• Ireland's Aer Lingus is the second airline to receive the new Airbus A321XLR.
• The plane opens new long-haul opportunities, including Dublin to Indianapolis and Nashville.
• Other airlines, including Iberia, United, Qantas, and American are also planning new routes.

The Airbus A321XLR is the European planemaker's latest narrow-body jet, and it's already changing how people fly long-haul.

On Thursday, Ireland's Aer Lingus became the second airline to receive the A321XLR, with Airbus delivering two of the carrier's six that are on order.

Spanish flag carrier Iberia became the plane's first operator in November.

The jet's extra-long-haul capabilities mean Aer Lingus can now operate flights deeper into the US. Two new routes are already scheduled: Flights between Dublin and Nashville will begin in April, and flights between Dublin and Indianapolis will launch in May.

Iberia and Aer Lingus are just the beginning for Airbus's new plane, which has tallied up more than 550 global orders.

American Airlines, Australian flag carrier Qantas, and Hungarian budget carrier Wizz Air all expect to receive the jet next year, followed by United Airlines in early 2026.

And all are expected to launch never-before-flown narrow-body routes across oceans and continents.

Airbus' new A321XLR jet is set to open new route options

The A321XLR is uniquely equipped for long-haul flying, thanks to an extra rear center fuel tank that helps the narrow-body aircraft fly up to 5,400 miles, or 11 hours, nonstop.

That's about 800 miles farther than its Airbus A321LR predecessor. That opens new routes to places previously unreachable with older narrowbodies — or that were unprofitable with a widebody.

Iberia plans to begin a new service using the A321XLR between Madrid and Washington Dulles on January 15. Wizz Air also plans to launch A321XLR routes between London and Saudi Arabia and Milan and Abu Dhabi in 2025.

In March, American Airlines' managing director of global network planning, Jason Reisinger, said the A321XLR was desirable because it would let the airline serve "routes that cannot support a 787 but where we still have a nice onboard product."

American has since said it plans to launch the A321XLRs on transcontinental routes now served by its A321T.

And the airline's senior vice president of network planning, Brian Znotins, told The Points Guy in November that it plans to also fly its A321XLR fleet to Europe and possibly South America.

Qantas plans to use the A321XLR to fly farther into Asia and the Pacific.

United Airlines previously told Business Insider that the A321XLR would replace its aging Boeing 757s and open new routes to places like Northern Italy and West Africa.

Icelandair is also using the A321XLR to replace the 757 and fly farther into North America and Europe from 2029. Boeing never built another version of the popular narrow-body, which ceased production in 2004.

The A321XLR will have varying cabin experiences

Customers can expect varying cabin experiences on board these new versatile single-aisle planes.

Iberia offers lie-flat business class on its A321XLRs, which is typical of what customers find on long-haul widebody flights.

Aer Lingus will also have lie-flat business class seats similar to what it already flies on its A321LRs, but some rows won't have direct aisle access.

American plans to install its new Flagship suites on its A321XLRs, while United is also planning a lie-flat business cabin. Qantas will have large reclining loungers in business class.

Wizz will have the least posh cabin. Its no-frills A321XLRs will have cramped seats, no in-flight entertainment, and no freebies like snacks and water.

Its CEO said the experience is something passengers will have to "suffer" through for seven hours for the cheap ticket.

• A Spirit executive blamed mainline carriers for some of its financial woes during a Senate hearing.
• He said some airlines "manufactured" a pilot shortage and that others want Spirit "out of business."
• Spirit recently filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and is revamping its business to earn more revenue.

A Spirit Airlines executive blamed competitors for some of its financial and operational woes during a congressional hearing on Wednesday, pointing to factors including pilot staffing and limited airport access.

Chief commercial officer Matthew Klein told a Senate subcommittee that Spirit hasn't been able to grow because the mainline airlines "manufactured" a pilot shortage during the pandemic and "poached" Spirit's pilots.

When flying came to a halt during the COVID-19 pandemic, carriers trimmed pilot headcounts to cut costs.

"Some of our legacy carrier competitors basically paid the most senior pilots to retire early," he said. "That, in fact, caused a pilot shortage in the industry, and then they turned around and hired a lot of our pilots."

When flying ramped back up after the pandemic, airlines found themselves without enough pilots. This prompted large pay raises across the industry to fill the gaps.

Executives from Delta Air Lines, American Airlines, United Airlines, and Frontier Airlines also appeared at the hearing to answer questions about a November report covering what the committee said are excessive charges for seats and bags.

Spirit pilots are not paid as much as mainline pilots and could have left the company for better working conditions. Spirit's published pay scale shows that its Airbus A319 and A320 first officers and captains make between $97 and $312 per hour, depending on seniority.

Pay rates seen by Business Insider for American, Delta, and United show pilots flying the same Airbus aircraft make between $116 and about $360 per hour, depending on seniority and not including bonuses.

A Spirit spokesperson said they did not have anything to add about pay differences between airlines.

Klein also said pilots left partly because other airlines publicly said they were "gunning" for Spirit and" trying to put us out of business."

United CEO Scott Kirby said in a June podcast that carriers like Spirit and Frontier are "going out of business" because of their "fundamentally flawed" business models and poor customer service.

Spirit slams mainline 'dominance'

In his opening remarks, Klein encouraged the subcommittee to focus on the issues that he said are "by far the most impactful to consumers." He said this included mainline hub and slot and pricing "dominance" and mainline loyalty and credit card programs.

Klein pointed to how the mainline dominance has impacted Spirit.

He said Spirit struggles to secure gates at major airports, suggesting this blocks Spirit's access to routes and markets. He said when Spirit does get gates, they are often at the far end of terminals.

"This makes it difficult to provide a good guest experience and makes it difficult to operate efficiently and effectively," Klein said. "It raises our costs, which then, of course, makes it harder for us to be profitable, and without being profitable, we certainly can't grow."

Klein's subcommittee comments come after Spirit filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in November. The airline saved cash by furloughing pilots and selling $500 million worth of aircraft.

Budget airlines have been facing tough competition from mainline carriers amid rising costs across the industry.

Along with offering more premium seats and more inclusive fare bundles, Spirit and Frontier launched programs in 2022 that incentivized employees with bonuses for selling upgraded seats and catching oversized personal items.

Klein told the subcommittee that Spirit suspended the program on September 30. Instead, it has added more employees around the gate area to ensure customers comply with bag rules.

Frontier's SVP and CCO Robert Schroeder would not commit to ending its incentive program during the hearing.

• An American Airlines Boeing 737 made an emergency landing during the Thanksgiving weekend.
• The FAA said the crew reported a "possible electric issue."
• An airline spokesperson said an indicator light was later confirmed to be false.

An American Airlines jet made an emergency landing Sunday after the crew reported a "possible electric issue."

The 14-year-old Boeing 737 was operating Flight 1047, from Chicago O'Hare to Las Vegas. Data from Flightradar24 shows it flew for about half an hour before turning back to Chicago.

"American Airlines Flight 1047 returned safely to Chicago O'Hare International Airport around 9:45 a.m. local time on Sunday, December 1, after the crew reported a possible electrical issue," the Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement.

The FAA will investigate the incident, it added.

The Aviation Herald, which first reported the incident, said the crew reported the autopilot and autothrottle disconnected, a takeoff configuration warning horn, and door lights were activated.

"An indicator light identified a possible mechanical issue that, after inspection, was confirmed to be false," an American Airlines spokesperson told Business Insider.

The same 737 flew to San Francisco later that day, per Flightradar24.

Sunday's incident occurred during the Thanksgiving weekend, one of the US's busiest travel periods.

From Sunday, November 24, to Thanksgiving Day, the FAA documented a record 232,000 flights across the US.

American Airlines said last month it expected to fly 8.3 million people across more than 77,000 flights — with Sunday the busiest day.

Passengers later re-departed for Las Vegas on a replacement aircraft, an airline spokesperson told USA Today.

The incident came eight days after an American Airlines passenger was taken to hospital after a 777 encountered turbulence between Brazil and Miami. It became a four-hour flight to nowhere.

• An American Airlines flight returned to São Paulo after turbulence injured a passenger.
• The airline said there were more than 200 people on board, and the seatbelt sign was on.
• Several carriers have changed protocols because of rising concerns about turbulence.

An American Airlines passenger was taken to hospital after their flight encountered turbulence.

Data from Flightradar24 shows that Saturday's Flight 930 from São Paulo to Miami U-turned less than two hours after taking off. It ultimately became a 4 ½-hour flight to nowhere.

An airline spokesperson confirmed to Business Insider that the flight landed safely back in São Paulo "after encountering turbulence while in flight."

"We thank our crew members for their professionalism and our customers for their understanding," they added.

The Boeing 777 had 12 crew members and 221 passengers, one of whom was taken to a hospital in Brazil, according to the airline. The airline also said the seatbelt sign was on when the plane encountered turbulence.

The Aviation Herald, which first reported the incident, said the passenger had a fractured leg, while some others had minor injuries.

Many airlines changed their protocols this year because of rising incidents involving heavy turbulence.

A Singapore Airlines passenger died and dozens more were injured during severe turbulence in May. The airline then announced it would no longer serve meals when the seatbelt sign was on.

It was followed by a change in protocol at Korean Air, which decided to end its cabin service early and stop serving instant noodles to economy passengers.

Korean Air said turbulence had "become a persistent and growing problem in recent years." It added that the number of incidents had doubled in the first quarter of this year compared with the same period in 2019.

It also suggested the climate crisis had had an impact, citing "large temperature differences between altitudes."

Turbulence is created when differences in wind speed result in more friction between air molecules. A warmer climate imparts more energy into the air, which in turn creates more friction.

This is especially notable around the jet streams, where clear-air turbulence is most prevalent.

In a 2023 study, researchers from the University of Reading found that at a typical point over the North Atlantic, the most severe type of clear-air turbulence increased by 55% between 1979 and 2020.

• American Airlines is rolling out tech that calls out passengers who try to board before their turn.
• Travelers can expect to see it in action at more than 100 airports this holiday season.
• The new tech also gives staff more info on passengers' connections and boarding groups.

American Airlines is cracking down on passengers who try to sneak their way into an earlier boarding group.

The airline is introducing new technology that helps gate agents catch overeager boarders at more than 100 airports across the country, the company said in a press release Wednesday.

When a flyer tries to board their flight in an earlier boarding group than they're assigned, the gate agent's scanner will recognize the incorrect boarding group and notify them with a special two-tone sound. That alerts the agent to tell the passenger to wait their turn — and could also draw unwanted attention to the passenger.

Boarding groups are designed to allow passengers with more expensive tickets, US military members, and certain airline status-holders to get on the plane earlier than those who haven't earned or bought these benefits.

"We've heard from our customers that the ability to board with their assigned group is important to them because it's a benefit associated with their AAdvantage status or fare purchase," Julie Rath, a senior vice president at the airline, said in the company's press release.

American has tested out this new software over the past month at airports in Tucson, Arizona; Albuquerque, New Mexico; and Washington, DC. The airline said that because it received a positive response from both customers and team members during this trial period, it decided to roll out the tech in time for the holiday travel season.

Flyers can now expect the updates at non-hub airports in cities like Austin, Texas, and Atlanta. The company's hubs — which include airports in New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles — will be getting the tech in the coming months, the airline said.

While the crackdown may be bad news for boarding group hoppers, it's likely great news for airline workers. Seasoned travelers, flight attendants, and gate staff say that people crowding the gate before boarding begins or trying to jump the boarding line is one of their biggest pet peeves. They even call some of these passengers "gate lice."