As the latest variant of the Airbus A320, the Airbus A320neo family plays a key role in short and medium-haul operations for multiple different US carriers, with the jet’s fuel efficiency proving to be its principal advantage over competitors. One variant in particular, the Airbus A321neo, offers additional passenger capacity over the smaller A320neo, which makes it incredibly popular with US operators looking to add capacity to high-demand routes, especially during the peak travel months.

United Airlines, one of the aircraft’s largest operators, is undoubtedly no exception. Currently, United Airlines operates 29 Airbus A321neo jets, but it has an absolutely massive outstanding order for over 140 more of the type, all jets which are set to enter service with the airline by 2032, according to a breakdown from One Mile At A Time. United equips its Airbus A321neo with 200 seats, including twenty which are located within the first-class cabin, making it able to accommodate 50 more passengers than the smaller Airbus A320-200 jets already in United’s fleet.

United Airlines AIirbus A321neo departing shutterstock_2410156397

Photo: Robin Guess | Shutterstock

Due to the common type rating between the two aircraft, it is extremely easy for the carrier to swap out lower-capacity A320s for higher-capacity A321neos at a moment’s notice, without disrupting its pilot scheduling patterns. As a result, the Airbus A321neo has become a staple on high-capacity domestic routes, especially those that primarily cater to leisure travelers due to the aircraft’s lack of lie-flat seating in the premium cabin.

1

Denver International Airport (DEN) to Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH)

Number of monthly flights: 151

Category:

Monthly route specification:

Seats:

30,200

Available seat miles (ASMs):

26,002,200

This hub-to-hub route is, unsurprisingly, one of the highest-capacity services operated by United Airlines, as it connects two major airports through which the airline funnels travelers. Due to the higher level of demand on this route, especially during the winter months when travelers head to Denver to ski in the nearby Rockies, the airline needs to load this route up with higher-capacity jets.

United Airlines Airbus A321neo landing at LAS shutterstock_2423645539

Photo: Robin Guess | Shutterstock

Offering higher capacity than even some of the airline’s Boeing 767-300ER widebody jets, the Airbus A321neo is the ideal option for this route, and United uses the jet around five times per day on average to serve these high-demand airports. As this is a short-haul route, however, the carrier does not need to worry about business travelers being unhappy with the weaker first-class product offering on the A321neo in comparison to the airline’s widebody jets.

Denver International Airport, Colorado.

Denver International Airport

IATA/ICAO Code

DEN/KDEN

Country

United States

CEO

Phillip A. Washington

2

Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) to Chicago-O’Hare International Airport (ORD)

Number of monthly flights: 121

Category:

Monthly route specification:

Seats:

24,200

Available seat miles (ASMs):

22,385,000

The second highest-capacity Airbus A321neo route is, unsurprisingly, another major hub-to-hub connection, which allows the airline to transfer passengers between Chicago and Houston, where it has two of its most important hubs. From Chicago, the airline serves an impressive array of destinations in Europe and Asia, while Houston serves as the linchpin of the airline’s Latin American network, with flights going as far south as Ministro Pistarini International Airport (EZE) in Buenos Aires.

LSSF

Photo: Lukas Souza | Simple Flying

As a result, the route between these two cities sees large amounts of connecting passenger traffic and is thus an important connection for the airline to add as much capacity as possible. With this in mind, the airline elects to use its 200-seat Airbus A321neo jets to connect these two airports around four times per day on average, in addition to multiple other aircraft that also fly this route every day.

US-airlines-government-support

Chicago O’Hare International Airport

IATA/ICAO Code

ORD/KORD

Country

United States

CEO

Chicago Department of Aviation (CDA) Commissioner Jamie Rhee

Terminals

Terminal 1 |
Terminal 2 |
Terminal 3 |
Terminal 5

3

Chicago-O’Hare International Airport (ORD) to Orlando International Airport (MCO)

Number of monthly flights: 108

Category:

Monthly route specification:

Seats:

21,600

Available seat miles (ASMs):

21,708,000

This nonstop route between Chicago and Orlando is the busiest United Airlines A321neo service that does not strictly connect between two hubs, according to data from aviation analytics firm Cirium. The reasons for adding capacity to this route are fairly straightforward, as it is an incredibly high-demand leisure travel destination that sees consistent traffic throughout the year.

LSSF-1

Photo: Lukas Souza | Simple Flying

Orlando has historically been a vacation destination that airlines attempt to serve using their highest-capacity aircraft. Delta Air Lines, for example, actually serves this route quite consistently with widebody jets, to capitalize on the high levels of demand to the destination from its major connecting hub at Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport (ATL). United also serves Orlando with widebody jets from multiple hubs, including Denver International Airport which is served by both the A321neo and the Boeing 767.

Related

United Airlines CEO Says Widebody Market Is “Even More Challenging Than Narrowbodies”

United Airlines’ executives also remarked that they have become more bullish about the Boeing 737 MAX 10.

4

Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) to San Francisco International Airport (SFO)

Number of monthly flights: 107

Category:

Monthly route specification:

Seats:

21,400

Available seat miles (ASMs):

39,504,400

This nonstop route again connects two separate United hubs, with high-frequency, high-capacity service using the Airbus A321neo. Interestingly, this route is operated in the east-west direction, with some evening services even operating on a red-eye schedule. Despite this, the carrier uses its A321neos heavily on this route, even though it does not feature the lie-flat business class seating that business travelers will likely demand.

Related

United Airlines Performs Airbus A321neo ETOPS Proving Flight To Hawaii

The flights from San Francisco to Honolulu could potentially indicate the airline is considering using its new planes for over-water flights.

This again demonstrates the importance of United’s decision to use the A321neo on this route, as it provides additional capacity between these two hubs. A321neo services are not designed to cater to the needs of business travelers, and United primarily uses the jet to add capacity on routes where it will connect leisure travelers between different services.

Get all the latest aviation news for North America
from Simple Flying!

5

Chicago-O’Hare International Airport (ORD) to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL)

Number of monthly flights: 89

Category:

Monthly route specification:

Seats:

17,800

Available seat miles (ASMs):

21,039,600

Another flight that connects a major United hub with a leisure destination in Florida, the extensive use of the Airbus A321neo on this route between Chicago and Fort Lauderdale continues to demonstrate the additional need for high-capacity services on routes to Florida.

Airbus-1

Photo: Airbus

Part of this can be attributed to increased travel demand for Florida brought along by the COVID-19 pandemic’s new era of remote work, which allows employees to travel on the weekend much more often. Furthermore, the continued rise of enrollment at Florida universities by students from major cities like Chicago is also a contributing factor to this extensive growth.

6

Chicago-O’Hare International Airport (ORD) to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)

Number of monthly flights: 84

Category:

Monthly route specification:

Seats:

16,800

Available seat miles (ASMs):

29,316,000

The next route to make its way onto our list connects two United hubs again, which are interestingly both some of the most lucrative business travel markets. Despite not offering lie-flat seating, United does serve these routes with its Airbus A321neo jets, adding much-needed capacity to this hub-to-hub connection. Operating this flight with the A321neo more than twice per day, United also serves the LAX-ORD route with multiple smaller aircraft.

LSSF-2

Photo: Lukas Souza | Simple Flying

7

Chicago-O’Hare International Airport (ORD) to San Diego International Airport (SAN)

Number of monthly flights: 81

Category:

Monthly route specification:

Seats:

16,200

Available seat miles (ASMs):

27,912,600

The final route to make our list is United’s service between Chicago and San Diego, one of the longest on this list. This is a flight with high demand especially during the winter months when travelers look for a sunny getaway to Chicago. The carrier likely deploys this aircraft in order to increase capacity, amid operational limitations that might prevent them from operating more flights with smaller jets. San Diego Airport only has one runway, meaning that takeoff and landings can be limited during peak hours.

Related

San Diego County Approves American Airlines’ New Carlsbad Service From Phoenix

The addition of flights from CLD will provide more flexibility for travelers in the region.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *