The interesting reason why American Airlines will send its poshest plane to Las Vegas
There's a very unusual airplane in American Airlines' fleet, and it'll soon be flying on a very unusual route.
Over the weekend, American filed plans to deploy its special Airbus A321T between New York and Las Vegas on just four flights this November, as first seen in Cirium schedules and later confirmed by a carrier spokesperson.
The 102-seat three-cabin jet, which fits a whopping 228 passengers in Spirit Airlines' super-dense configuration, sports one of the most luxurious layouts in the domestic market, and it's usually reserved for the most premium cross-country routes, such those connecting Boston and New York in the East to Los Angeles and San Francisco in the West.
But Las Vegas ... well, despite the high rollers who frequent Sin City, no airline other than JetBlue has consistently flown a lie-flat-equipped plane there from New York.
But, as it turns out, American has a good reason to temporarily fly the A321T to Las Vegas for a limited time this fall: the Las Vegas Grand Prix, which is scheduled for Nov. 16-18 this year.
While Las Vegas is no stranger to megaconferences and major sporting events, American seemingly thinks there'll be enough premium demand from the New York area to fill four Airbus A321Ts.
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These planes feature a 10-seat first-class cabin, a 20-pod business-class cabin and a 72-seat economy section, half of which is arranged in an extra-legroom Main Cabin Extra configuration.
American will fly two round trips from New York to Las Vegas in November: one before the festivities on Nov. 15 and one at the conclusion of the race on Nov. 19.
The airline already loaded the updated aircraft deployment into its schedule, and one-way fares start at around $2,500 for business class and $3,200 for first class. Unfortunately, there is currently no partner award availability on any of the four A321T flights.
Interestingly, this isn't the first time that American has strategically deployed the Airbus A321T to bring its fanciest seats to big-ticket events.
For the past few years, the airline has flown the A321T from Los Angeles to Toronto on a few flights in September for the Toronto International Film Festival. Presumably, the airline has enough lucrative corporate contracts in the L.A. area to support these unique missions.
While this may also be the case for the Formula 1 race, the clock is ticking for how much longer American can make these one-off deployments.
That's because the airline has already committed to retiring the Airbus A321T configuration and converting these 16 planes into a standard domestic configuration.
Those plans were announced nearly a year ago as part of an overall shift away from offering first-class cabins on both domestic and long-haul international routes.
Until these retrofits are completed, you'll still find the A321T on its "bread-and-butter" transcontinental routes.
Once the plane looks like the rest of American's Airbus A321s, the airline will sub in wide-bodies (and perhaps the Airbus A321XLR, or extra-long-range) on its premium coast-to-coast flights.
Those planes, however, may offer too much capacity to make these one-off missions work in the future.
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- The best credit cards to reach elite status
- Everything you need to know about flying basic economy on American Airlines
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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.
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- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.
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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. |
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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.