American Airlines operates the largest fleet of commercial aircraft of any airline in the world. As of 2026, the airline flies around 950 mainline aircraft plus a regional fleet operated by its American Eagle affiliates. The fleet is roughly split between Airbus narrowbodies and Boeing aircraft, with widebody operations concentrated on the Boeing 777 and Boeing 787.
If you fly American regularly, knowing which aircraft you are likely to encounter on a given route is useful. The variation across the fleet is substantial. An American flight can be a regional jet with 50 seats or a long-haul widebody with 300. The experience is not the same.
This is a current guide to every aircraft type in the American Airlines fleet and what they are used for.
Narrowbody mainline fleet
Airbus A319-100. American absorbed a substantial A319 fleet through its 2013 merger with US Airways. The A319 seats about 128 passengers in American's two-class configuration and is used on medium-density domestic routes. Some A319s are equipped with a premium transcontinental configuration for specific routes, though most serve standard domestic flying. The fleet has been shrinking as American retires older aircraft.
Airbus A320-200. The A320 seats around 150 passengers and is another holdover from the US Airways merger. It is used across the domestic network on mid-density routes. Like the A319, the A320 fleet is aging and being gradually reduced.
Airbus A321-200. American operates a substantial A321 fleet in several different configurations. The standard A321 seats about 190 passengers and is used on high-density domestic routes. A dedicated premium-configured version, branded as the A321T (for transcontinental), has a full lie-flat business class and flies specialized routes between New York JFK and Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Boston. The A321T is one of the most premium domestic products in North America.
Airbus A321neo. The newer A321neo entered the fleet in 2019 and has been expanding rapidly. It seats around 196 passengers and has better range and fuel efficiency than the older A321. American has been deploying it on transcontinental flights, transatlantic flights to smaller European cities, and high-density domestic routes.
Boeing 737-800. The 737-800 is one of American's core narrowbodies, seating about 172 passengers. It is used across the domestic network and on some short-haul international routes to Mexico, Canada, the Caribbean, and Central America.
Boeing 737 MAX 8. American began receiving the 737 MAX 8 in 2017 and has been adding the type steadily, including during the 2019-2020 grounding recovery. The aircraft seats about 172 passengers in American's configuration and is used on similar routes to the 737-800. American is a major MAX operator and has a significant order book for additional MAX 8 and MAX 10 deliveries.
Widebody fleet
American's widebody fleet is entirely Boeing, which is unusual among American legacy carriers. Delta has standardized on Airbus widebodies, and United operates a mixed fleet. American has consistently chosen Boeing for long-haul.
Boeing 777-200ER. The 777-200ER is used on transatlantic routes and some transpacific services. It seats around 273 passengers in American's three-class configuration. The type has been in the American fleet for decades and will be progressively replaced by newer aircraft, though no hard retirement date has been announced.
Boeing 777-300ER. The stretched 777-300ER is American's largest aircraft. It seats about 304 passengers and operates on the longest and highest-capacity routes in the network, including New York JFK to Tokyo, Los Angeles to Hong Kong, and Dallas to Sydney. The aircraft carries an entirely different premium cabin product from the 777-200ER, with larger business class suites and a larger premium economy cabin.
Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner. American operates the smaller 787-8 variant on routes where capacity requirements are lower. The aircraft seats about 226 passengers and is used on a mix of transatlantic, transpacific, and South American routes.
Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner. The stretched 787-9 seats around 285 passengers and is used on longer routes where the 787-8 would be too small. American has been receiving 787-9s steadily and uses them on many international flights from Dallas-Fort Worth, Chicago, and the East Coast.
Regional affiliate aircraft
American Eagle is the brand name for regional flying operated by a handful of smaller carriers under contract with American. These airlines operate their own aircraft, crew, and operations, but sell all their seats under American's flight numbers and provide connecting service for American's mainline network.
Embraer E170. The smaller Embraer regional jet seats around 65 passengers and is operated primarily by Republic Airways and Piedmont Airlines.
Embraer E175. The larger Embraer regional jet seats about 76 passengers and has become the dominant type in American Eagle service. It is operated by Republic, Envoy Air, and SkyWest.
Bombardier CRJ-700 and CRJ-900. The CRJ family is gradually being reduced in American Eagle service as E175s expand, but the type is still present, particularly on shorter regional routes.
Retired types
Several types have left the American Airlines fleet recently and may appear in older photos or reference materials.
McDonnell Douglas MD-80 series. The MD-80 was American's primary domestic narrowbody for decades. American retired the last MD-80 in 2019, ending a thirty-five year operational history.
Boeing 767-300ER. American retired its 767-300ER fleet in 2020, earlier than originally planned due to pandemic-driven capacity reductions.
Boeing 757-200. American retired its 757 fleet in 2021. The aircraft had served on transcontinental routes and some transatlantic services from the East Coast.
Airbus A330-200 and A330-300. Inherited from the US Airways merger, the A330 fleet was retired in 2020. American briefly operated A330s on transatlantic and South American services before returning to an all-Boeing widebody strategy.
Embraer ERJ-140 and ERJ-145. The older, smaller Embraer regional jets were retired from American Eagle service in 2023 and 2024.
Fleet comparison
American's all-Boeing widebody fleet is the most visible difference from its main competitors. Delta operates primarily Airbus widebodies (A330, A350) and a shrinking 767 fleet. United operates a mixed Boeing widebody fleet (777, 787) with no Airbus widebodies. The result is that if you fly transatlantic or transpacific on American, you are almost certainly on a 777 or 787.
For narrowbodies, American is roughly balanced between Airbus and Boeing, with a slight Airbus tilt thanks to the US Airways merger legacy. The A321, in both the A321T premium configuration and the standard configuration, is the most distinctive part of American's narrowbody offering. No other North American airline operates a premium transcon product at the same scale.
What to expect when booking
If your American flight is between two hub cities on the East Coast, you are probably on a 737-800, A319, or A321. If your flight is transcontinental between JFK and Los Angeles or San Francisco, there is a reasonable chance you are on the A321T with the premium cabin. If your flight is to Europe, the aircraft depends on the specific city: larger markets get the 777-300ER, mid-sized markets get the 787-9, and smaller markets get the 787-8 or occasionally the 787-9. Long-haul to Asia or South America is almost always 777 or 787, with the largest routes getting the 777-300ER.
Regional flights operate primarily on the E175, with smaller E170 and CRJ variants on shorter routes and smaller markets.
American's fleet is large enough that there are always exceptions to these patterns, particularly during irregular operations when aircraft get swapped around the network. But the general rules apply most of the time, and knowing them gives you a useful prediction about what the flight will actually look like before you step on board.
