dailynewsnblog
Since receiving its first Airbus A321XLR in October last year, 
American Airlines has steadily grown its long-haul-capable narrowbody to a modest fleet of five, with another 35 en route. Since debuting the aircraft on transcontinental services last November, the airline has expanded its reach with this aircraft across North America and Europe.
The longest route by the A321XLR for AA is that of 
Barcelona-El Prat Airport (BCN) to 
New York JFK Airport (JFK), which comes in at a total of nine hours and 40 minutes, with the service set to commence this October. Other European routes include 
Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) to Edinburgh Airport (EDI), 
Amsterdam Schiphol Airport (AMS), and Lisbon Airport (LIS), or Edinburgh to New York. This article, with help from Cirium, an online aviation analytics company, will uncover the ten longest routes with this aircraft within the American network.
9h 40m: American Airlines Longest Route With The Airbus A321XLR
American was the first carrier in the United States to receive and operate the A321XLR. This game-changing aircraft has been hotly anticipated for years to break the back of long-haul flying, with the narrowbody plane having capabilities to fly up to 4,700 nautical miles (8,700 km), far further than traditional widebodies. These capabilities will enable airlines to fly the aircraft on thinner routes, which may not have been financially sustainable with traditional widebody aircraft.
American Airlines will deploy the aircraft on its longest service with the type from October, with AA serving Barcelona to New York, covering a distance of 3,831 miles (6,165 km), in a total of nine hours and 40 minutes.
This route will operate seasonally and face direct competition from 
Delta Air Lines and LEVEL, which both operate the route year-round to JFK, while 
United Airlines operates nonstop flights to 
Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR). All of these airlines operate the route with traditional widebody aircraft. American will operate the A321XLR daily as below:
Route | Start Date | Frequency | Aircraft | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
New York JFK to Barcelona | October 25 | Daily | Airbus A321XLR | Seasonal |
Barcelona to New York JFK | October 26 | Daily | Airbus A321XLR | Seasonal |
9h 20m: Edinburgh To Philadelphia Becomes The Second Longest Route
Also set to kick off in October, American will serve Edinburgh to Philadelphia with the A321XLR starting October 25. The seasonal service on the return leg will become the second-longest route with the type at AA, taking a total of nine hours, 20 minutes gate to gate. The service will cover a distance of 3,347 miles (5,387 km).
The third longest route is that of Amsterdam to Philadelphia, which will commence with the outbound service from PHL departing on February 25. This route from the popular Dutch city will cover a distance of 3,726.4 miles (5,997 km), and will take a total of nine hours and 20 minutes all up and operate year-round. A breakdown of the top five international routes with the A321XLR at AA below:
Route Direction | MAX Block Time | Notes (Dates are US Departure) |
|---|---|---|
Barcelona to New York | 9h 40m | From October 25 |
Edinburgh to Philadelphia | 9h 20m | From October 25 |
Amsterdam to Philadelphia | 9h 20m | From February 25 |
Lisbon to Philadelphia | 9h 15m | From January 5 |
Edinburgh to New York | 7h 45m | Already operating |
The addition of its service from Lisbon will see the A321XLR replace the existing Boeing 787-8 currently flying the service, and the route will operate year-round.
Domestic Operations With The A321XLR
Domestically, the A321XLR is flying on a number of American routes, with the longest being that of 
Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) to 
Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). The service covers a distance of 2,605 miles (4,193 km) and takes a total of six hours and 55 minutes gate to gate.
The second-longest domestic route will be from New York JFK to 
San Francisco International Airport (SFO), covering a distance of 2,579 miles (4,151 km) with a flight time of six hours, 35 minutes in duration, which will begin on September 9. Other notable routes include New York to Los Angeles (6h 27m), which is already operating, and New York JFK to Las Vegas (6h 6m), which will fly on three dates in January only (January 4, 5, and 8).
American hopes to receive all of its A321XLR by 2032, and once all 40 are embedded in its fleet, it will undoubtedly see the airline’s network operations change with these long-haul capable aircraft allowing the airline to consider new routes that previously have been unsustainable.
