Airbus A321XLR American Airlines Livery (Image Credit: Airbus)
American Airlines is the latest airline to order the Airbus A321XLR aircraft.
It has placed an order for 50 aircraft. This has been secured through the conversion of delivery slots for 30 Airbus A321neo aircraft to the Airbus A321XLR and an additional order for 20 aircraft.
The Airbus A321XLR is expected to serve as a replacement for the Boeing 757 which American has previously used on routes from London Heathrow and other UK regional airports. It currently operates on transatlantic routes such as the summer seasonal Edinburgh – Philadelphia route. As well as transatlantic routes from the US East Coast, American Airlines is also expected to use the aircraft on routes to South America.
This follows an order by IAG for Aer Lingus and Iberia. It is certainly clear that when the Airbus A321XLR enters service in 2023 is going to become a significant force in transatlantic travel and route development.
Airbus A321 XLR Aer Lingus Livery (Image Credit: Airbus)
Hello and welcome to London Air Travel’s Atlantic Update providing a weekly bulletin on developments on transatlantic travel between Europe and North America. The Atlantic Update is published every Wednesday morning at 06:00 GMT.
The Airbus A321XLR Makes Its Mark
In the days after the formal launch of the Airbus A321XLR at the Paris Air Show it is already making its mark.
Airbus has secured orders from IAG for Aer Lingus and Iberia, who have both earmarked the aircraft for transatlantic flights.
Aer Lingus already has 8 Airbus A321 Long Range on order and should take delivery of its first aircraft shortly.
With a range of 4,700 nautical miles, Aer Lingus should be able to reach all of the US and Canada from Dublin with the Airbus A321 XLR. Reading between the lines of IAG’s news release it may be used to add frequencies to existing routes to optimise connectivity.
The decision to buy this aircraft will have been dictated by efficiency but IAG is at pains to emphasise passengers can expect the same comforts as a widebody long-haul flight.
One IAG airline not to have ordered the aircraft yet is of course BA. Unless BA is planning a return to UK regional airports, it’s unlikely that this will be operated by BA on transatlantic flights. The Boeing 787-8 clearly serves the airline well as a means of entry into new transatlantic markets.
Virgin’s Run Of Bad Luck In Boston
Virgin Atlantic Airbus A330-300 G-VKSS, Boston Logan Airport (Image Credit: London Air Travel)
One of the few reliable pleasures of long-haul flying is the eastbound transatlantic day flight.
The vast majority of passengers are flying direct and fresh from slumber and are in a very relaxed mood. And as the aircraft arrives at the airport from London the day before, you can normally be confident your flight will run as scheduled and can rely on a on-time departure.
This has not been the case with Virgin Atlantic’s relatively new day flight from Boston to London Heathrow.
VS158 has been cancelled for two days running on Monday 17 June and Tuesday 18 June. This seems to be due to a technical issue with one Airbus A330-300 aircraft, G-VKSS, which flew to Boston on Sunday and has not yet been fixed.
British Airways Boeing 737 in Landor livery (Image Credit: British Airways)
The Boeing 737 may make a return to British Airways at London Gatwick as its parent company International Airlines Group has signed a Letter of Intent with Boeing to acquire 200 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft.
It is important to emphasise that this is not a firm order for aircraft – which is no doubt subject to the aircraft receiving regulatory approval to return to service.
IAG anticipates an order of 200 aircraft for delivery between 2023 and 2027. The order will be a mix of Boeing 737 MAX 8 and Boeing 737 MAX 10 aircraft. The 737 MAX 8 seats up to 178 passengers in a two-class configuration. The 737 MAX 10 jet can seat up to 230 passengers.
IAG anticipates that the aircraft would be used by British Airways at London Gatwick, LEVEL and Vueling.
It is noteworthy that IAG is prepared to introduce another type of short-haul aircraft into its fleet when it has made much of standardising the configuration of Airbus A320 aircraft to maximise efficiencies and allow aircraft to be moved between different airlines in the group.
That IAG has specifically earmarked the aircraft for BA at Gatwick and its low cost brands LEVEL and Vueling may signal its intentions for the aircraft. All three are likely to be competing against each other to acquire the aircraft and it is highly likely that the internal configuration will be standardised as much as possible.
IAG had previously advised that BA short-haul at Gatwick would be an exclusively Airbus A320 operation. The Boeing 737 originally operated for BA from 1980 until the last aircraft was retired at Gatwick in September 2015.
Airbus A321XLR aircraft render (Image Credit: Airbus)
International Airlines Group has announced it has ordered 6 Airbus A321XLR aircraft for Aer Lingus and 8 aircraft for Iberia.
The first aircraft will be delivered from 2023. The group has also secured options for a further 14 aircraft, which could be used by any airline in the group.
This is a clear vote of confidence by IAG in the Airbus A321XLR aircraft.
IAG is now doubt attracted by is efficiency and commonality with the Airbus A320 series. It is noteworthy that IAG is keen to emphasise it will offer the same passenger comforts as existing wide body aircraft.
For both Aer Lingus and Iberia, IAG emphasise that the aircraft will be used to facilitate transatlantic expansion.
Airbus A321XLR aircraft render (Image Credit: Airbus)
Airbus has unveiled the latest member of its A321 family of aircraft, the Airbus A321XLR.
This will be the longest range single aisle aircraft in the world. Airbus plans for the aircraft to be available from 2023. It has a 15% longer range than the Airbus A321LR aircraft with a range of 4,700 nautical miles. Airbus has cited London – Miami and New Delhi as feasible routes – though established airlines in the UK will be looking at new destinations not already served by wide body aircraft. The aircraft is designed to accommodate 180-220 passengers.
There are attractions for airlines in that has a lot of commonality with Airbus A320 family aircraft, which is of course the workhorse of short-haul travel in Europe. Though, it remains to be seen how willing passengers will be spend nearly ten hours on a single aisle aircraft.
In terms of orders, the third party lessor Air Lease Corporation has signed a Letter of Intent for 27 of the aircraft at the Paris Air Show. Middle East Airlines has also signed a firm order for four of aircraft.
Further orders may be forthcoming at the Paris Air Show this week. However, we would hazard a guess that many other airlines will want to see how the Airbus A321LR performs before committing to the Airbus A321XLR.
Airbus A321XLR aircraft infographic (Image Credit: Airbus)
British Airways First Class Cabin (Image Credit: British Airways)
A long standing benefit of the Gold tier of the British Airways Executive Club is the grant of a “Gold Upgrade For Two” voucher to members who earn 2,500 tier points or more in their membership year.
This is often referred to as a GUF2 voucher. BA also grants two “Gold Upgrade For One” vouchers to members who earn 3,500 tier points or more – these can be used either separately or for two passengers in one booking.
These allow members of the Executive Club to upgrade a booking to the next cabin, eg from Club World to First Class. However, this is subject to availability.
BA has advised that from, today Monday 17 June 2019, the use of these vouchers has been extended to existing bookings, as well as new bookings.
To upgrade an existing booking with an upgrade voucher you will need to contact either BA or your travel agent. However, do bear in mind that as agents have only just been advised of this new benefit awareness may be limited. Upgrade vouchers can also take a few days to be processed as it requires manual intervention, so it’s recommended to allow plenty of time in advance of travel to request an upgrade.
There are restrictions on the use of upgrade vouchers and full details of the terms and conditions are at ba.com
Virgin Atlantic Airbus A330neo aircraft render (Image Credit: Virgin Atlantic)
Virgin Atlantic has ordered 14 Airbus A330neo aircraft.
The announcement was made today, Monday 17 June 2019, at the Paris air show.
It is intended that the 14 Airbus A330-900 aircraft will be delivered to the airline from 2021. They will operate at Gatwick, Heathrow and Manchester and will replace Virgin’s current fleet of Airbus A330 aircraft.
Eight of the aircraft will be owned by the airline. Six will be leased from a third party lessor. Virgin also has options for a further 6 aircraft. The aircraft will be powered by Rolls-Royce Trent 7000 engines.
The Airbus A330-900 has a range of 7,200 nautical miles and is designed to accommodate 260-300 passengers.
Virgin Atlantic’s 49% shareholder Delta Air Lines has 35 of the aircraft on order. The aircraft is currently in service at TAP Air Portugal, which will have 19 of the aircraft in its fleet by the end of this year. Other airlines to have placed significant orders include Air Asia X which will take delivery of its first aircraft later this month.
CGI Image of Heathrow Airport Masterplan 2050 (Image Credit: Heathrow)
Hello and welcome to our Monday Briefing for the week beginning 17 June 2019.
Is “Basic Business Class” on the horizon?
Over the past few years, most network airlines have introduced some form of “basic economy” long-haul fare.
The rationale for this was that low cost airlines such as Norwegian introduced fares that do not include, inter alia, a checked luggage allowance or free seat assignment. As many customers choose fares through price comparison sites, airlines believed that they have to offer a similarly competitive fare to capture these customers.
Like low cost airlines, these fares are offered based on the ability, whether the customer intended to or not, to up-sell at little marginal cost additional services after booking. It is intended to, at best, be revenue neutral.
Emirates confirmed last week that it is launching a new form of business class fare that does not include a car service to the airport nor lounge access. Seat selection privileges are also restricted and frequent flyer mileage accrual is also reduced.
This fare is not available on all routes and from a cursory scan of Emirates booking engine it does not appear to be available on any flights from London to Dubai.
Does this mark the start of the unbundling of business class?
This is not the first time airlines have discriminated between different groups of business class passengers.
BA requires Club World passengers who are not Silver & Gold members of the Executive Club to pay a fee to select a seat at the time of booking. Virgin Atlantic only provides a car service to the airport for passengers booking certain types of Upper Class fare. Indeed, business class was born out of airlines wanting to provide more to passengers buying full fare economy tickets.
Airlines have also got better at targeting different passenger groups – there are competitive Club World fares available for passengers willing to fly mid-week and book more than six months in advance.
It is a slippery slope if airlines start a full unbundling of business class. Airlines have always been fearful of business class passengers trading downwards, hence why so many took long to introduce premium economy – a stepping stone between economy and business class that Emirates does not yet have. The whole structure of airline fares and ground and onboard services is to encourage passengers to trade upwards.
Whilst price is a factor in securing business class passengers, there are many other factors too, namely networks and schedule, ground services and onboard product.
Successful business class products come from really understanding the needs of business passengers. It is this that led to valuable innovations such as fully flat beds, arrivals lounges and Fast Track immigration channels. If airlines start dismantling this – the clue is in the brand name most synonymous with business class “Club” – then it is a slippery slope downwards.
Heathrow Expansion Consultation
Heathrow will launch a statutory consultation on the expansion of airport tomorrow, Tuesday 18 June.
This follows an earlier consultation exercise this year. The significance of this exercise is that its fundings will be incorporated into a final proposal to the Planning Inspectorate next year.
After a period of public examination, the Secretary of State will then make a decision whether to grant a Development Consent Order which will encompass most of the authorities required to construct the third runway. This process is expected to take at least 18 months.
The consultation will cover four areas:
Heathrow’s preferred masterplan for expansion, including the layout of the new north west runway (CGI image above) and supporting airport infrastructure, as well as the pace of expansion in the number of flights.
How the airport will operate with a third runway such as how it will alternate flights between the three runways, a possible ban on scheduled night flights, and how additional flights may operate before the third runway opens.
Heathrow’s assessment of the impact of expansion on the environment and local communities
Heathrow’s plans to mitigate the impact of expansion in areas such as air pollution, carbon and noise.
The consultation will close on 13 September 2019 and more details will be available at the Heathrow Consultation Hub.
American Airlines Flagship Lounge, Miami (Image Credit: London Air Travel)
US airlines have never been known for topping lists of the best airline lounges in the world.
With operations largely focused on domestic flights in the US, where typically only First and business class on select premium transcontinental routes offer lounge access, US airlines have primarily offered membership club lounges with relatively limited food and beverage.
However, there are signs of improvement. With growing international long-haul networks and a need to offer comparable service to joint-venture partners in Europe and Asia, US airlines have been raising their game.
United has been rolling out its “Polaris” lounges. American Airlines has also been rolling out its “Flagship” lounges. These are available at Chicago O’Hare Terminal 3, Dallas Fort Worth Terminal D, Los Angeles Terminal 4 and New York JFK Terminal 8. Further lounges are due to open at London Heathrow and Philadelphia.
American also has a Flagship lounge on Concourse D in the North Terminal of Miami International airport, which is the subject of this review.
Lounge location and access
The Flagship lounge is located near Gate 30 on Concourse D in the North Terminal, with one of American’s two Admirals Clubs in the terminal.
The lounge can be accessed by Oneworld Emerald & Sapphire cardholders and international First and business class passengers. When you arrive at the lounge complex entrance you’ll be handed a laminated card to access the Flagship lounge upstairs.
Note if you’re flying on BA to London Heathrow from Concourse E you can also use this lounge instead of the Oneworld premium lounge on Concourse E, albeit with quite a walk to the gate.
The lounge
To the lounge itself, and a quick tip that applies to almost any large airline lounge.
In lounges, passengers naturally gravitate towards the bars and where they see food. If you want peace and quiet, and don’t want to have to listen in on others’ conference calls, just head in another direction.
If you immediately turn left on entering the lounge you will find plenty of largely unoccupied seating areas:
British Airways’ Glasgow lounge re-opens on Sunday 16 June 2019.
The lounge has been closed for refurbishment since Sunday 2 June 2019. There are no pictures of the refurbished lounge yet.
The lounge has been refurbished by Glasgow based design agency Graven, who designed the original lounge. BA says:
“The lounge will have a more contemporary luxurious feel whilst also considering sustainability. Much of the furniture has been refurbished using our latest wool blend fabrics. Premium materials and finishes have been added, together with new bespoke decorative lighting, designed and made in the UK.”
