United Is Betting Big On Premium — But Coach Is Getting Starlink, Better Food, And Softer Blankets Too

United Airlines is out with a ton of news this week about its fleet and products, and this mostly leans into more premium seats although they’ll be selling a version of Air New Zealand’s Skycouch where passengers can buy a full row for themselves or to share, and get extra amenities.

Nonetheless, they’re pitching “new amenities for every traveler.” There’s a lot less margin in coach to invest in product. The money is in getting coach travelers to buy up – whether just to that Skycoach still in the back section of the aircraft, to premium economy, business class or now even the Polaris Studio with more space in business class bulkhead rows on the Boeing 787-9.

The truth is that coach matters.

• It’s where most passengers sit.
  
• Tomorrow’s business class passengers start out in coach. Their experience with the airline in back will determine their view of the brand.
  
• Coach passengers spend on the airline credit card, and that’s where most of the money is made.

United’s coach product is tight. I find seats on the vast majority of their aircraft to be especially hard and insufficiently padded. But they’ve done a great job over the last several years with improvements.

• Their buy on board (food for sale) program is among the best, probably second only to Alaska
  
• Their mobile app is the best experience of any airline
  
• They’re rolling out Starlink wifi, which is by far the best performing in the sky. There’s no latency, which means it may be even better than what you experience at home. And it’s free (for joining MileagePlus).

They’ve announced that Starlink rollout will be complete on all dual-class aircraft by the end of 2027. And they’re even turning 50-seat regional jets into 41-seat two-cabin regional jets that’ll have Starlink.

United has also promised softer long-haul economy blankets, better economy earbuds, that their new Chef’s Table food partnership won’t just mean better food in business class – and they continue to roll up announcements over the past several years like leaning into seat back entertainment screens (where they match Delta and JetBlue) and larger overhead bins (that are increasingly industry standard).

That stat of ‘more than 227,000 screens on 1,200 aircraft within two years’ is impressive. When they first started pitching screens, even before United NEXT, I didn’t quite believe them. I assumed it was vaporware tied to the old Continental Airlines planes. But by adding Starlink and seatback screens and layering on a targeted advertising platform there’s a plan not just to drive passenger preference but also to monetize it.

We aren’t getting better seats or more space in back, but United has come a long way as an airline. They aren’t top of the industry for reliability yet, but they’ve improved even there. United MileagePlus isn’t as good as it was at the start of 2019, however. And we’re still not back to 2020’s test of amenity kits in long haul coach.

To bring comfort to passengers traveling in economy cabin traveling to Japan (ORD-NRT) @united is offering some great amenities.🌏✈️🤗. pic.twitter.com/71pjM6QmDw

— Aleksandra Mietus (@AM_UA13) February 8, 2020

We also shouldn’t forget that United has the most punitive basic economy product. They’re alone among major carriers in denying a carry-on bag to customers buying the cheapest tickets. Even American Airlines won’t deny you access to the overhead bin.

Overall, they’re shifting capacity towards premium, working to capture passenger and cardmember loyalty, and using small regional jets because their pilot contract lets them while making the product not bad. With seat back screens, fast wifi, and a good mobile app, that may be enough at the top of the funnel to bring in customers who will graduate to all of the premium products they’re trying to merchandise.