In-flight galley, legroom -- flying for 9 or 10 hours like this? All the misgivings about Iberia's A321-XLR

There has been a lot of talk and discussion about the comfort that single-aisle, long-haul aircraft are actually able to provide to passengers On flights of 8 or even 9 hours.

Those who say that narrow-body aircraft do not offer the same level of comfort as widebodies explain that cabin spaces are much smaller and less airy and Can induce a sense of claustrophobia After a few hours of flying. And, in the case of trolley service, the single aisle is far more limiting for those who need to go to the bathroom, or otherwise move around the cabin.

On the other hand, those who 'defend' the Boeing 737 MAX, A321-LR and now -XLR, explain that, once seated, one's personal space does not change and that a large cabin packed with passengers in turn can induce a sense of confusion.

The Airbus A321-XLR which made its debut in recent days in the colors of Iberia on the Madrid-Boston route Is raising, however, other concerns., related to the space available for flight attendants to work on meal preparation in the rear galley, the one dedicated to Economy Class, and related to passenger comfort on the routes that the -XLR is able to fly nonstop, which can far exceed 9 hours of flight time.

Let's start with the galley: the Spanish carrier has chosen to install on its -XLRs the Airbus 'Superflex' cabin, which maximizes the space available for seating at the expense of that dedicated to the galley on board.

La 'Super Flex' provides in fact that at the back of the plane, the size of the galley is halved to make room for two bathrooms. Iberia is, along with Aer Lingus which is also part of the International Airlines Group (IAG), the only airline to have chosen this configuration.

In contrast, the other airlines operating the A321 on long- or medium-haul flights have installed a rear galley full-size, which goes from door to door: TAP Air Portugal, SAS, Jetblue (all of which operate the -LR) and ITA (which flies A321neo on 6-7 hour routes) have done so.

Online ended the negative feedback collected from Iberia crews who made their first long-haul flights with the -XLR regarding the halved galley, which would make Particularly laborious and difficult meal preparation during the flight, also due to the presence of passengers entering and exiting the restrooms in the queue, or stationed just outside them.

How can passengers' flight experience be impacted by this galley layout? From slower preparation of meals and slower pickup of trays, in other words by much slower service.

The other puzzling aspect of the internal configuration of Iberia's -XLR is. the total number of seats available on board, and that of Economy Class seats in particular.

ITA Airways, Tap, SAS and Jetblue have chosen relatively low-density cabin interior configurations: the Italian company can in fact embark on its A321neo a maximum of 165 passengers (12 in Business, 12 in Premium economy, 141 in Economy), Portuguese one 171 passengers (16 in Business, 155 in Economy but with 42 in Economy Xtra having more legroom), the Scandinavian one 157 passengers (22 in Business, 12 in Premium Economy, 123 in Economy), the American one just 138 passengers (34 in Business, 114 in Economy).

Iberia, on the other hand, can board up to 182 passengers (14 in Business, 168 in Economy), two less than Aer Lingus, which comes in at 184 (16 in Business, 168 in Economy).

This translates into. a particularly small Economy row spacing of 30 inches (76 centimeters) in most of the 27 Economy rows, ensuring legroom that is even less than that offered by several European airlines on their short-haul flights. While there, in those 76 centimeters, you have to spend 7 to 10 hours of flight time....

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