American Airlines is to equip a total of 300 in-service and on-order Airbus A321s with enlarged overhead luggage bins, LED lighting and wi-fi sytems.
The US carrier is launch operator for Airbus's Airspace XL bin and will give its first A321neo a service debut today, flying the narrowbody from Phoenix to Orlando, American vice-president marketing Janelle Anderson said at AIX 2019 in Hamburg today.
She says that the new bins – which are approximately 40% larger than standard equipment – will increase the number of carry-on luggage pieces by 65%, as roller cases can be stored standing on their sides rather than laying flat.
Some 100 on-order A321neos will be delivered with the XL bins through 2024, while 202 in-service A321s will be retrofitted under a two-year programme, starting later in 2019.
Anderson says American will manage the retrofit programme and contract the completion task to external service providers.
The Oneworld carrier will additionally install full LED mood lighting and wi-fi systems capable of handling simultaneous streaming by all passengers, she says.
American's A321neos will feature 20 premium seats within a 196-seat cabin configuration.
In addition to the Phoenix-Orlando route, American will use its A321neos to serve Orlando from Los Angeles, and Hawaii from US West Coast cities.
Cirium's Fleets Analyzer shows that American has options for a further 30 A321neos and 280 A320neos.
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Source: FlightGlobal.com
