5 Amazing Things About The American Airlines Airbus A321 Transcon

New York (JFK) to Los Angeles (LAX) is one of the premier and most frequented airline routes in the world – and it’s easy to see why. These are two of the most populated cities in the United States, and all major airlines in the United States offer nonstop service on this route. Therefore, airlines will offer their most premium products on this heavily competitive route, whether American Airlines Flagship First, Delta One, or JetBlue Mint. Three airlines connect the City That Never Sleeps to the City of Angels, including American Airlines (9 x daily), Delta (10 x daily), and JetBlue (11 x daily).

Photo: Markus Mainka | Shutterstock

American Airlines, however, has a very special plane for these premier routes – the A321T. The ‘T’ in the airplane name denotes ‘transcontinental.’ Since 2014, American Airlines has operated a sub-fleet of seventeen A321-200 aircraft, configured especially for a few select high-profile domestic routes with a strong demand for a premium product.

The A321T features fully lie-flat seats in first and business, although American has previously announced that it will discontinue its Flagship First product at some point in 2024. When this happens, these Airbus A321Ts will be replaced by American’s new Airbus A321XLRs, which will feature a new business class product. But while they’re still around, we take a look at some of the most impressive features of the American Airlines Airbus A321 Transcon.

1 Premium passengers get lie flat seats

41% of the capacity is dedicated to first and business class seating

When boarding, the flight is boarded through a single door, which is the one at the front of the aircraft, meaning that every passenger walks through the Flagship First cabin as well as the business class cabin to get to the main cabin. While lie-flat seats have become commonplace on widebodies for long-haul travel over the past two decades, lie-flat seats on a single aisle plane such as the A321 are rare. The trend pioneers were JetBlue on its A321neos and flydubai on the 737 MAX.

Photo: American Airlines

Although the business class seats on both JetBlue and FlyDubai offer incredible lie-flat comfort, American Airlines takes it one step further, offering 30 lie-flat seats across two separate cabins. Each seat includes a generous width of 21″, and is perfect for getting some rest on board.

While not everyone will be able to fly in the premium cabins, there is another option for those used to traveling in economy. The A321T has a spacious premium economy cabin, with seating for 36, which offers a viable upgrade path from regular economy for those passengers looking for a bit extra. Seats have a width of 18″ and a generous pitch of 35″ to let guests stretch out on the long trip.

2 Flagship First

Only true first class experience available on the transcontinental route

American is the only one out of the “big three” US legacy carriers -United, Delta, and American- to offer an authentic First-class cabin on its transcontinental flights, as opposed to their standard long-haul Business class. American’s Flagship First Suits can only be found onboard their A321T and Boeing 777-300ERs. The Flagship First cabin on the A321T features 10 Zodiac reverse herringbone seats in a 1-1 configuration with just one seat on either side of the aisle.

Photo: American Airlines 

The Flagship First transcontinental experience sets it apart from competitors through its specialized airport ground services, such as the private Flagship check-in available at both JFK and LAX and its intimate onboard cabin, practically guaranteeing personalized service. Everything from the menu to the service is top-notch and comes with everything one might expect from a First class flight, from amenity kits to full Casper bedding. In fact, in lie-flat mode, the seat reclines to a full 82.5 inches, and the seat adjustments feature many options, allowing passengers to tailor their seats to meet their needs so they can lounge, sleep, eat, or work in a comfortable position.

3 Three cabin layout

It is the only single aisle plane in the US to fly with three separate cabins

The premium heavy A321T features just 102 seats and is arranged in a three-cabin configuration, with 10 Flagship First suits, 20 Business class lie-flat seats, and 72 seats in the main cabin, which is split into 36 regular economy seats and 36 Main Cabin Extra seats featuring extra legroom. With just 102, the plane is downright spacious, especially compared to Spirit’s Airbus A321, which features 228 seats. In fact, the First Class cabin includes a “pet cabin.”

Moreover, while American A321s regularly configured only have two galleys (one in the front of the aircraft) and four lavatories (two in the front, one in the middle, and one in the back), the A321T features a layout similar to that of long-haul aircraft. With a galley in the front (for First class passengers only), one in the middle (for Business class passengers only) separating First and Business class, and one in the back (for economy class). The A321T galleys are initially located exclusively for passengers flying in that cabin, which is a layout found on long-haul planes.

4 In-flight entertainment

Each seat has a seatback touch-screens and in-flight entertainment systems

While in-flight entertainment (IFE) screens are standard, even expected on long-haul planes, that is not true for single-aisle airplanes. Most single-aisle planes, especially in the United States, do not include IFE screens and instead offer free movies and TV shows on your personal device. On the A321T, each seat has a personal full HD IFE screen. These IFE screens range in size from 15.4 inches in First class to 9 inches in the main cabin. All of these screens can be controlled with a touchscreen remote or by touching the screen itself.

Photo: Joshua Kupietzky | Simple Flying

American offers various entertainment options, including 190 movies, 125 different TV shows, 100 music albums, and 20 games. There are other educational options, such as Rosetta Stone language courses. Lastly, the IFE allows passengers to stream live TV shows from CNN, FOX News, and ESPN.

5 Only transcontinental routes

Only flown on a handful of premier routes

American Airlines operates the A321T only on its most premium transcontinental routes, including New York JFK to San Francisco, Los Angeles and Orange Country, and Los Angeles to Boston or Miami. However, in some cases American have deployed them for events such as the Las Vegas Grand Prix. The transcontinental route has seen an increase in premium options, with United flying its “high-J” Boeing 767 between Newark and LAX, which includes 46 United Polaris seats.

Photo: Joshua Kupietzky | Simple Flying

However, it is not the first to offer premium heavy flights between the East and West Coast. While American has found success with the business model, many other airlines have failed, including MGM Grand, Legend, Air One, Air Atlanta, McClain, and Regent. For instance, from 1987 through 1994, MGM Grand would fly between New York and Los Angeles with an average ticket cost of $1,400.

The premium heavy MGM product promised that each flight would never have more than 33 passengers and that there would be five flight attendants on board to look after them. However, with the rise of business jets, the airline had trouble appealing to customers. By 1994, business jets were ascending and were now the preferred choice of celebrities and business leaders. America’s current premium offering aboard the A321T has proven to be a successful business model.

Have you flown American Airlines domestic Flagship service – either in business or first class? Feel free to share your experiences of the seats and service in the comments below.