United Airlines is revamping its premium cross country product using Airbus A321neos. They’re dubbing this dedicated fleet the ‘Coastliner’. It’s a refresh of p.s. on the Newark – Los Angeles and San Francisco routes, and eventually JFK as well once they gain access through their JetBlue partnership in 2027.
- Lie flat business class suites
- Premium economy
- Snack bar
- Polaris lounge access for business class passengers
These planes will feature 20 Polaris suites, 12 Premium Plus seats, and 129 economy seats. Seats are removed for a snack bar in back. The first aircraft enter service this summer, with 40 of 50 flying by early 2028.
United sees this as an upgrade over a mix of 757s and widebodies, though that remains to be seen since business class is a dense herringbone seat facing away from the window (controversial amongst American’s customers on their Airbus A321XLR, less so JetBlue’s customers).
Adding Polaris lounge access to match Delta and American on cross-country routes matters for competitiveness – Polaris lounges are generally nicer than American’s Flagship lounges but not as nice as Delta One lounges. However they are already overcrowded and this adds to their use, though much of those additional passengers will come throughout the day at non-peak times rather than just before the transatlantic early evening departures.
Polaris Lounge Newark
Polaris Lounge Newark
This doesn’t actually add capacity on these cross-country routes. In fact, the opposite is the case. There are fewer premium seats on these planes than what United flies today, and far fewer coach seats. Their cost per passenger should be higher, even as their trip cost falls, so they’re betting on higher fares.
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