Fort Worth, Texas-based American Airlines is preparing to deploy its first retrofitted Airbus A319 into service this weekend. The news comes as the carrier has been working for months to refresh the aircraft with more premium seats and other upgrades.
While the new cabin features an additional row in first class, it lacks seatback entertainment. The update aligns the interior with that of American’s other narrowbody aircraft – a move that reduces the planes’ overall weight.
Simple Flying first reported on the airline’s plan to retrofit its A319 back in 2024. With a total of 133 examples, American operates three different variants of the so-called “baby bus.” The majority comprises the A319-132 and -112 variants, which were inherited from America West Airlines and US Airways. Many of these aircraft were built in the late 90s and early 2000s. In 2013, American took delivery of 32 new A319-115s. This subfleet – commonly referred to as legacy A319s because they were not inherited from a previous carrier – were delivered with seatback screens and feature sharklets.
Since the ex-America West and US Airways aircraft have never been equipped with seatback entertainment, American decided to retrofit its legacy A319s first. Last Summer, N8001N was removed from service to be used as a prototype for the retrofit. However, Simple Flying has since learned that N9002U was, in fact, the first airframe to receive the cabin refresh, according to aviation watchdog JonNYC. On Thursday, American confirmed that “this weekend” is when the aircraft will enter service.
“We are excited for customers to experience our first retrofitted Airbus A319 as it enters into service this weekend.”
Sent To El Salvador
According to Flightradar24, N9002U was taken out of service on September 2. It was ferried from American’s hub at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) to El Salvador International Airport (SAL), where it has remained since. It appears that El Salvador is home to the primary facility where American and other airlines send their aircraft for major cabin retrofits and other maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) needs.
Despite American confirming that N9002U will enter service this weekend, the exact timeline is unclear. The aircraft remained on the ground in El Salvador on Friday with no future flights scheduled. Simple Flying is closely monitoring when it will be ferried back to the US. The aircraft will likely be sent to American’s hubs at either DFW, Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT), or Miami International Airport (MIA). American typically deploys its legacy A319s out of those hubs to destinations across the East Coast, Midwest, and Rockies. They are particularly recognizable among plane spotters and aviation enthusiasts as they are the only sharklet-equipped A319s operating in the US.
Simple Flying is also following American’s plan to phase out its A321 Transcontinental (A321T) subfleet. In May 2024, the airline completed the transition of its first A321T from its premium-heavy layout to a standard configuration, seen on the remaining A321s. The conversion, which also removed seatback screens, was completed in El Salvador. As American takes delivery of more A321XLRs, the remaining 16 A321Ts will be sent to the facility to be converted.
Expanding Premium Experiences
With the rise in premium demand, American has been on a mission to expand its offerings. Once the retrofit is complete, the A319’s first class cabin will increase from eight to 12 seats. Additionally, the entire cabin will be able to accommodate more carry-on bags, and every passenger will be able to keep their devices charged.
“The aircraft has more first class seats, larger overhead bins, power at every seat and new trim and finish in Main Cabin,” a spokesperson confirmed.
American’s A320s are also set to be retrofitted with more first class seats. However, it is unclear when the airline will begin the process on those planes. Among its widebody fleet, the carrier plans to update its Boeing 777-200ERs and -300ERs with more premium seats.