RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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See the full story · 1 sourcesBusiness Insider toured United's newest plane, the A321XLR expected to fly to Europe and beyond. Taylor Rains/Business Insider
We toured United Airlines' new ultra-premium Airbus A321XLR at the UK's Farnborough airshow in July.
The jet has doors in business class, privacy dividers in premium economy, and a snack bar in coach.
It's refreshing to see an airline add premium perks to the economy section.
United Airlines' newest Airbus jet is easily the airline's fanciest narrowbody yet .
Adorned in a special blue-and-white livery and packed with 150 luxe new seats, the Airbus A321XLR underscores United's continued push to court higher-paying travelers as demand for more comforts grows.
Most notably, sliding doors are now a feature in Polaris business class — an increasingly common feature in newer premium cabins and something long requested by many of United's most valuable flyers.
Meanwhile, Premium Plus, United's version of premium economy that sits between business and coach, has new privacy dividers.
During a tour of the jet at the Farnborough International Airshow near London last week, Peter Wolkowski, United's director of onboard products and partnerships, told Business Insider that the middle-ground section is particularly popular.
"It's that nice buy-up from economy, where you can get more space and nicer amenities, as well as that opportunity to rest," he said. "We are making a conscious effort to increase the size of the new Premium Plus."
Coach also got upgrades, including a self-service snack bar and "extra elbow room" seats for an added fee, a sign the airline is investing in economy, not just its highest-paying customers.
United hasn't said where its A321XLR will fly first, but it's expected to launch later this year and replace aging Boeing 757s, mostly flying routes across the Atlantic. The plane can fly 11 hours nonstop.
Think far-flung destinations like northern Italy and West Africa — places that don't have enough demand for a widebody but are too far for most other narrowbody jets.
The cabin-wide upgrades may make those long journeys more bearable. Here's what passengers can expect.
Polaris is essentially a mini living room.
The 20 Polaris seats were in a 1x1 configuration. Pete Syme/Business Insider
The 20 large business-class loungers each convert into an up to 78-inch-long lie-flat bed with a 19-inch television, a remote control, several charging ports, a cubby, and Bluetooth connectivity.
Closing the door cocoons the seat into a cozy, private little suite.
Wolkowski said the design underwent two rounds of overnight sleep trials, with customers spending the night in a mockup of the new seat while experiencing simulated service from flight attendants.
"Every part of the layout, the detail, everything you see, is very thought out and intentional," he said. "From the labeling to the control panel being right at your fingertips."
The privacy doors weren't easy to certify.
The door will be usable from day one, Wolkowski said. Pete Syme/Business Insider
The doors' added complexity during emergency evacuations created certification challenges , and the A321XLR requires an additional flight attendant.
Wolkowski said that the A321XLR doors are fully certified and will not be locked open at launch.
Unlike on the A321XLR, United's new Boeing 787 Polaris privacy doors remain locked open as it completes certification. Wolkowski said they're expected to be usable by the end of the summer.
Premium Plus is now more private.
The divider extends out further. Pete Syme/Business Insider
United added a large privacy divider between the window and aisle seats in its upgraded premium economy cabin, and there are no middle seats on the narrowbody A321XLR.
The 12 plush, deep-reclining loungers also have a 16-inch seatback screen, a footrest and legrest, extra table space, and elevated linens and meals.
Premium economy demand is booming.
There is a lot of legroom. Pete Syme/Business Insider
Wolkowski said premium economy is increasingly popular with flyers as a cheaper yet amenity-rich middle ground between coach and lie-flat business.
He said Premium Plus is the fastest-growing cabin on the company's 787s.
Coach has Bluetooth connectivity and Starlink.
The coach cabin makes up the other half of the plane. Taylor Rains/Business Insider
United has been offering Bluetooth on select planes for years, so it's no surprise the A321XLR got the feature.
The airline is also rolling out Starlink across its fleet; it has launched on regional jets and some 737s and 777s.
You can pay extra for more elbow room in coach.
The blocked middle seat is unusual on US airlines. Half of the cabin is premium.
One row of United's Economy Plus extra-legroom cabin will have the middle seat blocked , giving aisle and window passengers extra table space and more elbow room.
The extra-fee seat is similar to the "Eurobusiness" seat on European carriers such as Finnair and KLM.
Economy has a self-serve snack bar.
The walk-up snack station wasn't stocked, but expect items like chips and cookies. Pete Syme/Business Insider
United removed several rows of coach seats to add a snack bar in the back galley.
The walk-up perk, already on the airline's CRJ550 and A321neo, will be available to all passengers, who can expect complimentary items like water, soda, and chips.
The entire cabin has custom mood lighting.
Wolkowski said mood lighting helps passengers adjust to time zones. Taylor Rains/Business Insider
Wolkowski said United developed custom lighting scenes to help passengers combat jet lag by illuminating the cabin in specific hues during specific phases of flight.
For example, a blue-and-white scene, intended to resemble shooting stars, is for boarding. There are also darker hues for bedtime, and orange and pink hues for daytime and meals.
Bigger overhead bins mean fewer gate checks.
The ceiling scene is meant to resemble shooting stars. Pete Syme/Business Insid...
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