Everyone Is All In on the Airbus A321XLR — Except Delta

Skift Take More airlines are embracing long-haul flying on narrowbody jets — in a competitive transatlantic market, they allow airlines to launch service in smaller cities. However, Delta is not convinced. Next summer, expect to see more long-haul flying on single-aisle jets. A flurry of airlines, including American, United, and Air Canada, have already unveiled their summer 2027 schedules — and all are dependent on the Airbus A321XLR, the plane maker’s longest-range narrowbody. American is flying to Amsterdam, Nice, Porto, Reykjavik, and Vienna with the A321XLR. Its Philadelphia-Vienna route will be one of the longest operated on the aircraft at 4,333 miles. United’s summer 2027 schedule is one of its most ambitious yet, adding quirkier destinations like Ljubljana, Slovenia and Valencia, Spain. Of the 10 new international destinations United is adding to its network, five will be flown on the Airbus narrowbody. Air Canada is flying to Basel, Oslo, and Shannon with the aircraft. The A321XLR was one of the most hotly anticipated aircraft in the industry because it allows airlines to connect secondary cities where there’s demand, but not enough to f