American's A321XLR Will Fly Daily Between Philadelphia and Boston This Winter

American's newest long-haul jet — built to fly to Europe — is starting out with a short-haul East Coast route this winter. Starting October 25 and ending next April, the Airbus A321XLR will operate a daily roundtrip between Boston (BOS) and Philadelphia (PHL) — a roughly 90-minute, 280-mile hop.

The plane features American's Flagship Suite, its first business class product with closing doors on a narrow-body aircraft, in a 1-1 herringbone layout with 20 seats.

There's a premium economy cabin too, with 37 to 38 inches of pitch and 21 inches of width. On this short route, it's sometimes bookable as a Main Cabin Extra seat, which is free for select elite members.

Because it's a short domestic hop, it's also a cheap way to sample the new product: business class fares have been spotted as low as $248 on select dates. You can find economy fares from $118.

This can be a particularly good way to redeem Alaska Airlines Atmos Rewards points, which charges just 4,500 points in economy and 9,000 points in business class on flights 700 miles or shorter, plus roughly $26 in taxes and fees.

Andrew's Take

I love a cheap and easy way to try something new, and this is about as easy as it gets: you can sample American's newest suite without committing to a 6-hour transcon or an overnight to Europe. If you're anywhere near Boston or Philly this winter, treat it as a fun excuse to fly somewhere and back just to try the seat. I'm planning to fly the route with a friend this November.