One of the biggest stories in commercial aviation in recent years has been the return of long haul flying using single-aisle aircraft. Since 2018 Airbus has stimulated a renaissance with the A321LR and A321XLR which is about to go into overdrive as the A321XLR enters mass production. To truly enable long haul flying, Airbus introduced the A321XLR with an additional rear centre fuel tank built directly into the fuselage itself. Since 2023 I’ve flown on long haul single aisle flights four times, each time either the A321LR or A321XLR. Over the course of five long haul flights I’ve come to appreciate where compromises have been made.