American’s swankiest jet will operate 14 flights on a new limited-time route
Update (5/20/2022): American confirmed to TPG that these special flights will feature the airline's signature Flagship onboard service in both first and business class, which includes multi-course meals, upgraded bedding and amenity kits.
A handful of American Airlines planes offer the most luxurious domestic configuration you’ll find in the skies.
American’s Airbus A321T, the carrier’s transcontinental version of the A321, seats just 102 passengers in a three-cabin configuration. It sports 10 Flagship First suites, 20 lie-flat Flagship Business pods and 72 coach seats, half of which are in an extra-legroom Main Cabin Extra configuration.
In fact, it’s the only domestic jet to feature both a first- and business-class cabin. (For context, Spirit Airlines packs 228 passengers onto the same type of plane.)
It’s no surprise, then, that American usually deploys its 16 Airbus A321Ts on its most premier domestic routes, mainly on flights from New York and Boston to Los Angeles, Orange County and San Francisco.
Every so often, you’ll find the plane shuttling between Miami and the West Coast or between New York and Boston for repositioning.
But, this September, the A321T will be deployed on a very special mission, as first seen in Cirium schedules and later confirmed by the carrier.
From Sept. 7 through Sept. 13, American will fly an A321T once a day on the 2,176-mile route between Toronto (YYZ) and Los Angeles (LAX) — a route that the airline doesn’t even typically operate.
Not only will the airline fly the route for a limited time, but it’s also going to deploy its swankiest domestic jet to fly the service. If you’re wondering why, it turns out that the Toronto International Film Festival will be held from Sept. 8 through Sept. 18.
American seems to be betting that it can capture the market of Hollywood executives traveling (commercially) to Toronto for the festival.
In a statement confirming the move, an American Airlines spokesperson shared:
American is excited to once again offer nonstop service between Los Angeles and Toronto for the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). Between Sept. 7 – 13 we’ll offer one daily flight on the customer-favorite Airbus A321T aircraft. We last operated this route for the TIFF in September 2019.
No other U.S. airline flies between the two cities. (Air Canada and WestJet are the other airlines serving the market, with up to six total daily flights in each direction.)
Turns out, this isn’t the first time that American has flown an A321T between Toronto and L.A. The airline did the same thing back in September 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019, according to Cirium schedules.
In fact, the airline used to operate the route with once-daily service (on a much less premium Airbus A319 or Boeing 737-800) until December 2018, but it has since pulled out of the market entirely.
American’s limited-time A321T run in 2019 seems to have worked well enough previously to convince the carrier to bring it back for 2022.
Of the Big 3 U.S. airlines, American seems to be the most aggressive when it comes to capturing the premium market in Los Angeles. It's the only carrier to fly a three-cabin jet on select domestic flights, and it also offers a comprehensive set of luxury travel options, including Five Star airport escort services, Blade helicopter transfers and P.S. private suite terminal experiences.
One-way fares on the new route start at $516 for coach, $3,778 for business and $5,390 for first class. There is currently no saver award availability on the route, but you can purchase dynamically-priced Web Special awards starting at 30,000 miles for coach, 62,500 miles for business and 90,000 miles for first class.
It wasn't immediately clear how the soft product — food, drinks and onboard amenities — will be provisioned for these one-off flights, but we'll update the story when we learn more.
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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. (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.