Although the exact schedule is not yet known, it is now fairly certain that American Airlines will make changes to the layout of some of its Airbus A319 aircraft.
Basics of the American Airbus A319 aircraft
For context, American Airlines has 133 Airbus A319 aircraft, which is the smallest workhorse aircraft in its fleet. These aircraft currently have 128 seats, including 8 first class seats and 120 economy seats.
Most of these aircraft were first delivered to US Airways back in the day (back in the late 1990s), but 32 have been delivered to American Airlines in the past decade. The A319, originally delivered to American Airlines, is now the best “standard” narrowbody aircraft in the airline’s fleet in terms of interior design.
That’s because these planes were delivered at a time when American wanted to improve the passenger experience and become more premium, so all 32 seats have seatback entertainment. That was before American Airlines introduced its “Oasis” configuration, when the airline decided to stop offering seatback entertainment on every seat and instead invest in Wi-Fi and streaming entertainment. .
Perhaps American Airlines’ plan is to eventually retire much of its A319 fleet, given that some of the former US Airways fleet is now more than 25 years old. However, it appears that American Airlines is planning an update to its new A319.
American Airlines reconfigures 32 Airbus A319 aircraft
always knowledgeable @xJonNYC American Airlines is reportedly planning to reconfigure the 32 Airbus A319 aircraft originally delivered to American Airlines.
- The total seating capacity of these aircraft will increase from 128 to 132 seats.
- At the same time, American Airlines will add an additional row of first class seats, increasing first class seating capacity from eight to 12 seats.
- American Airlines will likely add additional rows of seats by slightly reducing legroom in some cabins and also by introducing space-saving restrooms in the back of the plane.
- This 132-seat configuration matches exactly what’s on Delta’s A319, which has the same layout.
- When American Airlines reconfigures these A319s, they will adopt a standard “Oasis” configuration. That means American Airlines will remove the seatback TVs from its planes and install interiors similar to other planes.
The exact timeline for this event to occur is not yet known. It’s surprising that American Airlines waited for this, as the priority is to reconfigure all 737s first, then all A321s, and now American is clearly considering the A319. That’s not the point.
Obviously, the reconstructions of these planes vary. On the one hand, it’s sad to see America’s finest standard domestic aircraft being reconfigured to remove televisions. On the other hand, the A319 is a very demanding plane to not only upgrade, but in some cases even buy a first class seat, so it’s nice to see first class added.
Now all you have to do is wait for the process to actually start.
conclusion
American Airlines is planning several changes to its newest Airbus A319 aircraft, which will add rows of first class seats without reducing the number of economy seats. This will likely see Americans remove the televisions currently installed on their flights.
These changes only apply to the first 32 A319s delivered to American Airlines, but many of the remaining A319s are likely to be in the near future, given that some of the aircraft are over 25 years old. He will probably retire in the future. We should learn more about this process in the near future.
What do you think about American Airlines’ plan to reconfigure its Airbus A319 fleet?