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Airbus A321 (legacy US Airways A321-200) master thread

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Old Jan 31, 2017, 4:10 pm
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Last edit by: DenverBrian
AA (legacy US Airways) Airbus A321-200 "321"

The older legacy US Airways Airbus A321-200 is shown as "321" in AA schedules. (Newer legacy AA A321s are listed as "32B" as they have "Sharklet" wingtip devices installed, and include two class A321S and A321H ETOPS and three class A321T transcontinental versions.)

NOTE: in accordance with AA “Project Oasis” all A321-200s will be retrofitted between 2019 and 2021. Business / First cabins will use the seats found today in the AA A319, with reduced seat pitch and recline. MCE and MC will have the Rockwell Collins slimline Meridian seats with reduced pitch and recline. Lavatories will be ultra-slim Rockwell Collins Spacewall lavs. See Oasis: New seats & less pitch, WiFi IFE & power all 737 and A321 2019-21 for further information.

As conversion begins we will start a new thread, and you should be able to see which configuration a particular aircraft has by referencing the (unofficial) American Airlines Fleet Site here.

The legacy US Airways A321s are currently unmodified, though a few have been reupholstered, have new carpeting and bulkhead liners. These have less seat pitch and recline in the First cabin, no Main Cabin Extra seats other than the few with greater seat pitch (e.g. bulkhead / 5, Exit rows 9, 10, 22, and 23) and have neither seatback IFE nor at seat power provisions. They do have GoGo WiFi and free streaming audio and video entertainment for your WiFi capable devices..

Note 10 ABC (fixed armrests with deploying trays) or F, 23 A and F seem to be preferred by some members.

Please see AA to install same new seats in 737-800s and A321s but add more of them for information on the plan to install new B/E Aerospace Meridian slimline seats in a denser pattern and 30" seat pitch in Main Cabin in 2019. (We will dedicate a thread to the CIP / modified A321 when that aircraft becomes current with the AA fleet.)

The A320-321 refurbishment thread may be read here.

Older posts from 2014 and 2015 have been archived here.

Updated 31 Jan 2017 - JDiver
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Airbus A321 (legacy US Airways A321-200) master thread

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Old May 13, 2016, 10:45 am
  #76  
 
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Originally Posted by wrp96
On a flight from HNL to LAX, you will be on a LAA Airbus A321 that will be relatively brand new and have IFE. It won't be the plane discussed in this thread.
Great to hear I misunderstood this! Thanks!
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Old May 16, 2016, 7:27 pm
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DFW-CLT-PUJ Legacy US?

We had our 1st experience with LUS last week DFW-SFO, with mixed results.

Bad news: The plane was a LUS 321, and had no IFE and no power ports. At that point she didn't even bother to ask about WiFi.

Good news: The LUS crew (actually Legacy America West) was far superior to 90%+ of their LAA counterparts from onboard greeting to PDBs with refills to goodbye at the jet way.^^

MrsDallas49er and I are going to PUJ later in the month through CLT and back. All 4 aircraft are billed as 321s.

Realizing that crews are a crap shoot, especially with LUS east vs. west issues prior to the merger, can I reasonably expect 321s equipped similarly (nothing) to our DFW-SFO plane?

Personally, I could care less about IFE, WiFi, power ports, etc., but to one of us in this marriage, its life or death.

Thank you in advance.

Last edited by Dallas49er; May 17, 2016 at 11:40 am
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Old May 16, 2016, 7:34 pm
  #78  
 
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All LUS A321's have wifi, although it may not work when over international waters...none have power or IFE
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Old May 16, 2016, 9:14 pm
  #79  
 
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Originally Posted by Dallas49er
We had our 1st experience with LUS last week DFW-SFO, with mixed results.

Bad news: The plane was a LUS 321, and had no IFE and no power ports. At that point she didn't even bother to ask about WiFi.

Good news: The LUS (actually Legacy America West) was far superior to 90%+ of their LAA counterparts from onboard greeting to PDBs with refills to goodbye at the jet way.^^

MrsDallas49er and I are going to PUJ later in the month through CLT and back. All 4 aircraft are billed as 321s.

Realizing that crews are a crap shoot, especially with LUS east vs. west issues prior to the merger, can I reasonably expect 321s equipped similarly (nothing) to our DFW-SFO plane?

Personally, I could care less about IFE, WiFi, power ports, etc., but to one of us in this marriage, its life or death.

Thank you in advance.
Isn't DFW-SFO normally on a 32B or a 737? I would route through DFW to avoid a LUS 321 any day
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Old May 16, 2016, 9:35 pm
  #80  
 
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Originally Posted by joepercussion1
Isn't DFW-SFO normally on a 32B or a 737? I would route through DFW to avoid a LUS 321 any day
AA #475 was a LUS 321 with a LUS crew.
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Old May 17, 2016, 4:14 am
  #81  
 
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Originally Posted by Dallas49er
AA #475 was a LUS 321 with a LUS crew.
I realize that, but I never knew LUS to fly DFW-SFO pre merger
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Old May 17, 2016, 4:24 am
  #82  
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Originally Posted by joepercussion1
I realize that, but I never knew LUS to fly DFW-SFO pre merger
AA has been mixing LUS AA & US a/c on routes. So a LAA route such as DFW/SFO might now be served by a LUS a/c.
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Old May 17, 2016, 6:23 am
  #83  
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Originally Posted by Dallas49er

Realizing that crews are a crap shoot, especially with LUS east vs. west issues prior to the merger, can I reasonably expect 321s equipped similarly (nothing) to our DFW-SFO plane?

Personally, I could care less about IFE, WiFi, power ports, etc., but to one of us in this marriage, its life or death.

Thank you in advance.
It doesn't seem that anyone answered this question yet, but to answer it...you are correct. The LUS A321's don't have power, IFE, or really anything else. If you look back over this thread, you'll see that at one point they did, but it was taken out, presumably in an effort to cut fuel costs.


As for a US crew flying DFW-SFO or the reverse, things like that are happening now. A week and a half ago, I was on an LAA 737 with an AA crew for LAS-PHX. Most of the passengers onboard were a bit surprised. When I looked through the AA app on my phone, the aircraft had flown ORD-LAS, continued to PHX, and presumably onward to ORD.
There will be more mix fleeting, similar to what happened ~10 years ago during the HP-US merger.
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Old May 17, 2016, 6:37 am
  #84  
 
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I recently flew SFO-DFW operated by LUS 321, crew were CLT based crew. I suspected it was LUS aircraft because incoming aircraft showed CLT-SFO. One thing I did not think about until I arrived at SFO is that the flight was operated by LUS aircraft and LUS crew so the flight departed from Terminal 1 40s gate, not from Terminal 2 at SFO. Yes, the aircraft had no IFE, etc.
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Old May 17, 2016, 8:55 am
  #85  
 
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Originally Posted by newyorkgeorge
AA has been mixing LUS AA & US a/c on routes. So a LAA route such as DFW/SFO might now be served by a LUS a/c.
I like the LUS crews and the planes aren't terrible, but until they upgrade the interiors a bit to include at least power (and maybe some free streaming entertainment like UA to match the offerings on the AVOD LAA planes, unless we see AVOD on the LUS 321s eventually), then getting a LUS 321 is a sore disappointment.

On longer flights, I will always route through DFW vs CLT to hopefully avoid the LUS 321, but seeing this is less than guaranteed now is sad. Hopefully this changes in the near future.
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Old May 22, 2016, 2:46 pm
  #86  
 
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Are any non-LUC A321's on the SAN-PHL route? After switching from UA I came to enjoy the A321s to and through DFW but was in for a sad surprise when I boarded this weekends RT to Philly. I have another in 3 weeks and need some hope.
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Old May 22, 2016, 4:00 pm
  #87  
 
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Originally Posted by aztimm
or really anything else.
Not sure what the "anything else" refers to, but as others have posted above, 90%+ of the LUS fleet had wifi, including all 321s. I think the LUS management team wagered that most people prefer wifi to IFE (as I do, but realize many do not) when making the decision to go with only wifi, rather than reinstall IFE systems.

Originally Posted by joepercussion1
I like the LUS crews and the planes aren't terrible, but until they upgrade the interiors a bit to include at least power (and maybe some free streaming entertainment like UA to match the offerings on the AVOD LAA planes, unless we see AVOD on the LUS 321s eventually), then getting a LUS 321 is a sore disappointment.

On longer flights, I will always route through DFW vs CLT to hopefully avoid the LUS 321, but seeing this is less than guaranteed now is sad. Hopefully this changes in the near future.
At one point US had plans to launch a streaming on-demand entertainment service via Gogo. Not sure if that ever came to fruition. I have seen rumors that when the LUS refurb begins, they aircraft will refurbed to actually match their LAA counterparts, unlike the 319 half-furb, which includes IFE and power. Let's hope that's the case.
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Old May 23, 2016, 12:44 pm
  #88  
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Originally Posted by GotCalcio4
At one point US had plans to launch a streaming on-demand entertainment service via Gogo. Not sure if that ever came to fruition. I have seen rumors that when the LUS refurb begins, they aircraft will refurbed to actually match their LAA counterparts, unlike the 319 half-furb, which includes IFE and power. Let's hope that's the case.
I don't predict that AA will install seatback AVOD IFE on the LUS A321s given that it did not do so on its 93 A319s.

AA has a lot of older 738s that lack seatback IFE and are not getting it, so the combined domestic fleet will be mostly lacking in seatback IFE for many years. What I don't understand is the decision to continue new deliveries with seatback IFE since so many existing planes won't be getting it. Because of the inconsistency, AA won't be able to advertise domestic seatback IFE as an amenity if half or more of the planes lack it.

UA has a lot of "dark" newer planes as well.
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Old May 23, 2016, 1:26 pm
  #89  
 
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At least the AA 738's that don't have PVOD have drop-down entertainment and a variety of music channels. The pmUS A321's have nothing -- other than a crappy seat.
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Old May 29, 2016, 1:14 pm
  #90  
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Originally Posted by UAPremierGuy
At least the AA 738's that don't have PVOD have drop-down entertainment and a variety of music channels. The pmUS A321's have nothing -- other than a crappy seat.
I thought that UA has wifi that allows you to stream movies and shows on your own device, or am I wrong? Our flight on a CRJ-700 had wifi that allowed me to watch movies on my iphone for free.
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