United Airlines is betting that you will pay more to sit in a row without a fellow passenger squeezed into the middle seat.
This week, the airline announced that it will begin offering some Economy Plus passengers the option to have more elbow and leg room by blocking off the middle seat. That seat will feature a fixed “leather-like” upholstered table for the aisle and window passengers to share.
The new option will be available for sale later this year on United’s new Airbus A321XLR, a narrow-body, long-range aircraft. The airline, which has not yet announced prices for the seats, said it would debut the planes in domestic flights this fall; international service is expected to begin early next year.
“We’re investing nose-to-tail across our fleet and giving customers choice and value in every cabin,” Andrew Nocella, United’s chief commercial officer, said in a statement. United said it expected to be the only U.S. airline to offer this seating option.
The new option is not just about comfort: Blocking some middle seats could also save United money, said Henry Harteveldt, a travel industry analyst for Atmosphere Research.
“This move is more about United than its customers,” he said, adding, “By blocking these seats, United can, if it wants, operate its A321XLRs with one fewer flight attendant.”
Mr. Harteveldt also noted that United was replicating a seating option informally called Eurobusiness class, often seen on European airlines, which tend to block middle seats in business class on single-aisle planes flying within the continent.
In March, United also announced its Relax Row product, which transforms a row of three economy seats into a lie-flat space. The option will be for sale on certain long-haul international flights and is expected to start in 2027.
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