NEW YORK — United Airlines is trying to attract flyers with another luxurious perk: an empty middle seat.
The Chicago-based carrier announced plans this week to roll out a new row of its “Economy Plus” seats with no neighbor in the middle spot – and instead use the space for a shared table (and more elbow room) between the aisle and window travelers.
The offering is only set to be available in one row on United’s new Airbus A321XLR aircraft, with pricing and sales expected to be disclosed later this year. But United suggested it could expand the no-middle-seat option to other planes down the road.
The move arrives amid a broader push from airlines advertising more and more special tiers and separate add-ons to their flights – particularly when it comes to courting passengers who are willing to pay more for comfort.
United is following the footsteps of a handful of European airlines, including Lufthansa and Finnair, already offering empty middle seats to business class passengers. And other carriers have also allowed travelers for years to pay extra or buy additional tickets to keep seats near them empty.
United said Tuesday that it expects to be “the only U.S. airline” to have these kind of rows. The middle seat has long been bemoaned by travelers – both those in the aisle and window seats that have to share an armrest or more with whoever is occupying the middle seat, and for those passengers stuck wedged in a middle seat between two others.
The latest no-middle-seat option also arrives just months after the airline announced the “United Relax Rows,” which, starting early next year, will allow passengers in economy class to turn a row of three seats on some wider Boeing planes into a couch they can sleep or lounge on after takeoff.
“We’re investing nose-to-tail across our fleet,” Andrew Nocella, United’s executive vice president and chief commercial officer, said in a statement Tuesday. She said both of these new offerings give customers more “choice and value in every cabin.”
Across carriers, passengers on the same flight can still have strikingly different travel experiences. And while there’s demand for roomier seats and other perks, some budget-conscious travelers may feel a widening gap between the back and front of the plane – or frustration over new fees for services that were once free and added tiers to juggle when comparing fares.
A handful of big-name airlines, like Delta, have embraced strategies to provide “the best” – not the cheapest – offerings. Meanwhile, United executives have pushed back on the idea that the industry has become solely focused on chasing big spenders, maintaining that premium investments are part of a broader strategy to improve every traveler’s experience.
