Short of flying on a private jet, American Airlines is offering a premium way to get to the Super Bowl. The airline has added eight special flights between New York and Las Vegas, the host city for the 2024 Super Bowl, between February 8 and February 12, 2024. These flights will be operated by American’s Airbus A321T, one of the poshest planes operated by a U.S. airline.
The A321T features three cabins, including 10 Flagship First pods, 20 Flagship Business lie-flats, and 72 economy seats. With just 102 total seats, it offers a much more exclusive experience compared to other airlines. The plane is usually deployed on transcontinental routes from Boston and New York to California, but occasionally American uses it for special events.
For passengers flying on the A321T in business or first class, they will enjoy lounge access in New York at either the Greenwich or Chelsea lounge, both of which are luxurious spots to relax before the flight. Additionally, American will also upgrade select flights from Miami and Philadelphia to Las Vegas on February 8, February 9, and February 12. Originally, these flights were supposed to be operated by domestic narrow-bodies, but they will now be operated by the Boeing 787 Dreamliner.
In total, American will offer more than 150 lie-flat seats to and from Las Vegas during Super Bowl weekend. This is the third time in a few months that American has deployed the A321T on routes to Las Vegas. It was also used for the Formula One race in November and the Consumer Electronics Show in January.
However, these special trips on the A321T will eventually come to an end as American plans to retrofit these planes with a standard domestic configuration in the coming years. The airline will debut new Flagship Business cabins on the upcoming deliveries of Boeing 787s and Airbus A321XLRs.
The Super Bowl is not the only special event that American is focusing on. The airline is also making special arrangements for flights to Barcelona for the Mobile World Congress trade show in February 2024. From February 23 to March 3, American will operate nonstop service between Dallas-Fort Worth and Barcelona, a route that is not currently served by the airline but will operate as a summer seasonal service starting in June.
American will also upgrade flights from Miami and New York to Barcelona for the convention. These flights will be operated by the Boeing 777-200 and Boeing 777-300. According to Jason Reisinger, American’s managing director of global network planning, the airline is adding more convenient ways to connect fans and enthusiasts to experience all the action with over 6,000 additional seats in and out of Las Vegas and Barcelona.