Aer Lingus to Launch North American A321LR Routes Next Summer

Airbus will soon launch one of its newest aircraft, the A321LR. Although it won't be the first airline to take delivery of the narrowbody plane, Irish carrier Aer Lingus will start flying the long-range aircraft in the second quarter of 2019.

The A321LR is a single-aisle narrowbody aircraft that has a range much further than any other aircraft its size — even the newer more fuel efficient Boeing 737MAX or A320neo. It's also a lot cheaper to operate than older aircraft like the Boeing 757 or larger ones like the Airbus A330 — both of which Aer Lingus currently flies.

Aer Lingus will add 12 A321LRs to its fleet over the next few years — taking delivery of four in 2019.

Aer Lingus CEO Stephen Kavanagh recently spoke about where he sees the new aircraft flying, saying it will cut its list from two to three destinations in North America. While the carrier currently flies to 13 North American destinations the Irish Times reports that Pittsburgh (PIT) and Montreal (YUL) are in the running for LR service.

Aer Lingus has lie-flat business class seats on its narrowbody 757s — so it's quite possible we'll see them installed on its LRs.

In addition to Avios, you can also redeem Aeroplan, Alaska and United miles for Aer Lingus flights. American Express just added Aer Lingus Avios as a transfer partner, which has fantastic off-peak award pricing. The airline recently teamed up with Chase to introduce a new co-brand credit card, the Aer Lingus Visa Signature® Card.

Air Transat will be the first North American airline to operate the A321LR while other confirmed customers include Azores Airlines, Primeria Air TAP Portugal and Norwegian Air. JetBlue has been eyeing the LR as a way to move into the transatlantic market. The most the aircraft can seat is 240 in an all economy layout, or 206 in a two cabin layout.

H/T: One Mile At A Time