Summary
- American Airlines has acquired Alaska Airlines’ A321neos, which can are expected enter service throughout the 12 months.
- The acquired A321neos have different tail numbers and door placements in comparison with American’s existing A321neos.
- It’s speculated that American will keep the seating configuration of the previous Alaska jets as they enter service, however it has not been confirmed.
Last 12 months, Alaska Airlines returned to being an all-Boeing company with the retirement of its Airbus family aircraft inherited from its acquisition of Virgin America. Because the airline quickly dumped their A319s through the pandemic, it held on to its A320s and A321neos until 2023.
The A320s have been picked up by other airlines, however the A321neos will all have a brand new operator: American Airlines. Currently, it’s believed the Fort Value, Texas-based carrier is preparing the aircraft, as they’re expected to enter service throughout the 12 months.
Where are they now?
After rumors swirled around for months, Easy Flying reported in October that American would purchase Alaska’s 10 A321neos. The move was somewhat predictable given the partnership between each carriers and American’s investment within the A321 program. The plane type is the backbone of the airline’s domestic operations – with over 200 A321s and 70 A321neos in its fleet.
Photo: Angel DiBilio | Shutterstock
The acquired jets all had registration numbers unique to Virgin America, as they were originally ordered by the previous airline. Nevertheless, the aircraft will probably be re-registered before operating with American. Based on data from Planespotters.net, seven planes are in Roswell, Recent Mexico, two in San Antonio, and one in Amarillo, Texas.
Aircraft |
Age |
Delivery Date |
Recent Registration |
Current Location |
---|---|---|---|---|
N921VA |
6.8 years |
December 2023 |
N950XV |
Roswell Air Center (ROW) |
N922VA |
6.7 years |
January 2024 |
N951XV |
Roswell Air Center (ROW) |
N923VA |
6.3 years |
October 2023 |
N952XV |
San Antonio International Airport (SAT) |
N924VA |
6.0 years |
October 2023 |
N953XV |
Roswell Air Center (ROW) |
N925VA |
6.2 years |
November 2023 |
N954XV |
Roswell Air Center (ROW) |
N926VA |
5.8 years |
November 2023 |
N955XV |
San Antonio International Airport (SAT) |
N927VA |
5.9 years |
November 2023 |
N956XV |
Rick Husband Amarillo International Airport (AMA) |
N928VA |
5.7 years |
January 2024 |
N957XV |
Roswell Air Center (ROW) |
N929VA |
4.7 years |
December 2023 |
N958XV |
Roswell Air Center (ROW) |
N930VA |
4.6 years |
December 2023 |
N959XV |
Roswell Air Center (ROW) |
While it’s reported that the aircraft are in storage, ch-aviation lists the status of the planes under aside from N957XV, which is listed as Moreover, N959XV is believed to have already been painted in American’s livery. The ten planes have a mean age of 5.87 years.
Not quite the identical
Despite being integrated into the carrier’s fleet, there will probably be a number of differences from the prevailing A321neos in American’s fleet. First, their tail numbers are different, as most have “AA” or “AN” at the top of their registrations, which is the revival of some former McDonnell Douglas MD-80 aircraft registrations. Whether it was decided intentionally or not, the acquired jets’ “XV” tail numbers can competently stand for , distinguishing them from others.
History: The Evolution Of American Airlines’ Livery
AA’s paint scheme has had several variations through the years.
One other factor is that the planes are technically different variants, in line with ch-aviation. American’s original A321neos are designated as A321-200NXs, and the previous Alaska jets are A321-200Ns. The differentiation between the 2 is the door placements, allowing -200NXs to reportedly have an increased seating capability.
Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Easy Flying
Each variants have six essential doors, however the -200NX can have a complete of 10 exits – with 4 over the wings – in a high-density configuration. The -200Ns would not have any over-wing exits but moderately 4 essential doors on both sides of the fuselage, making a complete of eight. American’s existing A321neos have eight exits: six essential doors and two over-wing exits. The second pair of exits over the wings look to be deactivated because the planes accommodate a complete of 196 passengers. Based on Airbus, the -200NX’s full capability in a high-density configuration is 244 passengers, which would definitely require the opposite two over-wing exits.
Capability & seating configuration
It has been speculated that American will keep the seating configuration of the previous Alaska jets as they enter service. Based on Alaska, the ten A321neos had a seating capability of 190 passengers, which is six lower than American’s A321neos. Nevertheless, it is similar amount because the airline’s A321s. Easy Flying contacted the carrier for more details in regards to the aircraft, but a representative couldn’t be immediately reached for comment. Additionally it is unclear when precisely the planes will begin industrial flights.
Photo: Wirestock Creators | Shutterstock
American has worked lately to configure every plane type into their respective interior configuration, with a number of exceptions. If the acquired A321neos will not be reconfigured before entering service, an update to American’s website reflecting their specific seating format is imminent. Nevertheless, on condition that the planes only have a handful of seats lower than the carrier’s existing A321neos, it is probably going that they will probably be configured sooner moderately than later to simplify its A321neo fleet.
In Pictures: American Airlines’ Final McDonnell Douglas MD-80 Flight
The MD-80 was the last aircraft to fly American’s polished aluminium livery.