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United Airlines likes big cabins — but that means big price increases.
On Tuesday, the airline behemoth released its new cabin designs, which will include an increased number of premium seats with fewer options in the standard coach section, as reported by CNBC.
According to the Robb Report, United Airlines will add 250 aircraft — which will be affected by these changes — to its ranks by April of 2028. This will be the most deliveries to ever be completed by any airline within a period of two years.
The fresh fleet — which will include new Coastliner planes, or Airbus A321neo jets, for transcontinental flights — will feature 12 premium economy seats, along with 36 added-legroom seats in addition to regular economy. A snack bar will also be added to the rear of the plane, at the expense of three seats from the plane’s standard design.
Additionally, the planes will include 20 Polaris seats that can recline into beds, complete with full aisle access.
There will be room for passengers’ elbows and shoulders in the seats, a semi-translucent suite divider, and added Polaris extras — like Saks Fifth Ave Bedding, Perricone MD skincare to refresh in-flight and premium headphones.
“The main cabin is also improving, and we’ve seen very strong demand across the board for United in Q1, but premium did lead the way yet again in the quarter, and continues to do so,” United’s chief commercial officer Andrew Nocella told the press last week, despite the recent hike in fuel prices.
These plush seats will pose a pretty penny to travelers. CNBC reported that a flight from United’s main base at Newark to San Francisco in the first week of May is currently at $423 in coach, but skyrockets to $5,556 on a Boeing 757 with the top Polaris class.
Delta, United’s biggest rival, has said that it expects premium sales to exceed main cabin revenue this year, pointing towards a customer-led push towards plusher travel, as reported by CNBC.
JetBlue Airways, which initially led the charge in employing lie-flat seats and suites on its Airbus fleets, continues the trend, having announced that it will offer a more plain first class cabin later on in 2026.
Southwest Airlines has followed suit, having recently unveiled seats with additional legroom on its Boeing 737s, putting an end to its previously famous uniform standard seating.
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