United Launches Another Economy Class Innovation: Economy Plus Seats With Extra Elbow Room
All 50 of United's new Airbus A321XLR aircraft will include a special row in Economy Plus® with open middle seats, repurposed as shared spaces with large custom tables
Available for sale later this year for flights beginning soon after
United expects to be the only U.S. airline that will offer this seating option; follows announcement of United Relax RowSM, economy seats that transform into a lie-flat surface and available in early 2027
CHICAGO, July 14, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- United today 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.
This new Economy Plus offering will be available for sale starting later this year. 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," said Andrew Nocella, United's Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer. "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.
The airline plans to share more information about the new product, including pricing, before it goes on sale later this year.
United's A321XLR
The Airbus A321XLR was designed from the ground up to be the airline's most premium narrowbody airplane, providing a new level of comfort and style for those traveling on international short- to medium-haul routes. This airplane has 32 premium seats – 16 more than the Boeing 757s it replaces – including a new all-aisle access lie-flat United Polaris Studio suite with a privacy door. Every seat has a large, 4K OLED screen with Bluetooth connectivity, ranging in size from 19 inches in Polaris, 16 inches in United Premium Plus® and 13 inches in United Economy®, and everyone has access to larger overhead bins with room for rollaboard bags and a snack bar in the rear of the economy cabin.
United plans to offer its first domestic flights on the new A321XLR later this fall, with international service expected to begin by early 2027.
United will operate the A321XLR with five flight attendants on most transatlantic flights, consistent with its practice on the Boeing 757 it is replacing.
For more information, visit united.com, and view visual assets linked here.
About United
At United, Good Leads The Way. With U.S. hubs in Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, New York/Newark, San Francisco and Washington, D.C., United operates the most comprehensive global route network among North American carriers and is now the largest airline in the world as measured by available seat miles. For more about how to join the United team, please visit www.united.com/careers and more information about the company is at www.united.com. United Airlines Holdings, Inc., the parent company of United Airlines, Inc., is traded on the Nasdaq under the symbol "UAL".
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SOURCE United Airlines