Iberia schedules first A321XLR flights — but American's timeline slips to 2025

03.08.2024 - 20:33 / thepointsguy.com

It appears we're now less than four months away from the first commercial flights aboard the new Airbus A321XLR — a single-aisle aircraft hailed as a "game changer" for its ability to fly longer transoceanic routes. (The "XLR" in the A321XLR stands for "Extra Long Range.")

In recent weeks, Spanish flag carrier Iberia has shared images of its first A321XLR leaving Airbus' paint shop in Toulouse, France.

That sneak peek of sorts came about two months after the carrier, a Oneworld Alliance member, announced it would be the first airline in the world to fly the new aircraft.

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In fact, Iberia is already selling the first seats on its first XLR, which boasts 14 lie-flat seats in business class.

Now, if you're hoping to fly the jet — in one of American Airlines' new Flagship Suites, no less — you might be waiting a bit longer than expected.

But the aircraft itself is coming soon.

Iberia's booking channels show nonstop XLR service between Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport (MAD) and Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) starting as soon as Nov. 14.

The airline's website also shows additional service from MAD to Dulles International Airport (IAD) beginning as soon as January.

Those plans got a leg up in mid-July, when Airbus announced approval from European Union regulators for the jet's fuel-efficient engines.

In a statement announcing the EU approval, the French plane-maker boasted the aircraft "sits side by side with widebodies in an airline's fleet."

That's a big reason why carriers — from Iberia to American to United Airlines — have big plans for the jet, including a bona fide international business class experience up front.

Read more: How to book Iberia flights to Spain (and beyond) using Avios

In a May statement, Iberia noted the A321XLR will "reinforce its long-haul network," owing to its combination of long range and smaller passenger capacity.

With a range of 4,700 nautical miles — far more than you'll find on other narrow-body jets — the aircraft will be capable of flying certain routes between the U.S. and Europe (like, for instance, Madrid and Boston).

Iberia's XLR will carry just 182 passengers. In comparison, there's a nearly 300-passenger capacity on its fleet of wide-body A330 jets, and its A350 can hold 348 passengers.

With fewer seats to fill than a larger, wide-body jet, airlines see the XLR as a way to fly longer "thin" routes that might not garner enough bookings to fill an A330 ... or a Boeing 777, or 787 Dreamliner. Empty seats on those can quickly cause profits to plummet.

It's the strategy JetBlue has used on its transatlantic routes, using a shorter-range A321LR to fly between cities in the