See what United's new 'Eurobusiness' economy layout on its new Airbus A321XLRs will look like
United Airlines will block some middle seats in the extra-legroom section of its Airbus A321XLRs.The setup resembles "Eurobusiness" and will come at an upcharge.Blocking middle seats allows United to staff the fewest flight attendants possible.United Airlines is testing a new premium option in economy class: blocked middle seats.The airline unveiled on Tuesday that some middle seats on its new Airbus A321XLRs would be blocked with a "permanently fixed" tray table separating the window and aisle seats.United said the tray table features a "soft leather-like covering" and "two indentations for cups" and provides shared table space and additional elbow room for passengers. It resembles European-style business class, aka "Eurobusiness."The special row goes on sale later this year and will be located in the airline's extra-fee Economy Plus section, which already offers an extra three inches of legroom.
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United Airlines will block some middle seats in the extra-legroom section of its Airbus A321XLRs.The setup resembles "Eurobusiness" and will come at an upcharge.Blocking middle seats allows United to staff the fewest flight attendants possible.United Airlines is testing a new premium option in economy class: blocked middle seats.The airline unveiled on Tuesday that some middle seats on its new Airbus A321XLRs would be blocked with a "permanently fixed" tray table separating the window and aisle seats.United said the tray table features a "soft leather-like covering" and "two indentations for cups" and provides shared table space and additional elbow room for passengers. It resembles European-style business class, aka "Eurobusiness."The special row goes on sale later this year and will be located in the airline's extra-fee Economy Plus section, which already offers an extra three inches of legroom. United said it didn't yet have pricing details.The row will be available only on the A321XLRs for now, but United said it is "exploring" the idea for other aircraft in the future."We're investing nose-to-tail across our fleet and giving customers choice and value in every cabin," Andrew Nocella, United's EVP and chief commercial officer, said in a press release.The airline's first A321XLR — which will replace United's Boeing 757s on mostly transatlantic routes, like Newark to Edinburgh — was delivered in June and is expected to enter domestic service in the fall and international service in early 2027.United did not disclose its exact strategy for blocking middle seats, but the setup appears to kill two birds with one stone: it saves money by keeping flight attendant staffing to a minimum, and it's another way for United to upsell incremental comfort upgrades amid booming premium demand.Save on labor and upsell economyFederal regulations require United's 150-seater A321XLRs to have one flight attendant per 50 certified seats, plus a fourth due to the complexity of the sliding doors in business class.Adding just one more would trigger a fifth and add labor costs. United also recently signed a new labor contract with its flight attendant union in May that hiked pay by 31% and added boarding pay.United, however, said it plans to staff five flight attendants on "most transatlantic flights, consistent with its practice on the Boeing 757 it is replacing."Blocking middle seats is also another way for United to monetize its premium-heavy airplanes.A fifth of the A321XLR's seats will be either Polaris lie-flat business class suites or premium economy, leaving a large pool of coach passengers that United can still upsell — in this case, for more elbow room.The idea reflects a broader push by United to expand premium options across the entire airplane.The airline recently introduced two-person business-class "Studios" on its new Boeing 787-9s.
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- What's the story?
- United Airlines will block some middle seats in the extra-legroom section of its Airbus A321XLRs.The setup resembles "Eurobusiness" and will come at an upcharge.Blocking middle seats allows United to staff the fewest flight attendants possible.United Airlines is testing a new premium option in economy class: blocked middle seats.The airline unveiled on Tuesday that some middle seats on its new Airbus A321XLRs would be blocked with a "permanently fixed" tray table separating the window and aisle seats.United said the tray table features a "soft leather-like covering" and "two indentations for cups" and provides shared table space and additional elbow room for passengers. It resembles European-style business class, aka "Eurobusiness."The special row goes on sale later this year and will be located in the airline's extra-fee Economy Plus section, which already offers an extra three inches of legroom.
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- 1 outlet, average source rating 6.0/10.
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See what United's new 'Eurobusiness' economy layout on its new Airbus A321XLRs will look like
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