AA 'Evaluating' Long Range A321Neo
 

http://www.flightglobal.com/news/art...321neo-405630/

AA will evaluating the A321neoLR and hopefully, they will order it sometime in the future. This will be true 757 replacement. This will be on TATL missions & Hawaii flights, as well.

Let the speculation begin.

Personally, I will be a very happy narrowbody flyer the day both the 737 and A320 series' are put to their graves. With that said, I would expect AA to assess the need for this type of aircraft farther down the road.

There is no speculation to begin. Any major airline evaluates every major aircraft release. it's not even clear yet Airbus will even launch it unless they get orders. The aircraft is very loosely defined at this point in terms of true capabilities. It's more a trial balloon if they will launch it given what it might cost.

Is that TATL capabilities? Can they make it? Is that enough range? Can they fly JFK-BSL nonstop?

We don't know so no reason to speculate. If you want to speculate on the aircraft's marketed capabilities, that's a topic for airliners.net We'll let the airlines evaluate all that.. That is their business. If and when AA places an order for it then it's fair game go speculate where it might fly.

If this is strictly for 757 replacements and new routes, then I am for it (As much as I will miss the 757). However I sincerely hope the airlines do not use this as a replacement for widebody flying.

I think AA should wait until there is a clean sheet replacement 757 developed, and not spend their money on an airframe from the 80's with upgraded engines and an extra fuel tank. Boeing has been mulling over a replacement aircraft past year or so. It needs to be slightly wider, and keep the first class cabin separate.

Agreed. But I'm sure that they already have a prospective launch customer. I'm guessing they're past somebody saying "Build it and we will come", and completed the preliminary specs to define pax and range. Now they're looking to see if there's enough interest in the product to make it profitable.

I've been wondering what the future holds for the 757 market.

This is something I feel quite stongly about and the latter part is a huge reason why I prefer the 757 to any of the other domestic aircraft. I also would say that it needs to be a plane capable of boarding though an L2 door. The A321 was supposedly going to be able to do that but it seems that whole plan is dead in the water.

Well BA currently fly A319's from London City to New York, albeit on a lighter configuration. So I'm sure it could, it just depends on how they configure it if they actually buy any.

The market for 757s as a narrowbody TATL replacement (which is basically the market you're looking at) isn't big enough to justify a clean sheet replacement. If it happens it's going to be a stretch/re-engine of the 737Max.

80-90% of what 757s were used for during their heyday (TCON, Hawaii, point to point in the USA) are now missions for A320s and 737NGs. A plane that maybe sells 300 of the type is going to be a huge waste of cash for Boeing.

Well, seeing as how this is exactly what Airbus has done with the A380, perhaps they won't be averse to doing this with a 757 replacement as well... ;)

The London City flights are flown with the A318 and they can't make LCY-JFK non-stop. They have a technical stop in SNN. Only the return is non-stop.

This.

The only way Being could design a "slightly wider" narrowbody aircraft would be with strong ptedictions the aircraft would be so revolutionary (think composies, for one,) they could fotecast thousands, perhaps tens of thousands, of sales as the 737 and 320 families become obsolete.

The 737 and all Being narrowbodies use the basic 707 fuselage - they've sold many 707-720, 727, 737, 757s, all with the basic 707 dimensions. Going to a new design would be a quantum leap.

As to 321LRneo, potentially it could replace 757s transatlantic or Hawai'i, but can it handle LPB? For Hawai'i length sectors, might AA not find it more economical to develop a subfleet of ETOPS-rated 738s, such as Alaska does?

Speculation, all of it. ;)