The Airbus 321 is the largest aircraft of the 320 family produced by the Airbus concern. The first flight was made in 1992. Aircraft production continues to this day. According to the latest information from the company, in 2018 it is planned to assemble up to 60 aircraft per month. In terms of its technical characteristics and maintenance, it differs little from the prototype - the 320th, but due to more powerful engines it is able to carry more passengers and luggage.
The aircraft is assembled for a specific order - the customer is offered only an economy class version with a capacity of 220 people or a business / economy class with a capacity of 185 people.
History
The prototype of the 320th French company began to assemble back in 1972. In the 90s, the 319th version first appeared, the main difference of which is the fuselage shortened by 7 meters. The remaining parameters repeat the 320th. The first Airbus 321 (321-100) received a fuselage 7 meters longer than the prototype and in 1992 had the shortest flight range among the entire 320 family. Then, with the modernization, the aircraft received reinforced brakes, more powerful engines and an additional tank located in the tail section of the cabin. The initial development was not intended, unlike the plans for the 320, to compete with the Americans, but the introduction of the Boeing 757 forced the company to rethink its decision to release the 321, and the current model, the 321-200, is a worthy competitor to the 757- th, slightly inferior in flight range, but with a more spacious fuselage.
The German Lufthansa became the first customer for the new aircraft. Aircraft 321-100 flew into her hangars in early 1995. At the end of 1996, the first Airbus 321-200 took off.
Customer interior layouts
As already mentioned, the customer receives one of two layout options at the factory. However, that's not all. During operation, the customer can change the number of seats himself and thus re-equip the aircraft to carry more or fewer passengers. The documentation for the aircraft indicates how the cabin can be reconfigured. "Airbus 321" has a wide range of layouts. From economy class, where there will be 6 seats in a row, three on each side of the aisle, to business class, where 4 seats will already be installed in a row. It is also allowed to arrange in a wide frame. There are only two restrictions - in any layout the aircraft will have 1 aisle with seats on both sides of the aisle. The second limitation is inherent in the design: at the end of the aircraft there will be only 2 seats, one on each side of the aisle, and 2 rows opposite the emergency doors also have 4 seats in any layout.
Choosing a seat inairplane
Even a short flight can be a hassle if you sit down and find that your seat backs don't recline due to the design of the liner, or people are constantly walking past you on their way to the bathroom. So there are a number of questions you should ask yourself before flying. For example, this: "Do you like to watch the flight?" If you like, you need to choose seats by the windows, bearing in mind that wings will be located opposite some, and all you will see is the movement of automation during takeoff, landing, changing direction.
Rows 15 to 22 in the Airbus 321 economy class have this disadvantage. In addition, the 25th row, being located in front of the second emergency exit, does not have the ability to recline the chair. At the same time, these seats are considered ideal for traveling couples, as there are only 4 seats in this row, even in economy, 2 on each side of the aisle.
But if the plane is flying at night, choosing a seat near the windows will not work, but being in the rows in front of the emergency exits can deliver many unpleasant minutes due to locked backs. In addition to the 25th, the backs are also blocked in the 10th row, but, unlike the 25th, here the economy class includes 6 seats, three on each side of the aisle. The numbering is given for the economy class of the Airbus 321 aircraft. The best seats, other than those already mentioned, are in the 11th row - two seats on each side of the aisle, and there is an opportunity to stretch your legs. These places are located behind the first emergency exit. Passengers sitting in the 26throw, will also be able to stretch their legs, while in front of them is an emergency exit number two. This is how the planes of the Ural Airlines company are assembled.
At the same time, the official website of Lufthansa states that in the 10th row, the 321st airliner has only 2 seats - on the right side. The left side of the row is free.
Plans and schemes
For a better understanding, here are a couple of aircraft schemes in two use cases. The Poles fly only economy class, the Germans use planes in both economy and business/economy versions.
This is how the Airbus 321 diagram of LOT Airlines (Poland) looks like, the cabin diagram is also suitable for illustrating Ural Airlines aircraft. The 321st company uses only in the economy version. The 11th and 26th rows are considered ideal. Seats at the windows in the 26th row, due to the emergency exit directly in front of them, may have some changes. Since there are only 4 chairs in the 11th row, we can advise those who like to stretch their legs and the 12th row - two places at the windows.
But for comparison, the scheme of the airbus used by Lufthansa. The Germans use both economy and business/economy aircraft. However, only the first rows differ. The rest is as described above. The 10th row is shortened, due to which in the 11th row there are 4 places from the category of the best. And due to the lack of one seat in the 25th row, the person who bought seat 27D will also get the opportunity to stretch their legs.
Reviews
As a run-in aircraft, it is actively used almostall companies in Europe. The comfort of the flight, of course, largely depends on the team of the Airbus 321 aircraft. Reviews mainly note a more spacious fuselage, more comfortable cabins compared to the Americans. Those sitting in the front note good sound insulation.
Conclusion
The Airbus 321 is the European response to the American Boeing 757. With a slightly shorter flight range than the American, this aircraft firmly occupies a place in the fleet of companies for flights both on charter and conventional airlines in Europe and the countries of the East. Experts note that more powerful engines and a different control system will be able to maintain a distance between the European 321st and the American 757th for a long time.
