United Airlines ditches more economy seats in favor of larger premium cabins

LOS ANGELES — United Airlines» formula for higher profits: fewer seats but better quality.

The second most profitable carrier in the country after Delta Airlines on Tuesday unveiled new cabin designs, including on some of its smaller planes, that offer more premium seating options and fewer in standard coaches.

The differences in airfares for these seats can be considerable. For example, a flight between United’s hub at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey and San Francisco during the first week of May costs $423 in standard coach and $5,556 in the carrier’s premium Polaris class on a Boeing 757.

Even with fuel prices soaring, United executives have said in recent weeks that demand remains strong, noting that demand for premium travel has eclipsed the main cabin.

“The main cabin is also improving, and we saw very strong demand across the board for United in the first quarter, but premium again led the way in the quarter, and continues to do so,” Andrew Nocella, United’s chief commercial officer, told reporters last week.

United plans to introduce a sub-fleet of narrow-body Airbus A321neo aircraft, dubbed “Coastliner”, for transcontinental flights, which will have 20 Polaris seats that can recline into beds. Each Polaris seat will have aisle access.

These jets will also have 12 premium economy seats and 36 extra legroom seats on board, with the rest being regular economy seats. United said it removed three seats from the plane’s standard configuration to install a snack bar in the rear of the plane.

Current configurations of the plane do not have premium economy, but they do have 57 seats with extra legroom and 123 seats in standard economy, as well as 20 reclining first class seats, not reclining Polaris seats.

United said the first Coastliners would begin flying this summer and would have 40 by early 2028.

The airline also announced the configuration of its longer-range Airbus A321XLR aircraft, which will replace some older Boeing 757s.

This configuration also includes all 20 Polaris suites, 12 premium economy seats and 34 extra leg seats. The plane will debut this summer and United said it could operate on some of its existing routes to Spain, France, Portugal and Brazil.

United will also add a seven-seat first class cabin to its Bombardier CRJ-200 jets for a total of 41 seats on board, compared to the current 51-seat configuration, which has just one cabin.

Additionally, the airline is adding a new product to its main cabin that allows customers to purchase a row of sofa-convertible seats on some of its widebody aircraft. The so-called “Relax Row” is designed for families but can also be purchased by a single person who can then turn the seats into a bed, Nocella said at an event at Los Angeles International Airport. The system will debut next year and will equip more than 200 of its 787 Dreamliners and 777s by 2030, United said.

The changes are part of a continuing trend among airlines devoting more of the scarce space available on planes to premium seats, with the growth of these premium options outpacing sales of regular economy class.

Last year, United unveiled an upgraded Polaris Suite for long-haul flights on its Boeing 787 Dreamliners, which includes the “Polaris Studio,” which is larger than previous models and has 27-inch 4K screens, as well as a beanbag for guests.

United’s main rival, Delta, said it expects award revenue to surpass mainline cabin sales this year. The carrier said last month that starting in May, the first of seven of its new Airbus A321neo aircraft will have 44 first-class seats, more than double the 20 it usually has.

Demand for lavish new suites and other high-end seating is so high that the supply chain can’t keep up. The bottlenecks even delayed the delivery of planes, CNBC reported.

Delta said the A321neo’s large first class cabin is a medium-term measure, “intended to be in service for a limited time while Delta awaits delivery of the flatbed suites that will ultimately be installed on these aircraft.”

Meanwhile, United has been considering reclining seats for some of its new narrow-body jets for years.

CEO Scott Kirby told reporters in August 2018 that the carrier plans to offer reclining seats on the new Boeing 737 Max 10, although that plane still hasn’t been certified and is years behind schedule.

Other airlines are also adding premium seats.

JetBlue Airwayswhich has been a pioneer in offering reclining seats and suites on its narrow-body Airbus fleet, plans to offer a less elaborate first-class interior cabin later this year. Southwest Airlines recently introduced seats with more legroom on its Boeing 737 fleet, ending decades of standard seats throughout its cabin.

Low-cost carriers Spirit Airlines and Border Airlines also plan to add more spacious seats.