United Airlines is giving economy passengers another reason to pay extra but it’s also giving itself another way to make money.
The Chicago-based carrier announced today that all 50 of its new Airbus A321XLR aircraft will feature a special row in Economy Plus where the middle seat is replaced with a shared table, giving the aisle and window passengers significantly more elbow room on long flights.
The new seats will go on sale later this year for flights beginning shortly afterward, though United has not yet announced pricing.
The fixed table stretches across where the middle seat would normally be and includes a soft leather-like surface with built-in cup holders. Travelers booking the window or aisle seat will also get the standard three extra inches of legroom that come with Economy Plus.
United says it expects to be the only U.S. airline offering this type of seating and is considering adding the concept to other aircraft in the future.
While United is positioning the new seats as a comfort upgrade, Gary Leff of View from the Wing notes there’s another motivation and I agree. Leff previously reported that configuring the A321XLR with 150 passenger seats instead of adding more seats helps United keep staffing levels lower while turning what would otherwise be blocked middle seats into a premium product that generates additional revenue. Rather than leaving the seats empty, the airline can now sell the extra space to customers willing to pay for it.
The concept isn’t new. European airlines have long sold business-class seats that are essentially standard economy seats with the middle seat blocked. Airlines like Frontier and Spirit have also experimented with selling blocked middle seats for travelers looking for more personal space.
The announcement is the latest example of airlines finding new ways to generate additional revenue through premium seating. Earlier this year, United unveiled its Relax Row, a set of three economy seats on select Boeing 787 and 777 aircraft that can convert into a couch-like, lie-flat surface beginning in 2027.
The new seating option will debut on United’s Airbus A321XLR, the airline’s newest narrowbody aircraft designed primarily for transatlantic and other medium-haul international routes. The plane will feature 32 premium seats, including new Polaris Studio suites with privacy doors, larger overhead bins, 4K OLED entertainment screens with Bluetooth connectivity and a self-service snack bar in the rear of the economy cabin.
United plans to begin flying the A321XLR on domestic routes later this fall before launching international service in early 2027.
Andrew Nocella, United’s executive vice president and chief commercial officer, said the airline continues to invest throughout its fleet by giving customers more choices in every cabin, including extra legroom and now extra elbow room in Economy Plus.
Personally, I’m still not convinced. I’ve flown British Airways’ Club Europe product, where the middle seat is blocked on short-haul flights, including a trip from Hamburg to London. Even though the flight was only about an hour, I couldn’t wait for it to be over (unless you’re in the bulkhead like pictured above). While the extra space is certainly better than having someone sitting beside you, it still doesn’t feel anything like a true premium cabin.
Lufthansa’s was much better on our Naples to Munich flight because we had more legroom.
United’s version is an improvement since passengers also get Economy Plus legroom and a much larger shared table. But if I’m crossing the Atlantic, I’d still choose a widebody aircraft over a narrowbody every chance I get. An empty middle seat is a nice perk, but it’s not enough to make me forget I’m spending seven or eight hours on a single-aisle jet.
