Flew the new A321XLR last month JFK to LAX. I’ve done the old A321T a bunch and was pretty excited to try the Flagship Suite, but honestly it left me a bit meh.
The cabin feels tight. The aisle is super narrow and it’s awkward when people are walking through with bags. I actually felt bad for some passengers trying to squeeze by.
My suite door wouldn’t close because of FAA approval issues. Even if it did, the seat felt a little claustrophobic. The back of the seat in front of you is really close to your face. Seat felt narrower than I expected too. That said, the screen is great and there’s solid storage.
Biggest surprise was service. On the A321T I’m used to being done with the meal 1.5 to 2 hours in. This one took almost 4.5 hours. Not sure if it was staffing or just the galley and layout, but it felt slow.
Amenity kits were also a mess. Apparently they were stuffed in an overhead bin and once bags went in, crew couldn’t access them easily.
It’s definitely better than the old 2-2 business seats, but I expected it to feel more premium overall.
Curious what others think, especially anyone who’s sat in economy. Only 12 MCE seats and some don’t recline? That’s rough compared to the old A321T setup.
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