Aer Lingus, the Irish national carrier and an IAG member, already has some history with the A321XLR despite the plane still not having flown on commercial flights yet. The airline was, in fact, supposed to be the launch customer for the new and latest version of the A321. However, the parent company changes those plans following a falling out with pilots’ unions at the Irish carrier. The first A321XLR is now destined to join Iberia instead. A321XLRs though are still going to join Aer Lingus, and the airline already has its first transatlantic route planned for them.
- The new Dublin to Nashville EI77 route details
- Timings and Scheduling of EI77
- Seat Choice Tips and Configuration
Aer Lingus to Fly Its Airbus A321XLR Across the Atlantic to Tennessee
It won’t be as special as it originally was supposed to be, but the A321XLR will be a hugely important addition to the Aer Lingus fleet. The addition of this aircraft could be a real game changer for a medium sized airline as the Irish one.
These planes allow the airline to plan and operate a vast number of flights to many destinations across the United States with the efficiency and reduced capacity of a narrow body plane. Therefore, filling the plane won’t be as much of a hustle and operating flights, with the A321XLR, will become much more cost effective.
The airline is already operating flights with its current fleet of Airbus A321LRs to the US but the arrival of the XLR will allow it to push itself even further west.
The first Aer Lingus Airbus A321XLR destination is now out in the open. Nashville, Tennessee, will be the first destination served by the latest addition to the airline’s fleet.
The first service will takeoff on April 12th, 2025, and will be a 4 times weekly service between Dublin and Nashville. Flights will cover the route every:
- Tuesday
- Thursday
- Saturday
- Sunday
Flight times are quite long on this route, putting the Aer Lingus A321XLR immediately to good use. The flight from Dublin to Nashville clocks just above the 9-hour mark. That is a lot of time in the air for a single aisle plane. Also, thanks to Dublin’s immigration pre-clearance facilities passengers won’t need to go through checks in Nashville, making the arrival experience much smoother.
New Aer Lingus EI77 Flight from Dublin to Nashville Timings
The timings of the outbound and inbound flights are quite good from a passenger’s perspective. Departure times are comfortably scheduled in the afternoon for both legs of the service. They are also optimised to allow passengers to transfer in Dublin from and to Aer Lingus’ European network.
| Flight Number | Departure Airport | Airport Code | Departure Time | Arrival Airport | Airport Code | Arrival Time | Flight Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EI77 | Dublin | DUB | 14:05 | Nashville | BNA | 17:10 | 9h 05m |
| EI76 | Nashville | BNA | 18:40 | Dublin | DUB | 08:50+1 | 8h 10m |
The A321XLR Configuration and Seat Layout
Finally, let’s talk about the cabin configuration. The space where we’ll be passing the 9 flight hours from Dublin to Nashville. There isn’t an official seat map for the A321XLR yet, however, it should be the same seen on the A321LRs. That means a 2-class configuration featuring flat-bed business class seats and standard economy seats.
Business class should feature 16 lie flat bed seats in an alternating 1-1 and 2-2 layout. Those 1-1 seats are in the so-called throne setup and are ideal if travelling alone. The 2-2s are the best option if travelling as a couple.
Economy comes in the standard 3-3 layout. All seats are equa, except for the overwing exit and the bulkhead rows that offer more leg room. However, those do come at a price premium.