United Airlines customers — at least a few of them — will get their first limited exposure to the carrier’s version of international premium economy as soon as this month.
When all aspects of the new product are in place, United plans to call the new cabin Premium Plus. It will feature larger seats, more legroom, and enhanced food and beverage service compared to the regular international economy cabin.
But in the early going, as United slowly starts to introduce the new cabin, it will not be sold as Premium Plus with the enhanced service.
For now, United passengers will be able to book the cabin as they would United’s existing premium economy seats on international flights. Those passengers will get the larger seat and more legroom, but none of the rest of the service.
United today confirmed that it plans to roll out the first plane with the new cabin — a retrofitted widebody Boeing 777-200 — on an unspecified date this month. Previously United had signaled the new premium economy cabin would not be unveiled until later in 2018.
United would not say what route the initial United aircraft retrofitted with the Premium Plus seat will fly. But the chances are slim to nil that it will fly out of United’s largest hub at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport.
United apparently plans to retrofit its fleet of Boeing 777-200 planes with the Premium Plus product first and then retrofit other planes over a period of several years.
Also new Boeing 777-300 ER planes going into the United fleet from this point on will have the Premium Plus cabin in place. United expects to take delivery of one additional 777-300 ER by the end of 2018.
United is coming late to the international premium economy product, which is proving a popular option on planes operated by United’s archrival American Airlines (NASDAQ: AAL) and by Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL)
According to an American spokeswoman, none of American’s international flights out of Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport currently have the carrier’s premium economy product. But it is in place on a number of international flights to Europe and South America from American’s largest hub at Dallas/Ft. Worth International Airport and on select flights to Asia from American’s hub at Los Angeles International Airport.
United Airlines is a unit of United Continental Holdings (NYSE: UAL).