We’ve all been on the plane during boarding, hoping — praying — that no one will come and grab the seat next to us. Almost always, our dreams are crushed.
This week, United is offering a solution.
The carrier, which is the main operator out of Newark Liberty, announced its latest United Economy class innovation — a row of Economy Plus seats on its new Airbus A321XLR aircraft with extra elbow room and access to a shared table across an open middle seat.
The new Economy Plus offering will be available for sale starting later this year, United officials said.
United expects to include this new Economy Plus option on its entire order of 50 A321XLRs and is exploring offering these types of seats on other aircraft types in the future.
United expects to be the only U.S. airline that will offer this seating option, and it follows the airline’s recently announced United Relax Row, multiple rows of seats on its Boeing 787 and Boeing 777 widebody aircraft that transform into a couch and available in early 2027.
“We’re investing nose-to-tail across our fleet and giving customers choice and value in every cabin,” Andrew Nocella, United’s executive vice president and chief commercial officer, said. “The XLR is our newest aircraft and not only offers all-aisle access lie-flat seats in United Polaris but now also includes seats in Economy Plus with extra leg and elbow room. Our customers are going to love all these new options.”
On each XLR, one row will have large, custom-designed tables stretching from armrest to armrest across the open middle seats, giving customers sitting in the window or aisle seat extra space to stretch out on longer international flights. The table is permanently fixed, with a soft leather-like covering, and two indentations for cups. And the extra space is in addition to the three inches of additional legroom already offered in Economy Plus on the XLR.
All of these perks are part of a push by CEO Scott Kirby to not only make United the best airline in the country – and make Newark its finest hub.
Kirby outlined his thoughts in a fireside chat with BINJE editor Tom Bergeron at the ReNew Jersey Summit earlier this year in Atlantic City.
Jon Gooda, the vice president at United Airlines who serves as the head of airport operations at Newark Liberty International Airport, is equally enthused.
