American Airlines is bringing back its swankiest jet, the Airbus A321T
This March, American Airlines’ flyers trekking across the country will have the opportunity to fly the carrier’s best domestic jet.
During the weekend, the Fort Worth-based carrier filed its March 2021 schedule, which included a welcome upgrade for transcon travelers. Specifically, one of the carrier's three New York (JFK) to Los Angeles (LAX) frequencies will be operated by the Airbus A321T.
This jet, outfitted with just 102 seats, is the most premium in the entire fleet. It sports a 10-seat Flagship First cabin, 20 seats of lie-flat Flagship Business and 72 in coach, with half in the extra-legroom Main Cabin Extra configuration.
The A321T will fly the following route for March 2021, as confirmed by the carrier:
- American Flight 3: JFK - LAX 12 p.m. - 3:24 p.m.
- American Flight 4: LAX - JFK 2 p.m. - 10:21 p.m.
Additionally, AA is boosting the JFK to San Francisco (SFO) frequency from once-daily to twice-daily, with both flights operated by the A321T, according to Cirium schedules.
More: Comparing American Flagship First, JetBlue Mint and United Polaris
For now, business-class fares start at roughly $500 one way, roughly in line with pandemic-era lows, but first-class pods start at a whopping $1,500. There's plenty of Web Special award availability for biz starting at 20,000 AAdvantange miles.
In a statement, American confirmed the move, saying:
The A321T will start to return in March, supplementing some of the widebody flying that has been operating over the past few months. As customers safely return to the sky, we look forward to bringing back the product they know and love on an important route.
Before the pandemic, the A321T was a mainstay on American's transcon routes. With rare exception, every flight between the cities was operated by this plane.
Once the pandemic hit, however, the transcon strategy changed.
Back in November, Brian Znotins, AA’s vice president of network planning, explained to TPG why the A321T was largely grounded, in favor of larger Boeing 777s, with many more coach seats than premium ones in the pointy end of the plane.
“It’s pretty simple. The A321T is a business-focused aircraft and there’s very little business demand right now,” Znotins told TPG. "VFR (visiting friends and relatives) and leisure demand” warrants a “low-frequency, high-gauge schedule,” he added.
More: American Airlines details the future of the A321T
Despite Znotins' confirmation that the A321T would be back, several reports surfaced in late November questioning AA's commitment to the premium-heavy jet. Some rumored that the plane would never return, theorizing that American would convert the jets to a standard, domestic configuration with a handful of first-class recliners and a large coach cabin.
Fortunately, for AA flyers, Monday's news appears to squash such rumors.
American isn't ready to boost its frequencies to pre-pandemic levels, though. Despite re-adding the A321T to the schedule, the carrier will only fly three daily LAX frequencies in March 2021, down from roughly 11 per day one year ago.
The timing of the A321T's return coincides with the recent news that American's Northeast-focused alliance with JetBlue was just approved by regulators. One of the many promised benefits of the tie-up include coordinating transcon routes from New York, where JetBlue currently flies its Mint-equipped A321s.
Additionally, the carrier promised (at least) two new long-haul routes from JFK as part of the alliance, one to Athens and the other to Tel Aviv. Both flights were loaded for sale over the weekend.
As for American's other routes, the carrier confirmed that its March schedule will be approximately 36% smaller than the same time period in 2019, in an effort to match low demand resulting from COVID-19.
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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. (Partner offer)Pros
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- 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.
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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. |
| 3X | Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com. |
| 2X | Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com. |
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You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after spending $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer.As High As 100,000 points. Find Out Your Offer.Annual Fee
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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. (Partner offer)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.