Non è una novità in senso stretto, comunque questo articolo contiene qualche dettaglio in più sulle “mini-suites” che dovrebbero essere installate sugli A321XLR di United. Peraltro, se non erro le “privacy doors” sono state inibite su alcuni A321 di JetBlue per questioni regolamentari e di numero di assistenti di volo a bordo.
United Airlines requests FAA exemption to install privacy doors on A321XLR ‘mini-suites’
United Airlines has requested an exemption from the Federal Aviation Administration that would allow it to install 20 business class “mini-suites” with privacy doors on its incoming Airbus A321XLRs.
Installing private suites on the 50 A321XLRs United expects to take from Airbus would represent new territory for United, which is installing Polaris Suites with privacy doors on its newer Boeing 787-9s – but not yet on narrowbody jets in its fleet.
Competitor
American Airlines, which recently became the first North American carrier to
take delivery of the A321XLR, offers similar mini-suites with its Flagship Suite product on the latest-generation narrowbody type.
United expects A321XLR deliveries to begin sometime in mid-2026. It has previously disclosed that the incoming twinjets will be configured with 150 seats in a three-class arrangement.
In a US Department of Transportation filing dated 18 November, United notes that the presence of business class mini-suites would not be compliant with evacuation-related FAA regulations pertaining to doors inside aircraft cabins – particularly those between “any passenger and an exit”.
”Should such a door (either through omission or mechanical failure) become jammed in the event of an emergency evacuation, persons could be prevented or delayed from evacuating, which could result in fatalities or injuries that would not otherwise have occurred,” the FAA regulation states.
The airline says it will “not have, nor will be operating, a solid door in any partition between passenger compartments between the business class cabins and tourist class cabins” that could impede passengers attempting to evacuate the aircraft.
United notes that Airbus has taken “design precautions” to install mini-suites that do not pose safety risks to passengers. Airbus previously secured an FAA exemption allowing it to install “doors and moveable walls” on mini-suites.
“The doors in the mini-suites are designed to automatically secure in the open position during taxi, take-off and landing,” United says. ”This mechanism ensures that the doors do not obstruct any egress paths and comply with the FAA’s safety requirements for emergency evacuations.”
Under FAA rules, airlines must provide an additional crewmember to ensure that the doors of the suites remain open during those phases of flight.
The airline also points to suites with doors on widebody jets such as the 777, 787 and A350.
If granted the exemption, United “respectfully requests the privilege to use the exemption outside of the United States”.
The A321XLR has been marketed as a “game changer” for global airlines seeking to stretch their wings on so-called “skinny” routes that would not support widebody operations. United has previously indicated it intends to operate the type on transatlantic and Latin American flights.
United Airlines has requested an exemption from the Federal Aviation Administration that would allow it to install 20 business class "mini-suites" with privacy doors in the cabins of its incoming Airbus A321XLRs.
www.flightglobal.com