Today was the inaugural commercial flight for the first American Airlines Airbus A321XLR, flying between New York JFK and Los Angeles. I had a chance to see the plane last week in New York but that’s not the same as actually flying it. We had just a short period on the aircraft, ushered on and off in groups.
That meant I could see the plane and sit in the seats but not really try it out. I did things like check the sinks in the lavatory – was the water pressure set properly? Back when American Airlines first launched the Boeing 737 MAX, the lavatory doors opened into each other and the water sprayed back on passengers because the sinks weren’t deep enough.
American hadn’t built mock ups of their new standard domestic cabin before releasing it into service back in 2017, so a lot of problems like the way the galley worked and how first class passengers lacked underseat storage due to how the seats were mounted to the floor came as a surprise. The airline pledged to do better – specifically with this plane.
However, there seems to be one problem that’s already coming up based on reports from the air.
- The way this herringbone seat works, passengers have their backs to the window and face the aisle.
- The TV is – naturally – in front of them. So it’s between the passenger and flight attendants serving them from the aisle.
- That means the TV is in the way every time a flight attendant comes to offer them meals, drinks, or snacks.
Someone didn’t think this through. The flight attendants can’t set the tables or serve meals without stowing the TV monitors. So every time they come by, they need to push them back. You can clearly tell the FAs are frustrated at the design. pic.twitter.com/ZSyr0diDWu
— Jamie Larounis (@TheForwardCabin) December 18, 2025
That is exactly what the purser just told me. He looks absolutely baffled about how to serve folks with the TV’s open because closing them each and every time is not exactly a great option either. Did anyone not test this design before installation?
— Jamie Larounis (@TheForwardCabin) December 18, 2025
This is a medium deal operationally. It’s an annoyance. It’s probably a bigger deal for the product reputationally, because it’s happening as part of American’s high-visibility “premium pivot.” Meal and drink service is soemthing premium flyers notice.
If flight attendants really have to ask for screens to be stowed each time they offer service, from drink to tray and dessert, service gets slower and feels clunky and interrupting. It begs the question, “how did they not test this?” even when they got 20 things right. It’s going to be a bigger deal on transatlantic flights with more service.
This is more an issue with the architecture of the seat than an American Airlines customization issue. Collins Aurora uses a wall-mounted, swing-out monitor. The tray table is folded into the sidewall. The Thompson Vantage Solo seat used in JetBlue Mint and the Iberia A321XLR is the closest comparable inward-herringbone narrowbody product. The screen isn’t mounted in the same way.
There are design choices with this seat that create challenges. The seat manufacturer markets that this layout allows crew to serve without reaching over customers. True! And I can see why American might prefer cabin crew not to serve over open screens, to avoid spills and potential damage moving the screen.
I suspect that service flow is going to need to shift. I wonder if there’s something that can be done with smaller plates, or different trays, that make it possible to place on the tray with tongs from a lower angle? This is outside my area! But ultimately, I expect American can figure out how to manage this in a way that annoys business class passengers and crew less.
Plenty of top-tier premium products have a quirk to them, from Singapore angling seats underneath the one in front so that passenger legs are at an angle to Etihad’s First Apartment have a hard bed (which I never minded).
Gary, everyone, relax… it’s the same seat/suite as jetBlue’s newer Mint (TATL, JFK-LAX). It’s just fine. Yes, FA’s have to reach over, but it’s not the end of the world. Shows can be watched. Meals can be enjoyed. (However, food’s better on B6 Mint than AA Flagship J.)
Wow. Just wow. As much on the manufacturer as AA but seriously someone(s) blew it
So close, but yet so far? Sigh. The 321Ts are an amazing plane for passengers. The XLRs are an amazing plane for cargo, with the rear center tank integrated into the fuselage allowing for more cargo space. The “xtra long range” opportunity is clearly a bit of an afterthought for AA compared to the cargo utilization. Passengers were also an afterthought. No real MCE seating – let’s jam ’em in. And these business class suites are narrow to begin with, and the impact to service flow is not an insignificant screw up. This was already going to be a challenging plane to work on for the FAs. I’ve been negative on the XLRs for awhile now, so not a hot take from me, but I just continue to be very unimpressed by the “upgrades and enhancements to the passenger experience” being promoted on this one, even if this particular issue ends up being “manageable”.
Nice premium economy cabin though?
@1990. The article states JetBlue and Iberia are different seats tv mount systems (Thompson) to AA (Collins Aero). Can anyone inform if this issue exists in JetBlue? What seat did United order?
The gAAng that couldn’t shoot strAAight…
Expect the service flow to be modified now to minimize interaction. One drink (well, that’s pretty standard for AA anyway…lately refills require a trip to the galley) and a single tray.
@GullAirACK — It’s roughly the same design; like, Chevy, GMC, etc. (mere branding). Or… we can just ‘dunk’ on AA, even though it’s a non-issue.
Bonvoy!
Don’t understand the big deal, how else would some of you have positioned the screen?
I swear some of you remind me of the mean girls movie, always being katty.
@ 1990 — Yeah, it is the some POS as the other airlines you mention. United is about to do same. If Delta avoids this crap and gets rid of their other crap, they may actually become the best (not just in Tim’s imagination).
This is very typical of American Airlines service. Their hard product has always been terrible and this sounds like doubling down on a shitty experience. They have become the trailer park in the sky – the ‘ugly girl’ of the industry. I claimed my million-miler status and then abandoned them.
@Gene — The future is more narrow-body aircraft with lie-flat up-front, and the a321 both neo and XLR varieties with 1-1 configuration are excellent. I’m not sure where all the doom is coming from here. B6 started it; AA continues it; DL is working on it, too; UA and AS should eventually as well. If you don’t like Airbus, SQ has done a decent job with installing lie-flat on its 737max. All of it is far superior to recliners, and even better than DL and UA’s 757 with 2-2 older lie-flat. This is the way.
The Delta 321NEO Delta One seat was supposed to be a reverse herringbone configuration which is opposite of what AA did.
UA appears to be doing the same thing.
B6 Mint seats are in line with the aisle.
It would seem that any herringbone seat could have this issue depending on the video mount and it is not unique to narrowbodies.
AA has the service issue covered. They provide rude, terrible service from the start, so that anything wrong with the seat is a side issue…so to speak,
TD, “The Delta 321NEO Delta One seat was supposed to be a reverse herringbone configuration”
TD, “Wow. Just wow.”
Don’t take my window away from me.
thank you, JL, for confirming the concept went COMPLETELY over your head
Lol, yet another fail by AA. Go back to the drawing board.
@Tim Dunn — I think window-facing, reverse herringbone would be actually better than this aisle-facing herringbone, so long as it all can pass certification; the irony is that AA’s existing Flagship First on a321T is basically that already. How hard could it be to pop a door on that, call it a suite, and get flyin’…
“so long as it all can pass certification”
That’s a big IF for DL.
@JL — Apparently, it’s a delay for all airlines; not just AA or DL, but UA, too. The only airline ahead of the game on this kind of seat, ironically, has been B6 with their new Mint on the a321neo.
Yes, all airlines have had delays in receiving aircraft due to supply chain issues, but as great as DL is in so many regards, aircraft interiors is the obvious exception. In this case they went with a less experienced vendor that used fabrics that failed fire resistance tests, but DL still had to take delivery of the aircraft. The problem is so serious that after removing the engines for spares they then chose to install interim non-lie flat seats. YIKES!
@JL — You’re the United fanboy/girl, right? Let’s talk about the 772 rear-facing 2-4-2 ‘Polaris’ and the 737-700s from 20-30 years ago. I’d happily take AA’s new a321XLR over both. Any. Day. Still, UA has a better 1-1-1 ‘Polaris’ than DL’s ancient 763 1-2-1. We can find ‘fault’ with each, sir or madam.
The high density 772s are so well suited for low-yield hub to hub and hub to Hawaii flights that UA converted four 772ERs to that configuration in addition to the 19 772As for a total of 23. The rest of UA’s 230 wide-body aircraft (DL 178 WBs) used internationally all have had Polaris suites, Premium Plus and Econ Plus for years. In fact UA has four times the number of Polaris suites as DL has D1 suites. Amazing, right? The 752s that UA uses for transcons will be replaced with A321s with lie-flat seats in time for the incoming JFK slots. Heck, those might be flying before DL finally gets lie-flat seat/beds approved and installed in their A321s
The solution is very simple, remove the screens and give people their lives back. Alternatively, have some screen down time while they are trying to serve you. Enjoy watching the food instead of the drivel on the TV while you are eating. I can think of so much good that comes from this.
Current leadership doesn’t seek out flight attendant feedback like was once done under Parker.
@1990 — The problem is that aisle-facing seats are horrible. I will choose a different airline.
@Christian “like was done under Parker” ? They ddin’t even build a galley mockup of the 737 MAX
This design is a copy of the original Virgin Upper Class seat. Very narrow, TV screen in the way of food, back to the window, worse at seat storage than main cabin etc