United Airlines has unveiled the next phase of its long-term plan to win brand loyal customers by Chief Executive Scott Kirby, which includes the launch of new cabin products and modern jets on key routes.

The airline expects to take delivery of more than 250 new aircraft by April 2028 – the most by any airline in a two-year period – to further modernize its fleet, add new aircraft variants, create a new experience for transcontinental travellers and introduce new onboard products for every customer.

Headlining the new offerings, United is adding widebody experiences to its new, narrowbody aircraft, the new ‘Coastliner’ Airbus A321 subfleet and A321XLR, which are United’s first narrowbodies with the Elevated interior and feature a new, all-aisle access lie-flat seat in United Polaris with a patented design that offers more elbow and shoulder room and lower suite walls that protect privacy while maintaining an open feel in the cabin.

United has 100 of these new airplanes coming into its fleet, and they’ll replace 40 older, less efficient Boeing 757s.

The Coastliner will have a specially designed livery and fly exclusively between United’s west coast hubs in San Francisco and Los Angeles and Newark/New York and will introduce the United Polaris cabin experience to domestic travelers.

For the first time, customers traveling in United Polaris on these routes can also get access to the United Polaris lounge.

The Airbus A321neo Coastliner was custom designed to give transcontinental customers an even better experience – the interior of the plane is all-new from nose-to-tail, with 20 new, all-aisle access lie-flat seats in United Polaris, 12 United Premium Plus seats – a first for narrowbody domestic flights – and 129 United Economy seats.

United removed three seats from the standard configuration of this plane to make room for a snack bar in the rear of the plane, so customers traveling in Economy can grab their favorite snack or non-alcoholic beverage anytime during their flight.

The routes the Coastliner will fly are some of United’s busiest – on average, more than 10,000 passengers fly between the airline’s West Coast hubs in San Francisco and Los Angeles and Newark/New York every day – and connect from there to the airline’s leading global route network, with Hong Kong, Melbourne, Shanghai, Sydney and Taipei being the most popular onward destinations.

The first of United’s 50 planned Coastliners will start flying this summer, and the airline expects 40 of them to be flying by early 2028.

In addition, United’s A321XLR, set to fly to Europe and South America, gives travelers access to 32 premium seats – 16 more than the 757 it replaces – and will start flying later this year.

The Airbus A321XLR was also designed from the ground up to be the airline’s most premium narrowbody airplane, capable of providing a new level of comfort and style for those traveling on international short-to medium-haul routes.

This airplane has 32 premium seats – 16 more than the 757s it replaces – including a new all-aisle access lie-flat United Polaris suite with a privacy door.

Every seat has a large, 4K OLED screen with Bluetooth connectivity, ranging in size from 19 inches in Polaris, 16 inches in United Premium Plus and 13 inches in United Economy and everyone has access to larger overhead bins with room for rollaboard bags.

Just like the Coastliner, the A321XLR features a snack bar in the rear of the Economy cabin.

United is also adding the new CRJ450 regional jet, which connects smaller cities to Denver and Chicago hubs starting this fall.

The new premium regional jet features a spacious United First cabin with a luggage closet instead of overhead bins.

The CRJ450 joins the popular CRJ550 – an airplane that marked the start of United’s reimagining of its regional fleet when it launched in 2019.

The CRJ550 has among the highest customer satisfaction scores of any regional aircraft.

By 2028, United expects to have more than 50 CRJ450s and nearly 120 CRJ550s in service, giving travelers a stylish, premium option to connect primarily from smaller cities to United’s hubs and global network.

United is also introducing an all-new 787-9 with the carrier’s ‘Elevated interior’ and that will fly internationally starting on April 22, featuring new United Polaris Studio suites and the most total premium seats in United’s fleet.

With 99 premium seats, this aircraft is United’s most premium international aircraft yet and marks the debut of United Polaris Studio – a new seat that’s 25% larger than the standard United Polaris seat and includes privacy doors, an extra ottoman for companions, exclusive meal service with wine pairings and caviar, new amenity kits with retail-size offerings, wireless charging, Bluetooth connectivity, and a huge 27-inch, 4K OLED seatback screen, the largest among U.S. carriers.

Every seat on this airplane has gotten an upgrade – from the new suites in United Polaris with sliding doors and a 19-inch, 4K OLED screen, to freshly designed seats in United Premium Plus and United Economy with 16-inch and 13-inch 4K OLED screens respectively.

The inaugural international flight for the 787-9 with the Elevated interior is set for April 22

“For more than a decade, we’ve invested billions of dollars in our product, service, and technology as part of our plan to be the best brand loyal airline in the world, and the result is that more and more customers are choosing to fly us every day,” said United CEO Scott Kirby.

“Today we accelerate our plans and elevate our offerings to the next level, creating an even more consistent, premium onboard experience for every customer and delivering value across every cabin of service.”

Between now and April 2028, United will add 47 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners with the ‘Elevated interior’, including 33 with additional premium seats, alongside 40 Airbus A321neo Coastliners out of 50 total on order, 28 Airbus A321XLR out of 50 total on order, 119 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft and 18 Airbus A321neos.

Since 2021, United has added 22 Boeing 787 Dreamliners, 237 Boeing 737 MAX and 67 Airbus A321neos, completed 70% of its plan to retrofit its mainline narrow-body fleet, replaced more than 100 regional jets with larger aircraft; increased premium seats per North American departure by 40%, and hired more than 60,000 people