Here’s what’s inside America’s new long-haul Airbus A321 XLR

American Airlines is about to carry passengers to California for the first time on a long-haul, slimline aircraft and hopes to change air travel. The airline’s head of network planning now has to decide where else to fly.

A US carrier’s first Airbus A321XLR is scheduled to take off from New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport on Thursday, bound for Los Angeles International Airport.

XLR stands for Extra Long Range, and with the ability to fly up to 4,700 nautical miles, the aircraft can fly much farther than cross-country flights, although the New York to Los Angeles route is a very lucrative one.

American will focus on routes to smaller European cities from its hub in Philadelphia or from New York City that may not warrant aircraft in its fleet that are larger and more expensive to operate, such as the Boeing 777 or Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

American’s senior vice president of network and schedule planning, Brian Znutens, suggested in an interview with CNBC that he is considering destinations like Bordeaux and Marseille in France; Oslo, Norway; Stockholm, Sweden; Copenhagen, Denmark; Mallorca and Seville in Spain.

“It really opens up the list to all these destinations that are too small for a widebody,” Znutins said.

The airline will begin operating its aircraft in Europe starting in March with a non-stop flight from New York to Edinburgh, Scotland.

Airlines are increasingly turning to smaller aircraft for longer non-stop flights. JetBlue Airlines It said it would push its Airbus A321LR, an aircraft that falls between a regular 321neo and an XLR, for flights to Barcelona and Milan, Italy, next year. The XLR debuts on America’s partner, Spanish airline Iberia, in November 2024.

American debuted its new interior design and aircraft configuration with the maiden flight on Thursday.

The carrier is focusing heavily on premium seats, which will occupy a fifth of the plane, as its executives try to catch up with more profitable competitors. Delta Airlines and United Airlines. In the first nine months of the year together, these two companies accounted for nearly 98% of the profits of the four largest US airlines – which also includes American and American Airlines. Southwest Airlines.

Unlike America’s Airbus 321T, which has 102 seats and separate cabins for first and business class, the 321XLR will have 155 seats: 20 in business class, 12 in premium economy and 123 in the main cabin. This is still less than the standard 190-seat Airbus A321 aircraft in the US fleet.

The new interior, with dark blue and caramel tones, is meant to be an “ode to Americana,” said Rhonda Crawford, senior vice president of customer experience design for America, who previously worked at Delta.

However, it will not be possible to close the privacy doors in the suites until early next year due to a suspension of certification, an issue that has delayed deliveries of new aircraft as airlines seek more and more premium seats.

American ordered 50 XLR aircraft in 2019. The carrier said it expects to have 40 XLR aircraft by the end of the decade. United also has planes on order and expects to take delivery of the first plane next year.

American grounded its Boeing 757s and 767s, planes often used for international routes, during the pandemic and is now looking to rethink its network, while United — and Delta to a lesser extent — have kept older, long-haul planes.

American is also increasing its investment in renovating larger cabins and lounges. The airline said Wednesday it will renovate its Admirals Club at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport to increase seating capacity by 50%.

As it makes these investments, company executives are now trying to balance spending money — on items including new lounges and champagne — and making money.

“You’re not going to be able to close the margin gap by just continuing to pay cost,” Nat Pepper, American’s newly appointed chief commercial officer and the airline’s longtime executive, told CNBC. “Will Americans spend more to be able to chase premium revenue and improve our bottom line? Yes, we are, but let’s do it smart.”

American was the first U.S. airline to place an order for XLR aircraft in more than six years. The planes have an extra fuel tank that gives them a longer range, ushering in the era of smaller, long-distance flying that can easily exceed eight hours, and testing passengers’ desire to board a smaller plane.

The 321XLR also shows how aircraft manufacturers Airbus and Boeing have continued to rely on older aircraft designs to create an entirely new aircraft.