Air travel this summer is getting a little more glamorous, thanks to a major fleet expansion initiative at United Airlines.
The Chicago-based carrier just announced a historic upgrade to its fleet that will see it add more than 250 new planes over the next two years, many with new premium cabins on board. The first of the upgraded aircraft are scheduled to debut as soon as this spring.
As part of the new product’s rollouts, the airline is also expanding access to its top-notch business class lounges to new groups of passengers.
Among the most exciting new aircraft is a new “Coastliner” Airbus A321neo that will fly between United’s West Coast hubs in Los Angeles (LAX) and San Francisco (SFO) and Newark/New York (EWR), starting this summer.
The single-aisle jet will also be the first-ever domestic plane to feature United’s luxe Polaris business class cabin. In fact, the Coastliners will feature the carrier’s Elevated interiors, its newly refreshed version of the Polaris cabin with upgraded perks like 20 lie-flat seats with fully closing privacy doors.
The business class suites have been specially designed to fit a narrowbody jet and features a layout that is wider at the shoulder and elbow and semi-translucent dividers to create an open feeling. United spent more than five years researching and developing the suites’ design, including two rounds of passenger sleep trials, to ensure it was as comfortable as possible.
Passengers flying in the Coastliner’s domestic Polaris business class will also have access to the airline’s swanky Polaris lounges, which previously were only reserved for travelers on international flights. The Coastliner planes will also get their own distinct livery, with blue tones reflecting its coastal destinations. United expects to launch 40 Coastliner planes by 2028.
On its international routes, United plans to replace its older Boeing 757 planes with modern Airbus A321XLR planes. The long-haul, narrowbody jets will also feature the airline’s refreshed Polaris class, which will offer a total of 32 premium seats—16 more than the 757 planes had.
The planes will roll out on some existing international routes starting this summer and launch new international routes in Europe and South America down the line. A total of 50 Airbus A321XLR planes will join United’s fleet, with more than half of those debuting by 2028.
As part of the fleet expansion initiative, the carrier also plans to upgrade its smaller, regional aircraft as well. This fall, it plans to launch new premium-focused CRJ-450 planes on routes operated by subsidiary SkyWest that connect smaller cities to its hubs in Denver (DEN) and Chicago (ORD).
The CRJ-450s will offer a first class cabin that has a luggage locker instead of overhead bins to create “an open, luxurious environment unlike any other commercial regional aircraft,” the airline said. In economy class, overhead bins will be larger enough to fit rollaboard bags, which are typically too big for most regional jets. The planes will replace older CRJ-200 planes on select regional routes. United plans to launch more than 50 CRJ-450s by 2028.
Also coming this year is the first of United’s Boeing Dreamliner 787-9 planes with its Elevated interiors. The new widebody plane will debut April 22 on United’s route between San Francisco (SFO) and Singapore (SIN) and feature 99 premium seats, including the new Polaris Studio, which is 25% bigger than other Polaris seats and comes with a 27-inch entertainment screen, Champagne and caviar service, and more.
The airline plans to operate three of the 787-9 planes with Elevated interiors in the near future and have 33 of the jets in its fleet by 2028.
“These new planes and products not only complement our fleet and network plans, but they also give our customers more premium amenity and seat choices – whether they bought a basic economy ticket to fly from Chicago to Ft. Wayne or are flying Polaris between San Francisco and Singapore,” said United Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer Andrew Nocella. “United is setting the pace and innovating for our customers at a scope and scale unheard of in aviation history – and we’re not taking our foot off the gas.”
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