American Airlines once had a very diverse fleet. This included Airbus and Boeing widebodies and narrowbodies. However, at the beginning of the global crisis, the airline began to examine its fleet and began to retire its older and inefficient aircraft types. This is the main fleet of the airline in the state it was in at the end of 2020.
Airbus Strait
The only Airbus aircraft in American’s fleet are narrowbodies. That includes:
- Airbus A319
- Airbus A320
- Airbus A321
Of these, 133 are A319s, 48 are A320s, 218 are A321ceos and 28 are A321neos, according to data from Planespotters.net.
Airbus A319s accommodate 128 passengers, eight in first class, 24 in economy with extra legroom and 96 in standard economy. The A320s seat 150 passengers and have 12 first-class seats, 18 economy seats with extra legroom and 120 standard economy seats.
The Airbus A321s come in two configurations. The first seats 181 passengers, 16 in first class, 36 in economy with extra legroom and 129 in standard economy. These aircraft, however, are undergoing a densification process to accommodate 187 passengers, with 16 in first class, 15 in economy with extra legroom and 156 in standard economy.
There is also a fleet of transcontinental Airbus A321s or A321Ts. These planes have 10 seats in American’s “Flagship First”, which are reverse herringbone seats in a 1-1 configuration. This is followed by 20 “Flagship Business” seats, which are in a 2 to 2 seat flat configuration. Then there are 72 economy seats, split in half between economy seats with extra legroom and standard economy seats.
The newest Airbus aircraft in the American fleet are the A321neos, with a capacity for 196 passengers. There are 20 seats in first class, 47 in economy with extra legroom and 129 in standard economy.
Boeing narrowbodies and widebodies
American Airlines has an impressive 304 Boeing 737-800s, which are, like the A321s, undergoing a cabin densification process, going from 160 to 172 seats. Both have a capacity of 16 in the first class and 30 in the trainer with extra legroom. The 160-seat planes have 114 standard economy seats, while the 172-seat version has 126.
Considering the latest deliveries of the Boeing 737 MAX 8 to American Airlines, the airline has 30 such jets in its fleet. These planes accommodate 172 passengers, in the same layout as the densest 737-800.
American Airlines now has only Boeing bodies in its fleet. This includes 47 Boeing 777-200ERs, which accommodate 273 passengers. This includes 37 in the “Flagship Business”, 24 in the premium economy, 66 in the economy with extra legroom and 146 in the standard economy.
American also operates 20 Boeing 777-300ERs, with a capacity for 304 passengers. These are the only widebodies in the American fleet to offer a “Flagship First” class, with a capacity for eight passengers. This is followed by 52 Flagship Business seats, 28 premium economy seats, 28 bus seats with extra legroom and 188 standard economy seats.
A large part of American’s future widebody fleet is the Boeing 787-8s. American has 23 Boeing 787-8, which come in two different configurations. With a capacity for 234 passengers, one variant has 20 “Flagship Business” seats, 28 in the premium economy, 48 in the economy with extra legroom and 138 seats in the standard economy class. The other version has a capacity of 226, 28 in business class, 55 in economy with extra legroom and 143 in standard economy.
The Boeing 787-9 accommodates more passengers, with a maximum capacity of 285 passengers. This includes 30 in the “Flagship Business”, 21 in the premium economy, 34 in the economy with extra legroom and 200 in the standard economy.
Fleets retired in 2020
American Airlines retired several types of aircraft this year. This includes Airbus A330s (including -300s and smaller -200s), Boeing 757-200s, Boeing 767-300ERs and Embraer E190.
In total, this includes 15 A330-200s, nine A330-300s, 34 Boeing 757-200s, 18 Boeing 767-300ERs and 20 Embraer E190s that left the American fleet in 2020. These entered the American fleet simplification strategy, which was accelerated due to the crisis.
In total, American now operates 873 mainline aircraft, with more than 200 aircraft on order. This includes Airbus A321neos (and the A321XLR!), Boeing 737 MAX and Boeing 787-8s and -9s.
What is your favorite aircraft in the American fleet? Let us know in the comments!