American Airlines' First Cramped A321 Takes to the Skies After Project Oasis Retrofit
Almost a year to the date after American Airlines' first cramped Boeing 737-800 entered service, AA's first "Project Oasis" Airbus A321 is flying its first revenue flights. On Thursday morning, a newly-retrofit A321 took to the skies packed with more seats than any of the other 218 Airbus A321ceo in AA's fleet. But, unlike the 737-800 Project Oasis retrofit program, this retrofit isn't all bad news.
First, let's take a step back and explain what "Project Oasis" means. American Airlines is in the midst of what it's calling the "largest fleet modernization project in aviation history." The terms "modernization" and "fleet harmonization" may sound positive, but it's generally not been good news for passengers.
Over the last year, AA has been retrofitting Boeing 737-800s with 12 additional seats. In order to make room for those extra seats, AA shrunk pitch in economy to just 30 inches, Main Cabin Extra to 33 inches and first class to 37 inches. That's a reduction of 1-3 inches per row throughout the plane. Plus, AA squeezed the smallest bathrooms it could find -- the broadly-disliked bathrooms that are being installed on the 737 MAX, which measure just 24 inches from wall to wall.
| American Airlines Boeing 737-800 | Before retrofit | After retrofit | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| First Class Seats | 16 | 16 | -- |
| Main Cabin Extra Seats | 30 | 30 | -- |
| Main Cabin Seats | 114 | 126 | +12 |
| First Class Pitch | 38-40" | 37" | -1-3" |
| Main Cabin Extra Pitch | 34" | 33" | -1" |
| Main Cabin Pitch | 31" | 30" | -1" |
| First Class bathroom width | 31" | 29" | -1.5" |
| Main Cabin bathroom width | 31" | 24" | -7" |
To save costs, American Airlines isn't installing inflight entertainment screens on these Project Oasis retrofits. Some of the 737-800s that have gone into the shop have had relatively new IFE screens installed, meaning that AA is scrapping perfectly-good IFE screens in its quest for densification. In doing so, the airline is having to write-off a substantial cost for retiring these screens five years earlier than originally planned -- leading to some investors questions in the recent first quarter earnings call.
AA hasn't had great luck with its Project Oasis retrofits either. Starting in March, the airline grounded 14 of its Project Oasis-retrofit Boeing 737-800 aircraft after finding issues with how the aircraft were retrofit. This grounding caused the cancellation of dozens of flights per day, an issue that was exacerbated shortly later by the grounding of the entire 737 MAX fleet.
So far, the Project Oasis 737-800 retrofit has been a bust for both passengers and the airline. But, on the retrofit Airbus A321s, the news isn't all bad.
Yes, American Airlines is cramming more seats into the aircraft. That's going to squeeze pitch to fit those extra seats into the aircraft. Plus, I haven't found a fan yet of the new slimline seats that American Airlines is using in economy, and the "first class" seats being used are the same seats AA uses in premium economy on its international aircraft.
However, many of AA's A321s originate from US Airways and don't have inflight entertainment screens, power outlets or much pitch before the retrofit. This retrofit will add power outlets and much-larger overhead bins to aircraft that have been desperately in need of an upgrade.
And there's good news for American Airlines elites and first class flyers: AA is adding an extra row to the first class cabin. These extra seats will mean more availability -- both paid and award -- than if AA had stuck to four rows in first class. This addition also makes the A321 Project Oasis arrangement second only to AA's ultra-premium A321T aircraft in percentage of first class seats to economy seats.
| Aircraft Type | Domestic First (Business) | Economy | Total | % of Total | Ratio (Economy:First) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A321T | 20 | 72 | 102 | 19.6% | 3.6 to 1 |
| A321 (Project Oasis) | 20 | 170 | 190 | 10.5% | 8.5 to 1 |
| A321neo | 20 | 176 | 196 | 10.2% | 8.8 to 1 |
| 737-800 | 16 | 144 | 160 | 10.0% | 9 to 1 |
| 737 MAX | 16 | 156 | 172 | 9.3% | 9.75 to 1 |
| 737-800 (Project Oasis) | 16 | 156 | 172 | 9.3% | 9.75 to 1 |
| A321 (Legacy AA) | 16 | 165 | 181 | 8.8% | 10.3 to 1 |
| A321 (Legacy US) | 16 | 171 | 187 | 8.6% | 10.6 to 1 |
| A320 | 12 | 138 | 150 | 8.0% | 11.5 to 1 |
| A319 | 8 | 120 | 128 | 6.3% | 15 to 1 |
On Wednesday, the first A321 with the new, tighter cabin (registration N161UW) was ferried to Philadelphia after a two-month retrofit in Greensboro, NC (GSO) -- just an 18-minute positioning flight up from Charlotte (CLT). According to FlightRadar24, the next flight assignments for this newly-retrofit aircraft are to fly out-and-back flights from Philadelphia to Seattle on both Thursday and Friday as American Airlines flight 2846.
When the aircraft was assigned to the flight, we were able to confirm on ExpertFlyer that it had indeed been retrofit with 190 seats:
However, this aircraft is just the the first. Just like it's doing with its 737-800 Project Oasis retrofit, American Airlines is sure to start cranking out the A321 retrofits as fast as it can as it pushes for "fleet harmonization."
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- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
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| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
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Why We Chose It
There’s a lot to love about the Amex Gold. It’s a fan favorite thanks to its fantastic bonus-earning rates at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets. If you’re hitting the skies soon, you’ll also earn bonus Membership Rewards points on travel. Paired with up to $120 in Uber Cash annually (for U.S. Uber rides or Uber Eats orders, card must be added to Uber app and you can redeem with any Amex card), up to $120 in annual dining statement credits to be used with eligible partners, an up to $84 Dunkin’ credit each year at U.S. Dunkin Donuts and an up to $100 Resy credit annually, there’s no reason that foodies shouldn’t add the Amex Gold to their wallet. These benefits alone are worth more than $400, which offsets the $325 annual fee on the Amex Gold card. Enrollment is required for select benefits.Pros
- 4 points per dollar spent on dining at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on the first $50,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter and $25,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter, respectively)
- 3 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with the airline or with amextravel.com
- Packed with credits foodies will enjoy
- Solid welcome bonus
Cons
- Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
- Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
- You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
- Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.