Airbus takes its long, thin, plane on a ten-day test campaign
- Reference: 1694666770
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2023/09/14/a321xlr_airbus_functional_testing/
- Source link:
The XLR in A321XLR stands for "extra long range" – a moniker earned by the plane's ability to fly 4,700 nautical miles (8,700km or 5400 miles). That range puts long flights – like London to Los Angeles, Sydney to Tokyo, or New York to Rio De Janeiro – within reach of a single-aisle plane.
Scarcity of landing slots at big airports means few international airlines will use the 200-seater for those routes, because larger planes offer greater profit potential.
[1]
The A321XLR is instead designed to let carriers fly "long, thin" routes – long journeys that don't have huge passenger demand. It's currently hard to fly such routes profitably. Airbus hopes the A321XLR interests airlines that want to explore such flights, safe in the knowledge that it's just an A320 variant that can be pressed into service on other routes by existing crews trained on less long-legged versions of the type.
[2]
The Airbus A321XLR – Click to enlarge
Airbus [3]explained that the functional and reliability testing program's main aim is "to demonstrate the A321XLR's systems maturity well before entry into service, with a target of approximately 100 hours flying time over ten days with no systems power-down."
The testing will involve flying around 15 sectors that Airbus reckons are "typical of what airlines might fly when the aircraft enters service" as they mix up different climatic conditions, flight durations, and airport turnaround times. Some of the test flights will see the demo plane fly from Airbus HQ in Toulouse, France, to near the NorthPole and back to Toulouse. Others will stay within Europe. Another test flight will cross the Atlantic, touch down at what Airbus has described as "a US gateway airport," and then fly home.
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Airbus pilots and engineers will be aboard the flight, as will 30 staff who volunteer as passengers.
Those volunteers get to experience the full commercial cabin interior being used in the test plane, and therefore endure long-ish haul flight in a 3-3 economy class configuration.
[8]
Widebody jets currently used on flights of the length the A321XLR will conduct boast two aisles, and therefore offer a little space in which to stand and stretch. Airbus's new model will be rather less roomy, leaving airlines to decide if they want to cram passengers in or choose cabin layouts that offer more comfort.
Those decisions are probably being made now: Airbus has orders for over 400 A321XLRs, and the craft is expected to enter service in 2024. The plane maker delivered over 500 of the A320 family last year, so once the A321XLR is certified there's every chance they'll quickly start to appear in airline fleets. ®
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[1] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2ZQLZxRiFlqWPaxGQEJzqwgAAAwE&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[2] https://regmedia.co.uk/2023/09/14/suplpied_airbus_a321xlr.jpg
[3] https://www.airbus.com/en/newsroom/stories/2023-09-en-route-to-certification-the-a321xlr-embarks-on-first-international-test
[4] https://www.theregister.com/2023/09/13/airbus_data_leak/
[5] https://www.theregister.com/2023/08/03/airbus_voyager_space_iss_jv/
[6] https://www.theregister.com/2023/05/28/asia_in_brief/
[7] https://www.theregister.com/2023/04/18/helicopter_crash_missing_software_patch/
[8] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44ZQLZxRiFlqWPaxGQEJzqwgAAAwE&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[9] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Re: in a 3-3 economy class configuration.
"your shoulders and elbows share space with your neighbours to the side, your knees are rammed into the back of the seat in front (complete with hard knobbly bits just where it hurts), the seats can't be reclined, and the table is is no practical use whatever?"
Not much difference to a 2-4-2 or 3-3-3 long-haul economy, is it? The seats might have the physical ability to recline *if* the seat behind you is empty, but since there inevitably is someone, their knees are blocking your seat from moving back (and very often, also pushing your on seat whenever they move)
Re: in a 3-3 economy class configuration.
I was always more a fan of 4-2-4 with wingers who can fall back to cover the midfield...... are we talking about the same thing? :-)
Re: in a 3-3 economy class configuration.
I prefer 4-6-2 configuration, those A3 classes are classics.
Re: in a 3-3 economy class configuration.
Interesting. I am more the 666 kind of person. :)
Re: in a 3-3 economy class configuration.
Last job had a lot of international travel. I do not miss it.
The table is useful if you don't have one of those huge "laptops" (luggables, I'd say, or your lap is bigger than mine). I bought an eleven inch Lenovo, low power, ten hours on battery, small enough to work on a plane (if I did not booze myself up in the lounge to numb the pain of air travel and slept most of the flight - a viable plan). Having a high-ish frequent flyer status made some things less aggravating, but since I traveled a lot (too much) the sum of annoyance was high enough to make me not want to go on holidays anywhere I need to fly. Admittedly, one gets used to all sorts of things and is pretty unfazed by most curveballs airtravel throws you. Winter storm, flight cancelled? Ah, I'll spend a night at some hotel, maybe can explore the snowy city. Flight delayed, missed connection? Lounge, have lunch / breakfast / dinner, drink a nice glass of wine (depends on the airline), they'll get me on the next plane. Luggage lost? I got most things with me, it'll turn up eventually, yeah, I'll take the "socks, undies, shirt" money and get changed. Just... relax. Especially when talking to ground staff, who are really not at fault for any of these things. Have a friendly word for them, the job is stressful enough. Show patience. And just... relax. Ask them for a voucher to enter the lounge, some actually can give these out (if you are not eligible) but only if there's not a massive mob of angry paxes that would then shout "UH ME WANT THAT TOO!"
Re: in a 3-3 economy class configuration.
@Joe_W this is the Zen of air travel. Leave your cares and false dignity behind. I was once a regular commuter on the Dublin - Liverpool Ryanair route. No pre-assigned seating. The knack was not boarding until the vary last minute, when you are literally the last passenger. Don't keep them waiting, just walk up once there is no longer a queue to board. You walk serenely onto the plane, to possibly the only remaining seat, the staff find somewhere for your luggage to go, you buckle up and off we go. Even the screaming child you're probably beside can't pull you out of this moment of perfect mindfulness.
Re: in a 3-3 economy class configuration.
Back in the day only regular travellers had noticed the rear stairs. I would drink a coffee in a bar with a view to the gate, and when the queue for passport control was almost empty I'd join, walk past the long queue for the front stairs to the non-queue for the rear stairs, and be seated within a minute of passport control. I think Ryanair brought back assigned seating because it makes it easier to split people 50/50 between the two sets of stairs.
Re: in a 3-3 economy class configuration.
It's almost as if no-one's noticed the average size of a human these days is somewhat in excess of 1.50 metres and 50kg... the people that design economy class cabins should be required to live and work in them for a month. Or more.
Re: in a 3-3 economy class configuration.
3-5-3 on many old 747's was equally terrible, and had the added bonus of being very loud. Non-reclining seats is an advantage; because you don't have the moron in front jamming their headrest into you, and you don't also get to annoy the person behind by doing the same.
I don't really regard the difference in cabin configuration as a big deal; but an inch or so of elbow and leg room would go a long way if it could be found.
Best airliner I've been on in decades was the ex-Bombardier C-series (now A220). Genuine difference in noise levels and acceptable economy config.
10 hours you say
In Oz, we call those commuter hops.
"leaving airlines to decide if they want to cram passengers in"
Really ? Because they're going to decide not to put 250 seats in if they can ?
If they could, they would.
Re: "leaving airlines to decide if they want to cram passengers in"
New!
Two to a seat.
Lap or lapee?
Re: "leaving airlines to decide if they want to cram passengers in"
Not necessarily. QANTAS plans relatively spacious layouts, and premium prices, for the A350s it will fly nonstop from Oz to LHR and JFK.
People won't fly them otherwise.
Re: "leaving airlines to decide if they want to cram passengers in"
'Premium' has so many meanings... is this the 'inexpensive' meaning, or the 'expensive' one?
First, although no-one would use an A321XLR on LHR-LAX, they couldn't as that sector is over 4,700nm (it's 4,741nm).
Second, there's much whining about the thing only having a single aisle. But a regular 777 has seats in 3-4-3 anyway, so it's not like your getting any less space: the 777 has 4 middle seats per row, the A321 has 2.
Key point for me would be journey time. If I can fly DEN-EDI non-stop I'll take it over faffing around in London, Amsterdam or New York.
(when aircraft type is a factor in my decision process, it's the cabin altitude that determines, not often the seat layout, although JAL's 787s win big on both...)
Cabin height is better on the 777 than on the 320. I don't have the numbers for floor-to-bin for the A320, but from memory, I didn't have to crouch as much to get into and out of the 777.
"4,741nm"
4.741 nanometres. That close? That's the problem with overloading TLAs.
I guess someone had to...
come up with a crappy 757 replacement.
I really disliked my EWR-HAM flights.
Nothing like a jam five people deep in the lone single aisle next to the lav with the service trolley trying to push through.
FUCK THAT SHIT!
"a target of approximately 100 hours flying time over ten days with no systems power-down"
They won't catch the [1]Boeing bug where the plane needs to be rebooted after 51 days then...
[1] https://www.theregister.com/2020/04/02/boeing_787_power_cycle_51_days_stale_data/
in a 3-3 economy class configuration.
Ah, the configuration in which your shoulders and elbows share space with your neighbours to the side, your knees are rammed into the back of the seat in front (complete with hard knobbly bits just where it hurts), the seats can't be reclined, and the table is is no practical use whatever?
No thanks.