United’s 250-Plane Order Includes More Lie-Flat Seats — and Snack Bars
Photo Credit: A United Airlines Airbus A321 'Coastliner'. United Airlines
Skift Take
United is forging ahead with its growth plans and doubling down on premium experiences.
United Airlines announced Tuesday it plans to add more than 250 aircraft to its fleet by April 2028 in a move that signals confidence that the high travel demand in the airline industry is sustainable.
“This is another step in a decade-long journey that we've been on at United to de-commoditize the industry to de-commoditize United in particular,” said CEO Scott Kirby during a call with reporters.
As part of its growth plans, United is adding two narrowbodies to its fleet: a custom-designed Airbus A321 Coastliner and the A321XLR.
The CoastlinerThe A321 Coastliner will have 20 lie-flat Polaris business class seats, 12 premium plus seats, and 129 economy seats. United said it removed three seats from the standard configuration to accommodate a snack bar in the back of the plane for customers traveling in economy.
United had started experimenting with snack bars in 2023, when it introduced kiosks w
