- Increasing narrowbody flights between North America and Europe are changing how people fly.
- Newer single-aisle planes are versatile with cheaper operating costs than widebodies.
- American and United will fly new routes with future A321XLRs and introduce new business classes.
Your next ride across the Atlantic may be smaller than you expected.
Several airlines are flying more narrow-body planes between North America and Europe this year — a shift from larger widebodies that have historically dominated transoceanic routes.
Data from the aviation analytics company Cirium shows that about 56,500 transatlantic narrowbody flights are scheduled in 2025, a 50% increase from 2019.
Although some people may see the strategy as counterintuitive — as fewer seats mean less revenue potential — narrowbodies are cheaper to operate than a widebody and are easier to fill on lower-demand but still profitable routes.
European planemaker Airbus is trailblazing this transatlantic trend. In 2018, it launched the extended-range Airbus A321neoLR to make long-haul flights more efficient than its previous generation options.
Airbus took its strategy one step further when its "extra long range" A321XLR launched in November. The Boeing 737 Max has less range than its Airbus rivals but is still used by a handful of carriers across the Atlantic.
The growing trend is changing how people fly to Europe. Smaller jets can be cozier and boast competitive fares due to their cheaper costs, and their fewer passengers mean faster boarding and deplaning times.
Transatlantic narrowbody flying is becoming mainstream.
Passengers can fly the A320/A321neo family between North America and Europe on JetBlue Airways, Canada's Air Transat, French airline La Compagnie, Ireland's Aer Lingus, Iceland's Play, Spain's Iberia, Azores Airlines, Scandinavian Airlines, and TAP Air Portugal.
Air Canada, United Airlines, and WestJet use the Boeing 737 Max 8 on transatlantic journeys. Air Greenland will lease previous-generation 737s this summer to capitalize on demand to mainland Europe.
United and Delta Air Lines fly the Boeing 757 across the pond, though Delta only has two routes to Iceland from Detroit and Minneapolis. Icelandair flies the A321neo, the 737 Max, and the 757 from Reykjavik.
There are pros and cons of the smaller cabins.
Many travelers may enjoy the smaller cabin and, subsequently, fewer passengers when flying across the Atlantic. This allows for quicker on-and-off on either side of the pond, and the meal service is faster.
However, some people may not like the fewer lavatories. Iberia's A321XLR, for example, has three bathrooms shared among 168 economy passengers, and there is little room in the aft cabin to queue.
Bigger cabins also offer more space for travelers to stretch their legs or alleviate claustrophobia. Others may simply prefer the grandiose jets historically tied to long-haul flights, like the famous Boeing 747.
Travelers still have access to lie-flat business-class seats.
Many carriers, such as JetBlue, United, Aer Lingus, Iberia, La Compagnie, SAS, and TAP, have installed high-priced lie-flat seats to generate more revenue on lower-capacity planes.
JetBlue's A321LR, for example, has 24 door-equipped Mint seats, which take up nearly a third of the cabin. Iberia has a less premium-heavy A321XLR but still offers 14 semi-private lie-flat seats.
United outfitted its long-haul Boeing 757s with a version of its Polaris business class. United and American plan to install new lie-flat premium cabins on their future A321XLRs.
Some airlines have premium recliners instead.
Icelandair, which recently received its first A321LR to replace its fleet of Boeing 757s, has installed premium economy loungers instead of lie-flat business on its narrowbodies.
Air Canada, Azores, WestJet, Air Transat, and Delta similarly offer reclining premium economy or business seats. United's 737 Max has first-class loungers.
Air Greenland, Play, and La Compagnie are unique outliers.
Air Greenland's leased 737s will only have regular economy seats. The planes won't have premium or business cabins.
Budget carrier Play flies no-frills Airbus narrowbody planes between the US and mainland Europe via Iceland. Extras like bags are a fee. The strategy boasts less comfort in exchange for cheaper fares.
On the other end of the spectrum, La Compagnie equips its A321LRs exclusively with lie-flat business class. The seats are basic compared to JetBlue or Iberia, but the fares start at a $2,500 roundtrip.
Airlines can fly more niche nonstop flights.
The 5,400-mile-ranged A321XLR — which can fly about 800 miles further than the A321LR — unlocks markets that its narrowbody predecessors couldn't physically reach or would be unprofitable with a widebody.
United plans to fly the A321XLR to new destinations like North Africa, and North Italy come 2026, while Aer Lingus plans to launch two new nonstops between Dublin and Nashville, and Indianapolis this spring.
The Boeing 737 Max is already used on a handful of unique nonstop flights. For example, United flies the plane seasonally to Ponta Delgada in the Portuguese Azores and is launching it on new routes to Nuuk, Greenland, and Madeira, Portugal, this summer.
The nonstops save time while still offering competitive fares.
Google Flights shows a nonstop roundtrip ticket on United between Newark and Madeira in July costs about $1,200.
The same one-stop flight on TAP via Lisbon — which would take double the time — is about $1,100. The prices vary through the summer but the few hundred price difference is the common theme.
Iberia's A321XLR nonstop flight between Washington, DC, and Madrid is regularly the same price or cheaper than United's widebody option. Aer Lingus' future nonstop between Dublin and Nashville is typically at least $1,000 roundtrip this summer.
One-stop flights on competitors are priced higher or lower depending on the day — meaning some travelers could snag a good Aer Lingus deal if their travel plans are flexible.
