to American Airlines’ swankiest jet configuration.
The 102-seat Airbus A321T layout, which has been a staple on the airline’s premium transcontinental routes since 2014, is officially headed for retirement.
American A321T retirement plans
American just filed plans to fully phase out the A321T on two cross-country routes:
- Boston — Los Angeles: ending Aug. 4
- New York — San Francisco: ending Oct. 4
These changes were first seen in Cirium schedules and later confirmed by a carrier spokesperson.
Going forward, both routes will exclusively be operated by the Airbus A321XLR, which was ordered in part to replace the A321T configuration.
The A321XLR features 20 business-class suites, 12 premium economy recliners, and 123 economy seats — a layout that’s far more aligned with today’s revenue landscape. The A321T, by contrast, also offers three cabins, but swaps premium economy for a true first-class cabin.
American retires first class
Despite an industrywide push to add more premium seating, American — the only U.S. airline to offer both international-style first- and business-class products — ultimately couldn’t make the economics work. As part of a broader strategy shift, the airline is also eliminating first class on its Boeing 777-300ER fleet in favor of larger business and premium economy cabins.
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Among employees, the A321T was often referred to as the “nonrev express.” With so many unsold first-class seats, staff frequently found themselves riding up front.
The A321XLR cabins are far more right-sized for the markets they’ll serve, including not just premium transcontinental routes but also future transatlantic flights from the Northeast to secondary European cities.
American A321T history
At its peak, American operated 17 Airbus A321Ts. (One had a significant wingtip strike in 2019 on a runway at JFK and was later scrapped.) The planes exclusively fly the most premium routes in the country, and they’ve become a flyer favorite, even for those seated in the back.
That’s because they feature an economy cabin split 50-50 between extra-legroom seats and regular coach seats. (Compare that to the A321XLR, which features just 12 extra-legroom seats, all of which are in the exit rows.) Plus, with just 102 passengers in total, boarding the A321T was always calm. I never had to gate-check my carry-on bag on this jet.
I’ll personally miss the A321T’s first-class cabin. It was the single most comfortable way to cross the country commercially.
If you’re looking to get one last ride on the A321T, you’ll still find the jet flying from New York to Los Angeles and Orange County for the foreseeable future.
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