American Airlines A321neo

The neo (new engine option) variants do produce less cabin noise, particularly in the rows around the wing. The improvement is real but modest — you will likely still want earplugs on a long sector if you are a light sleeper.

American uses the A321neo primarily on domestic and some Caribbean or Latin American routes. The XLR variant is the one destined for longer transatlantic flying.

The A321neo features larger overhead bins than older narrowbodies in American's fleet. Full-size rolling carry-ons generally fit without needing to be gate-checked, even on busy routes — though boarding later in the group still carries some risk on sold-out flights.