United Airlines is replacing its aging Boeing 757s on thinner long-haul routes with Airbus A321XLRs, and says the plane will open new Europe and South America markets with a premium product and lower cost per trip than risking a widebody aircraft – places like Spain, France, Portugal, and Brazil.
This summer they’ll begin swapping out 757s on current routes. Come winter those 757s become less capable. Flying those aircraft across the Pond dates to the airline’s Continental days when folks jokingly claimed the carrier operated focus cities in Goose Bay and Gander, because against heavy westbound winds the 757 couldn’t always make it the full distance. Given the A321XLR’s it can really only handle Newark and Washington Dulles to Europe routes.
As I wrote to expect in 2022, the aircraft will feature:
- 20 business class seats (up from 16 on 757s)
- 12 premium economy
- 34 economy plus (extra legroom)
- 84 standard economy
The airline has only released renderings of the aircraft interior – but we now have leaked photos.
View on Threads
The plane will have direct aisle access lie flat seats, but like with other airlines operating this variant we’ll see herringbone seats where passengers are angled away from the window. (United threw shade at American in their press release: “This new suite is wider at the shoulder and elbow than similar competitor products”). Interestingly, this plane will have some middle seats blocked in order to fly with fewer flight attendants than would otherwise be required.
On these flights, premium economy becomes a real sweet spot because Northeast – nearer Europe flights aren’t that long, and there’s limited opportunity for true sleep. This is the same new seat as United will fly on their A321neo ‘Coastliner’ on cross-country routes.
One more thing to note about these business class seats – doors will initially be locked open because they aren’t yet FAA certified.
Overall, ditching the old 757s is good. Coach gets better screens and overhead bins. To the extent that it replaces that aging aircraft and operates on new routes, this plane is likely an upgrade. Where it swaps out for a widebody as the airline downsizes on a route that’s going to be less desireable in business class for sure.
Those 757s are cheap, though, and this new plane will need to be filled with high fare paying premium passengers to work. Long haul narrowbody has always been niche. Increasingly airlines are betting on it, but it remains to be proven out.
That’s glorious. Otto looks pretty happy, too. See, Tim, lie-flat on neo/XLR ain’t that hard. AA, B6, and UA get it. Recliners on 5+ redeyes won’t do it. Overdue for Delta to join the party, and get it done, son!
I’d still be reluctant to do a 321 in 1-1 J TATL over a widebody in 1-2-1. But, hypothetically, say home-USHub-LYS(on 321) versus home-UShub-CDG(widebody)-LYS(EuroJ) is worth a try. And, of course, for those who live in other markets, I easily see home-BCN(321) over a home-UShub-BCN(widebody). Still, really wish there was a 767 replacement.
Airbus builds good products but anyone that thinks that a narrowbody is superior to a widebody either from a customer service standpoint or a financial standpoint for the airline is seriously smoking some bad stuff.
There simply are not that many markets where an XLR can carry the majority of passengers nonstop from a US hub to a secondary or tertiary destination. There will be lots of connecting passengers and if you have to connect, you have the choice of being on a larger and more comfortable widebody.
Some people like 1990 thinks the whole world flies premium cabins. They don’t. And the 321 and the 737 family all have vastly inferior products to what can be found on widebodies – esp. w/ aisle access.
and the whole notion that you can fly a bunch of additional routes is suspect as well. Most TATL routes that work on narrowbodies are seasonal just as is true with a bunch of seasonal TATL widebodies.
The 767 was so successful because it wasn’t much larger than a narrowbody but offered widebody comfort and range.
and this is a good time for a reminder that DL continues to retire its 767-300ERs while UA Is not; both have 764 fleets which should last until the early 2030s and perhaps later. small widebodies are not done yet.
and DL just reported its 2nd quarter earnings which were very nice given the high fuel costs. DL’s strategies are working while it is certain that AA and UA will both full far behind DL, esp. as UA has to take on increased labor costs as its employees are tired of making interest free loans to the company for years at a time.
the economics of narrowbody TATL flights look a lot different at industry standard rates and now what UA has been paying
Is it a “leak” when it comes with a statement referencing the photos? Looks wider than AA’s specs.
UNITED rising
I helped Delta today. More so than buying a $142 ticket I saw last night from CLE-DTW-GSO. I put my $11 Dunkn order on my Gold DL Amex.
I’m with @This comes to mind. I wouldn’t fly this voluntarily. The lack of privacy is appalling. What was obviously needed was a reverse herringbone seat but Kirby apparently felt that privacy in premium cabins is overrated.
@Tim –
Widebodies can be nice – there is a perception of more space within the cabin, so there’s less of a claustrophobic feeling for some.
However, in a WB there can actually be LESS space, as the overhead bins in the middle of the cabin are smaller, so they fill up faster. Seat pitch is typically no different, and seat width is often nearly the same or actually identical, so there’s no advantage there. Yes, there is an “economy seating” benefit to WBs (only one true “middle” instead of two) but if I book early enough (and often do) I am not stuck in a middle seat anyhow.
NB aircraft also mean smaller crowds at the gate, faster boarding and deplaning processes, and shorter waits at baggage claim.
WB certainly have their place – but I’ll take a NB plane for a 5-6 hr flight, thank you very much.
“AA and UA will both full far behind DL”
Cash Flow: OCF/Capex/FCF (in $b)
UA Q1: 4.8/1.9/2.9
DL 1H: 4.1/2.7/1.4
@This comes to mind — ‘Dare to dream a little (smaller) darling.’ By using XLR, someday, an airline could fly you nonstop from CMH to much of Europe and Latin America even, in premium (lie-flat), without a stop in NYC or LIS to get to OPO, for example. You’re a wine guy, right? C’mon!
@NedsKid — Go for the $6 Deal, coffee plus two bacon-egg wrap.
Paul,
5-6 hours in a narrrowbody is very doable – it might have been widebody territory 20 years ago but there are very competent narrowbodies now – both from Airbus and Boeing.
and you are correct that seat width can be as bad or worse on a widebody; Airbus aircraft in DL configurations are wider across the product line than the comparable AA or UA Boeing product.
rebel,
you still love to selectively pick out a metric here and there but fail to recognize that DL still outperforms its competitors across the board.
and UA’s 1st quarter FCF was boosted because of below average labor costs and sale/leaseback transactions that boost the income statement at the expense of the balance sheet.
UA will report next week; let’s see how they compare on all metrics.
DL does not see a need to chase the bottom 6% of demand using cost inefficient aircraft – compared to widebodies – for longhaul seasonal traffic.
@rebel — Have you tried your one-trick-pony yet? ‘Hurr durr…Econ 101…’ *burp*
This will be great when it replaces the old 757s for the runs between LAX-ORD. Can’t wait.
United having more operating cash flow and free cash flow in Q1 than Delta had in the entire 1st half of ’26 isn’t selective, but it is amazing. It also makes your earlier contention look as silly as it is. Those smoking aircraft order deals UA made during Covid will continue to pay such dividends long into the future. EB was lamenting how new aircraft are unavailable and expensive. Not for United.
Horrible and outdated design. Think I will start routing my NYC-CA flights through Asia.
@Gene — ‘Take the long way home…’
Spectrum Boy was triggered so we know the photos were good!
I don’t fly coach, but I’ve had no issues on transatlantic narrow bodies in lie-flat ‘biz’ vs widebody over scores of yearly flights.
I had to fly Air Transat in club on an A321 last weekend YUL-LGW due to an psuedo-emergency and found their recliner style seats tiresome after about 4 hours of the 6 hour flight and would not recommend it normally; so stick with the lie-flats and no issues UA or anyone else on the narrows.