United reportedly may use European-style business class for a row of coach in its new Airbus A321XLRs, in order to reduce the number of flight attendants they have to pay on each flight. And this could also give the opportunity to monetize the four adjacent seats that won’t have anyone seated in the middle.
What’s shown in this photo appears to be United is working on an Economy seat row where the middle seat is physically blocked by a fixed tray table, creating a 3-3 row that sells as 2-2, with the A and C and the D and F seats usable, while the B and E middle seats are blocked.
There’s also speculation that this could be sued on the new Airbus A321neo ‘Coastliner’ planes that United plans to use for premium cross-country flights.
United exploring new Economy seat type with blocked middle seat
by
u/Floppy-Over-Drive in
unitedairlines
Specifically, the suggestion is that this is row 32 with 32B and 32E blocked. This diagram, showing a passenger layout for the United Airbus A321NY, shows the expected 20 business class, 12 premium economy, and 118 coach seats for 150 total passengers. The diagram also shows ‘FAA minimum crew 4’ meaning four flight attendants.
UA: XLR layout pic.twitter.com/BHXyAhHmPk
— JonNYC (@xJonNYC) September 5, 2025
These are ordinary United-style economy seats, not a wider seat. The center seat is still there, but a table module covers the center cushion area. The idea is to render the seats unusable. United has said that the Airbus A321XLR will feature 150 seats.
For the A321neo Coastliner, this seems much harder. That plan has been announced at 161 seats (20 Polaris, 12 Premium Plus, 129 economy) and they would therefore need to block 11 seats, not just one row with two middle seats blocked.
Under 14 CFR §121.391, for airplanes with more than 100 seats, the carrier needs two flight attendants plus one additional flight attendant for each unit of 50 passenger seats above 100. A plane with 150 seats needs 3 flight attendants, while a plane wiht 151 – 200 needs four.
However, a plane’s evacuation demonstration and the carrier’s operations specifications can require more flight attendants than this minimum seat count. The FAA wanted more flight attendants on some JetBlue planes because of the business class doors and so JetBlue locked those doors open.
To get to 150 seats and 4 flight crew, it makes sense on the A321XLR to block two middle seats. The last two seats sold on a plane are generally the lowest-priced tickets (as in, United would just sell two fewer cheap seats). They don’t sell every seat on every flight, but the flight attendants have to be staffed based on seating capacity, not passenger count.
Update: The goal is to keep flight attendants at 4 rather than having to go to 5. As with JetBlue, the issue is the doors requiring an additional flight attendant. The economics remain the same as I’ve outlined.
The minimum crew will remain at 4 [due] to the doors in Polaris on these aircraft. The original plan was to instal a metal pan over these two middle seats, and designers are now working on a better fix, aka euro biz style. This is for the internationally configured A321 (L) only. We wanted all A321 to have the same minimum crew of 4, and not bump one subfleet to 5.
Saving a flight attendant could work, especially if they can sell the adjacent seats at a premium. Flight attendants just got big raises at United up to industry standard and cost the airline far more now.
But things get much harder for the 161-seat Coastliner to drop to 150 seats, giving up 11 seats on a premium transcon flight. It could make sense at off-peak times, but it’s not clear whether a convertible seat where that blocker could be removed would get certified by the FAA at the lower seat count while giving United the flexibility to add back those seats. This isn’t a new idea, though.
- Prior to US Airways management taking over, American Airlines Boeing 737s had 154 seats – but four middles were blocked (in rows 16 and 17) to bring the seat count to 150 and save a flight attendant. US Airways leadership immediately added a row of seats, bringing the total to 160, and then eventually adding two more rows to get to 172.
- European short-haul business class differentiates the premium cabin from coach by blocking the middle seats up front. Those are generally convertible cabins, where they can move the curtain from flight to flight based on premium demand and remove those center seat tables as-needed.
- Frontier Airlines ‘UpFront Plus’ sells blocked middle seats in the first two rows. Spirit tried something similar called ‘Go Comfy’.
- Airlines used to block middle seats next to elite frequent flyers, releasing them to other passengers only when needed on full flights. This was a benefit at United Airlines until the end of 2007. It wasn’t a physical block, though, and didn’t affect flight attendant count.
It seems highly likely that United has been working on this idea and mocked up this seat. The photo looks real and the logic for doing so makes sense. It’s been done before. Whether or not the FAA buys it, I can see work on blocking seats 32B and 32E on the A321XLR. The publicly-announced 34 economy plus extra legroom seats and 84 standard economy seats is exactly two shy of an even row. THe question is whether this is sufficient to get them down to 3 cabin crew.
I’m just skeptical of the claim that this is being considered for the ‘Coastliner’ unless they really do get these seats certified with blocks that are modular.
Update: A United Airlines spokesperson offers,
Part of our winning strategy is to continually invest in the customer, nose-to-tail, and we’re always evaluating and testing new ways to further differentiate ourselves within the industry and add even more value to the experience of flying United.
(HT: Paddle Your Own Kanoo)
Lame. Intra-European “Business” class (regular economy seat 3-3 with middle blocked) is not true business class. I mean recliners (US domestic first) should simply be called “premium economy.”
Although these will be priced to recover the revenue of the middle seat while using one less FA. Win- win for the bean counters.
Eliminate the disgusting Airpuses and you can fly with zero FAs.
Eastern L-1011 were configured with 252 seats, needing 6 flight attendants. However, for the night-coach lower fare “Moonlight Specials” overnight flights, an EA mechanic would remove 2 seats each evening, bringing the seat count down to 250, and the Moonlight Special flights flew with only 5 FAs. The seats were stored in the cargo bin, and each morning, another EA mechanic (at whatever station the plane ended up) would re-install the seats from the cargo hold, and the plane would then fly during the day with 252 seats and 6 FAs again. Those Moonlight Specials carried time-sensitive air mail and freight deliveries, and no passenger checked luggage was permitted, thus the 2 seats fit easily in the hold each night. So this has been done before at scale.
Haha. 1 attendant up front to work both the galley & the aisle, for 20 pax, on a premium-service (coastliner = PS flights) route?? That service will take 3 hrs minimum. hope the pax like it, cuz the company evidently doesn’t take FA feedback into account..
If it’s one row just as gamesmanship to get to 150, ok, but I hope this doesn’t spread into calling this F.
United insider here. The minimum crew will remain at 4 door to the doors in Polaris on these aircraft. The original plan was to instal a metal pan over these two middle seats, and designers are now working on a better fix, aka euro biz style. This is for the internationally configured A321 (L) only. We wanted all A321 to have the same minimum crew of 4, and not bump one subfleet to 5. Related; the minimum crew on our 78L needed to be bumped to 8 due to the doors in Polaris, even with fewer passenger seats onboard than the 78P, which has a minimum crew of 7… both of these are 787-9. We were less concerned with the minimum crew being bumped to 8 on the 78L as this aircraft is not intended to fly with fewer than 9.
Nothing revolutionary. American used to do this a decade ago to keep some of their 737s to 150 pax and 3 FAs. What’s new is charging to sit next to the blocked seat. Hopefully these would get offered to the most loyal GS and 1Ks before selling them to the general public.
Why would United be sued if they use this on the cross country routes? Seems legal to me
The price of a single FA is only around $1200 plus hotel cost. Blocking off 60 seats that you could sale for $20 each to cover the cost is wild m
It’s crazy that the FAA would even consider allowing 3 FA’s for an 8-door aircraft.
Even if they got the seat count down, three FAs to provide a Coastliner level of service delivery feels like a risk on a premium route.
Maybe all three flight attendants will be busy evacuating the first class passengers during an emergency evacuation. Coach passengers need to read the card.
I suspect that DR’s comment is the real reason. UA started the process before the FAA really cracked down on suite doors and FA staffing.
The answer is to block a couple seats to get back down below 150 seats. B6 is (or was) locking suite doors open in order to not have to add another FA. Has AA gotten approval to unlock their suite doors?
For all the dishing on DL about its premium 321NEO business class product, they clearly realized years ago when they developed the LOPA that having less than 150 seats total was necessary.
As I have said multiple times, the whole notion that premium configured narrowbodies would be a success is fading with every step of the process of putting them in service.
@Tim Dunn — Ah, so it was the The Doors the whole time… Sing it, Tim… “You know that it would be untrue… You know that I would be a liar… If I was to say to you…”
Those trays are easy to bring in/out. They secure with the seat belt existing on the seat.
Neds,
it is very likely the reality that those “blockers” can be easily removed that might (or might not) influence the FAA’s decision to approve the tactic for the purpose of changing FA staffing.
Of course the option is just to remove two or three seats; coach seats are fairly easy to remove and reinstall. Many airplanes have 2 seat rows in economy at exit rows
yeah, 1990, the Doors. and seats. and galleys. and, finally, the lavs. don’t forget the cockpit. We need the cockpit.
now, put it all in a song.
Tim,
It complies with the regulation. Whether the particular certificate office managing United agrees or not is another matter. But other US airlines have removed seatbelts and placarded seats before to reduce staffing and it’s been legal.
Having something that keeps to commonality doesn’t require either producing another type of seat unit to stock/install, moving seat tracks, etc. is probably desirable versus putting a two seat row in a spot that is meant to have three. May require re-certification for that particular seat row to pass HIC test due to the lateral space presented by a gap between seat row and wall, for example.
@Tim Dunn — As @Mike Hunt can attest, the LLMs are actually getting quite good these days…
(Verse 1)
You know that it would be untrue
You know that I would be a liar
If I didn’t blame United’s crew
For setting their own LOPA on fire.
(Chorus)
Come on, FAA, lock ’em wide!
United’s got nowhere to hide!
Slap a metal pan on the inside,
Watch the corporate margins collide!
(Verse 2)
The time to hesitate is past
Scott Kirby is sweating and weeping
We’ve gotta block a middle seat real fast
While Bastian’s refinery millions are reaping.
(Bridge – Spoken in a dramatic, paranoid Jim Morrison whisper, channeling Tim’s inner thoughts)
Yeah, 1990… it’s the Doors.
And the seats…
And the galleys…
And, finally… the lavs.
But not Delta’s lavs. Delta’s lavs are perfect. Ed Bastian designed them himself.
Don’t forget the c*ckpit, man. We need the c*ckpit… to fly away from United’s network strategy.
(Verse 3)
The premium narrowbody dream is dead
It’s just coach with a fancy name,
Slap a plastic tray on a middle-seat head,
And call it a luxury game!
(Outro)
The Amex revenue, Tim…
It’s saving us…
Lock the suite doors open…
Praise Atlanta…
Yeah…