SAS also ready to cross the Atlantic with new A321lr

On December 22, the Scandinavian carrier SAS completed the first intercontinental flight between Copenhagen and Washington, using the new Airbus A321 Long Range.

It was about the First in a series of test flights to allow the crew to familiarize themselves with the new machine in preparation for the Commercial debut scheduled for next March 27.

SAS will be the third European operator to use the larger version of the A320 family, following the path set by Aer Lingus and TAP, the other two carriers using the A321lr to connect the two sides of the Atlantic. When it enters service, the plane will connect the Danish capital with New York, Boston and Washington.

There will be a total of four A321lr's in SAS's fleet. and will be configured with 3 classes of service: economy, premium economy and business. The other operators who have chosen this aircraft, however, have all opted for a two-class configuration: economy and business.

The 157 seats on board will be divided as follows:

• 22 business class seats, the configuration will be very similar to that adopted by the Portuguese carrier: one row with 2 seats per side and one row with 1 seat per side.
• There will then be 3 rows configured with premium economy seats with 2 seats per side
• The booth of economy will have 3 seats on each side for a total of 123 places.

Unfortunately, SAS's choice for its business class cabin fell on the same type of seats as TAP, rather than Jetblue's Mint class.

Therefore, the "throne" will be the most coveted seat aboard this A321lr. Having flown with TAP Portugal on this model, I can confirm that it is the only place to choose, otherwise better to aim for a flight operated with a wide-body aircraft than to get 8 hours in the double rows.

At this time SAS has not released any information regarding the Type of seat that will be adopted for premium economy. It will certainly allow for a little more legroom and a few more degrees of tilt. With this model in service, SAS expects to be able to respond more flexibly to local demand by being able to connect cities that are unable to fill larger aircraft.

Now all that remains is to wait until tickets go on sale to see the fare difference between this model and the rest of the SAS long-haul fleet.

In conclusion

The A321lr, especially the xlr version, that is, extra long range, is destined to become a major presence in routes between the two sides of the Atlantic and beyond. due to the ability to cover distances that today were in the ranges only of wide-body aircraft. One aisle means smaller planes, less consumption and more economy for airlines. While For passengers it just means less space on board, try it for yourself.