United Airlines unveils ‘Coastliner’, Relax Row economy bed and new CRJ450 in major premium push
March 24, 2026
United Airlines has announced a significant expansion of its premium cabin offering, including a “Coastliner” Airbus A321neo which will fly between West Coast hubs and New York, new Relax Rows offering beds in economy, and a new CRJ450 regional jet with a first class cabin.
The carrier, which is seeking to reap the benefits of the increasing demand for premium leisure travel, said the push into the premium segment would “further differentiate itself from competitors”.
It comes as the airline announced plans to induct more than 250 new aircraft by April 2028, which it claims is the most by any airline in a two-year period, as part of a fleet modernisation package.
Coastliner Airbus A321 for transcontinental journeys
At a event at LAX, United unveiled its new “Coastliner” Airbus A321, which it said would provide widebody experiences onboard narrowbody aircraft to be used on transcontinental services.
The single-aisle aircraft will feature a lie-flat Polaris seat. United has 100 of these new aircraft on order, which will replace 40 Boeing 757s.
Coastliners will have a specially designed livery and fly exclusively between United’s west coast hubs in San Francisco and Los Angeles, and Newark. The livery will pay “homage to the coastal destinations it serves”.
Meanwhile, United’s new Airbus A321XLRs will be premium heavy with 32 up-front first class seats – 16 more than the 757 it replaces, in addition to 12 premium economy and 118 economy seats.
The carrier said it intended to begin deploying its new Airbus A321XLR with United Polaris seats on routes to smaller cities in Europe and South America starting this summer.
On a day of multiple big reveals, United’s new Relax Row was perhaps the most eye-catching.
The basic concept, similar to Air New Zealand’s Skynest, is a row of economy seats which can be converted into a bed.
“Customers traveling in United Relax Row will receive additional amenities for their flight including a custom-fitted mattress pad, a specially sized plush blanket, two additional pillows, as well as a plush toy and Children’s Travel Kit for families,” the carrier said.
The Relax Row is expected to launch in 2027, and will be offered on more than 200 Boeing 787 and 777 widebody aircraft by 2030.
The seats will be located between economy and premium economy, and United will offer up to 12 Relax Row sections on each aircraft.
“As a leading premium airline, we’re committed to delivering new, industry-leading experiences for all of our customers – and the United Relax Row is the perfect example of that. Customers traveling in United Economy on long-haul flights deserve an option for more space and comfort, and this is one way we can deliver that for them,” said Andrew Nocella, United’s Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer.
“United is the only North American airline offering a product like the United Relax Row and is one of the many reasons why we’re continuing to win brand loyal customers.”
Premium-heavy CRJ450 launched
The newly announced CRJ450 – a redesigned version of the CRJ200 – will be operated by SkyWest and will connect smaller cities to the airline’s Denver and Chicago hubs starting in the autumn.
The modified CRJ200 will have just 41 seats, including seven in first class. United claims the exclusive first class cabin will “evoke a feeling of a private jet experience”.
United said it would be one of the most premium-heavy regional jets.
The CRJ450 will join the CRJ550, which launched in 2019. By 2028, United expects to have more than 50 CRJ450s and nearly 120 CRJ550s in service.
Upgraded 787 cabin for international flights
Also part of the Tuesday announcement, United revealed its new 787-9 with the Elevated interior will fly internationally starting on 22 April.
Fitted with the United Polaris Studio, lie-flat seats that are 25% larger than standard United Polaris seats, the cabin includes privacy doors and an ottoman for companions on some seats. However the privacy doors are currently unavailable, pending FAA certification.
As a result of the changes, United claims it will soon offer nearly double the number of lie-flat seats than its next closest competitor.
Demand for premium seats keeps rising
The announcement follows a strong financial performance for United last year. The carrier reported 2025 revenues, profits and operational performance all up on the year before.
With demand for premium and business class travel continuing to climb, the US airline said that its forecasts indicate that 2026 will be another strong year.
In its results posted on 20 January, United Airlines said that its full-year results for 2025 showed that the company made pre-tax earnings of $4.3 billion, with a pre-tax margin of 7.3%. Net income reached $3.4 billion while the company generated $8.4 billion of operating cash flow.
For the 2025 year, United posted diluted earnings per share of $10.20, up 8% from 2024, and adjusted earnings per share of $10.62. The airline generated $2.7 billion of free cash flow during the year and ended 2025 with an availability of $15,2 billion.
For the full year 2025, United said total operating revenue rose 3.5% from 2024 to $59.1 billion, the highest annual revenue in the company’s history. Showing signs of strong growth in its premium cabins, United said premium revenue rose 9% in the fourth quarter and 11% for the full year.
Featured image: United Airlines
