The old A320 vs 737 thread has been closed, so it would be great to restart it, but with a little twist: this time we’re only comparing two variants, the A321-200 and 737-900ER.
The original A321-100 was developed by Airbus as a short range, high-capacity A320 with a lot in common with the standard A320. The A321-200 was introduced shortly afterwards, with increased range and a higher MTOW, enabling it to fly much longer distances without sacrificing capacity. Over 2000 A321s have been built, with it being produced to this day, though mostly in the form of its NEO variant. The A321-200 can carry 185 passengers in a standard 2-class configuration over a range of 3200 nautical miles. Its MTOW is 93t.
The Boeing 737-900ER is the longest 737NG ever built. After 757 production ended, Boeing introduced the 739 to act as a substitute (though it wasn’t a good 757 replacement, I’ll cover that in detail next time.) With a higher MTOW and range than the non-ER 737-900, the 737-900ER was much more popular with airlines. It has the same cockpit and wing as all of the 737NGs. The 737-900ER has a standard 2-class passenger capacity of 177 seats and a range of 2950 nautical miles. Maximum takeoff weight is about 85.1t.
In my opinion the A321 is better, with more range, a higher MTOW, more powerful engines and better passenger comfort with a wider cabin, meaning wider seats.
Which do you think is better? Comment below!
