The world’s largest Airbus A320 family operator and A321 (CEO and NEO) customer has doubled down on its commitment to narrowbody Airbus aircraft by flying and ordering a substantial number of A321neo. This year, the carrier has reached an impressive fleet of 88 A321neos across three variants. A further 142 A321neos are on order. The vast majority of these jets have arrived directly from the Airbus factory, but ten airframes have come to 
American Airlines, purchased from Alaska Airlines.
After reading this article, you’ll understand more about American’s A321neo fleet, how they came to own these aircraft, where they fly, and why American Airlines believes it can succeed with the A321neo and the bizarre flights the carrier has been conducting between the US and Edinburgh without passengers this year.
The Number Of Airbus A321neos Operated By American Airlines
American Airlines currently flies a fleet of 88 A321neos across three variants, with seven of these aircraft currently inactive. The largest variant by fleet size is the A321-200NX. The X stands for ‘flex’, referring to the fact that this variant features Airbus Cabin Flex, which has become popular among airlines for its better-optimized space, larger bins, and reconfigured exit door. Airbus Senior Vice President of Marketing François Caudron spoke to Runway Girl about the layout. He said: “The ability to reconfigure doors is developed to provide in-service flexibility to our customers. On its own, we could do it overnight, but in reality, a customer is likely to change the door’s configuration when changing the cabin configuration.”
The table below shows the current fleet of A321neos flown by American Airlines across three variants according to ch-aviation:
|
Aircraft variant |
Active |
Inactive |
Total |
|
A321-200N |
10 |
10 |
|
|
A321-200NX |
71 |
4 |
75 |
|
A321-200XLR |
3 |
3 |
|
|
Total |
81 |
7 |
88 |
The carrier’s small fleet of A321-200XLR is currently inactive. However, with a substantial order currently being filled by Airbus, these jets will become a significant part of the American Airlines fleet. The Airbus A321XLR is the newest A321neo variant and has the longest range at 4,700 nautical miles (8,700 km), with a maximum non-stop flight time of 11 hours. That’s enough to fly from Paris to the West Coast of North America.
Where Do These A321neos Fly?
American Airlines uses its A321neos frequently for a broad range of domestic flights, with many routes, such as Los Angeles to Philadelphia, being transcontinental. There are also some high-frequency and short routes that buck this trend. The most frequent flight is the 868-mile hop from Dallas-Fort Worth to 
Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. The carrier will fly this route 163 times in December 2025, offering 31,948 seats and almost 28 million available seat miles. Other shorter routes flown by American Airlines this December include Los Angeles to Phoenix and Phoenix to Santa Ana.
The table below shows the top five most frequent American Airlines flights using the Airbus A321neo in December 2025. Please note that most of these routes have an identical return leg that has not been included.
|
Origin Airport |
Destination Airport |
Flights |
Seats |
ASMs |
Average Miles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Dallas–Fort Worth International Airport |
Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport |
163 |
31,948 |
27,730,864 |
868 |
|
Philadelphia International Airport |
Los Angeles International Airport |
147 |
28,812 |
69,177,612 |
2,401 |
|
Philadelphia International Airport |
Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport |
136 |
26,656 |
55,311,200 |
2,075 |
|
Miami International Airport |
Los Angeles International Airport |
121 |
23,716 |
55,542,872 |
2,342 |
|
Boston Logan International Airport |
Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport |
108 |
21,168 |
48,686,400 |
2,300 |
The longest route is one of a few that will be flown 45 times this December. Phoenix to Lihue takes the A321neo from Arizona to Hawaii, allowing festive travelers to catch some winter sun. This flight is 2,980 miles long, and passengers can expect it to take 6–7 hours. A more regular long route will be the 2,401-mile trip from Philadelphia to Los Angeles, which the carrier will fly 147 times in December 2025. Across these flights, 28,812 seats will be available, yielding almost 70 million available seat miles.
Simple Flying’s Lukas Souza reviewed a flight from Miami to Phoenix aboard an American Airlines A321neo. He reported back on a solid but unremarkable experience, writing: “Overall, not much to write home about. The flight was smooth and on par with the rest of American’s domestic operations.”
Airbus Delivers 10 A321neos In 1 Day In Push To Meet End-Of-Year Delivery Target
Airbus is in the final sprint of 2025.
American Airlines A321neo Order
According to ch-aviation, American Airlines currently has 95 A321-200NX and 47 A321-200XLR on order, for a total order sheet of 142 aircraft of this type. At this time, Airbus had received 6,100 A321neos orders from 90 customers.
American Airlines added 85 A321neos to its order in March 2024. American’s CEO Robert Isom said: “Over the past decade, we have invested heavily to modernise and simplify our fleet, which is the largest and youngest among U.S. network carriers. These orders will continue to fuel our fleet with newer, more efficient aircraft so we can continue to deliver the best network and record-setting operational reliability for our customers.”
The impressive size of this order will help American Airlines to maintain its status as the world’s largest operator of the A320 family and A321 (across CEO and NEO). It is also the A321neo’s largest customer in North America. Benoît de Saint-Exupéry, EVP Sales, Commercial Aircraft, Airbus, said: “For nearly two decades, American Airlines has used its A320 Family of aircraft, some of which have been produced in the U.S. in Mobile, Alabama, to grow its domestic and short-haul international network and provide an exceptional experience for its passengers and crews.”
Ten A321neo Airframes Were Bought From Alaska Airlines
Not all of American Airlines’ A321neos have been purchased from Airbus directly. Ten airframes were bought by American Airlines from Alaska Airlines. These jets were originally ordered by Virgin America, with first delivery ranging from October 2023 to January 2024. However, Alaska decided to shed these aircraft from its fleet in favor of all Boeing operations.
The clearest way to identify which aircraft were acquired in this way is to look at the tail numbers. Most American Airlines A321neos have “AA” or “AN” at the end of their registration. This is a nod to former McDonnell Douglas MD-80 registrations. Meanwhile, the Alaska Airlines jets will have “XV” on their tail numbers. The jets are also a slightly different variant than the A321-200N, rather than the -200NX.
The retrofitting process for these aircraft began in November 2024, seven months after American Airlines achieved its first revenue service for an ex-Alaska A321neo. JonNYC reported that N950XV was undergoing a retrofit into American’s Oasis cabin configuration at San Antonio International Airport. These retrofits were intended to bring these A321neos in line with American Airlines’ other aircraft to provide consistency for crews and passengers.
Where Are The Airbus A321neos American Airlines Purchased From Alaska Airlines?
Seven aircraft are reportedly in New Mexico, and three are in Texas.
Why Does American Airlines Fly The A321neo?
Thus far, we have explained how many A321neos are in the American Airlines fleet, where they fly them, and where these jets came from. Yet, why American Airlines chose this aircraft in the first place remains unanswered. The main benefits of the A321neo are its great passenger comfort, impressive versatility, and leading range and fuel efficiency. That means lower operating costs and environmental impact, and better profit margins.
Another key reason American Airlines believes it can find success with the A321neo is its impressive size. The A321neo is the longest Airbus narrowbody jet at 146 feet (44.5 meters). In a two-class layout, the jet can carry 180 to 220 passengers. It maxes out at 244 passengers for a high-density layout. Combined with their better range and efficiency, A321neos can enable airlines to achieve higher capacity and a broader network without needing inflexible widebody aircraft.
The table below displays the key specifications for the A321neo according to Airbus:
|
Range |
4,000 nautical miles (7,400 km) over up to nine hours. |
|---|---|
|
Max capacity |
244 |
|
Max take-off weight |
97 tonnes |
|
Max fuel capacity |
32,940 liters |
|
Overall length |
146 feet (44.5 meters) |
|
Wing span |
35.8 meters |
The jet’s CFM International LEAP-1A or Pratt & Whitney PW1100G-JM engines have been central to its success as they are highly efficient. They give airlines access to a 20% increase in overall fuel efficiency.
American Airlines Flies Some Of Its A321neos Empty
This fall, Simple Flying’s Jake Hardiman reported that some American Airlines A321neos fly without passengers. He wrote about 20 round-trip flights from Philadelphia to Edinburgh conducted by N461AN without passengers. Paulina Wykurz, American Airlines Supervisor at Edinburgh Airport, explained the purpose of these passenger-free flights: “This is a special charter flight. The purpose of this flight is to allow the pilots to complete their certified training on the aircraft type. We’re lucky enough to host our second aircraft here in Edinburgh.”
The specific training purpose is to produce Check Airmen. These pilots are qualified to certify other American pilots to fly the A321neo. They are essential for American Airlines’ training infrastructure as the carrier expands the number of A321neos in its fleet.
American Airlines already operates services to Edinburgh. However, these routes do have passengers and are flown by Boeing 787s. The majority of these flights have been carried out by the smaller Boeing 787-8. These jets can carry 234 passengers, and American Airlines fly them from Philadelphia to Edinburgh roughly four times as frequently as the 787-9. The larger jet has a standard capacity of 285 passengers.
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