American Airlines has been on a premium push, rolling out new planes with more business and premium economy seats.
The A321XLR is a single-aisle jet with extra-long range (hence, XLR), capable of transatlantic flights. Because it’s a smaller plane, airlines can justify flying it to less-visited locales, such as secondary cities in Europe and South America that U.S. airlines have traditionally overlooked in favor of more popular tourist destinations.
Carriers like American and United Airlines are eyeing this plane as the key to unlocking smaller destinations on their route maps, and they’re betting that consumers will be willing to pay more for better products, like lie-flat seats.
American invited me to check out its first A321XLR aircraft before it enters commercial service on Dec. 18, 2025, from New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport to Los Angeles International Airport. It’s outfitted with the new design language that American has been using for its new planes. Here’s what it’s like onboard.
American’s A321XLR layout
You’ll find 155 seats onboard American’s A321XLR. Here’s how those numbers stack up by cabin:
20 Flagship Suite business class seats: 1-1 configuration.
12 premium economy seats: 2-2 configuration.
12 Main Cabin Extra economy seats with extra legroom: 3-3 configuration.
123 Main Cabin economy seats: 3-3 configuration.
That’s significantly fewer seats compared to its A321 and A321neo aircraft, which do not have premium economy seats. But airlines have found a sweet spot with premium economy in recent years. Passengers get more legroom, greater recline and upgraded amenities in exchange for a more palatable price difference compared to business class fares.
However, those 12 premium economy seats come at the expense of Main Cabin Extra seats. American’s other A321 family aircraft have 35 extra legroom seats, but the newest XLR planes will only have 12. That’s a blow for passengers who can get those seats for free, namely American AAdvantage elites and select Oneworld status members.
Every seat will have a screen and Bluetooth connectivity, a major win for passengers.
Flagship Suite business class
The A321XLR comes with 20 Flagship Suite seats, a swanky product that American introduced on its Boeing 787-9 planes. Each seat has direct aisle access and lie-flat beds, making it a significant improvement over typical domestic single-aisle planes.
The seats are equipped with useful features like a wireless charging pad, a water bottle holder, an illuminated cocktail tray and extra storage space, including a slot for your laptop. As someone who is always trying to find a spot for my laptop, I appreciated the attention to detail here.
While the suites technically have privacy doors, American is still awaiting Federal Aviation Administration certification to use them. That means passengers should expect the doors to remain open in the initial months of the A321XLR’s launch.
I thought American did a nice job with the color palette on this plane, contrasting the natural wood grain with dark elements. The hidden pop of red that appears while using the meal table was a fun touch.
🤓 Nerdy Tip
To unlatch the screen, hit the “PUSH” button in the bottom left corner. It can be easy to miss if you’re not looking closely.
When you’re ready to snooze, you can put your seat into bed mode. If you prefer a softer bed, American has said it plans to bring mattress pads to all international Flagship business class flights.
Unlike American’s newest Boeing Dreamliners, the A321XLR does not feature the Flagship Suite Preferred product, bulkhead business class seats that offer a roomier suite with a different design.
If you’re seated in premium economy, you’ll have up to 6 inches of extra legroom compared to economy seats — a major plus for passengers flying to Europe. There are 12 seats in this section, with three rows of two seats on each side of the aisle.
While you won’t get direct aisle access like business class, this offers an experience akin to what you might find on a narrowbody plane in domestic first class.
Additional seat features include privacy wings by the headrest and wireless charging. You can also deploy the calf and footrests for added comfort.
To accommodate the new premium economy seats, the economy section of the A321XLR is much smaller than that of other planes in American’s A321 fleet — particularly Main Cabin Extra.
While other American aircraft might offer 35 extra-legroom seats, the A321XLR offers just one-third of that, with 12 seats. You can identify Main Cabin Extra seats by their brown headrests — a nice design touch to denote an elevated experience. There are also 4K monitors at each seat with both USB-A and USB-C ports.
These Airbus planes are outfitted with spacious overhead bins, which is important when you’re flying in economy. Since there are fewer seats in the back, passengers should hopefully have no issues finding overhead bin space.
🤓 Nerdy Tip
If you want a window seat, avoid sitting in row 25 on this plane, which doesn’t have windows.
Where will American’s A321XLRs fly?
The first American Airlines A321XLR flight will depart JFK for LAX on Dec. 18, 2025. Passengers can fly this aircraft on that route through March 2026. Starting March 8, 2026, American will operate A321XLR flights from JFK to Edinburgh, Scotland, for the summer season.
While these are the initial routes, expect to see more transcontinental and international destinations added as American receives more of these planes. Brian Znotins, American’s network planning chief, said at the event that the airline was eyeing secondary markets in France, Spain, Italy, Germany and the United Kingdom, with Brazil to come later.
If you’re itching to fly on the A321XLR, you can book flights on American’s website or app. On the flight results, look for “32Q-Airbus A321XLR” to make sure you’re booking the right flight.
Keep in mind, though, that aircraft swaps can happen, and plane types are not guaranteed.
