United Airlines will introduce its Airbus A321XLR in early 2026, featuring 20 Polaris business class seats, 12 Premium Plus seats, 36 extra-legroom economy seats, and 82 standard economy seats.
The A321XLR will primarily serve transatlantic and Latin American routes, such as Newark to Bogota and Edinburgh, replacing Boeing 757-200s and enabling new market expansion. The new Polaris business class will use a herringbone configuration with 28-inch pitch, direct aisle access, and doors, designed for efficiency with a 75-78 inch bed length.
Only one lavatory will serve the front cabin, shared by business class passengers and pilots, with three additional lavatories and a snack bar at the rear. American Airlines, also adopting A321XLRs with a similar herringbone business class and premium economy layout, plans to deploy them starting late 2025 or early 2026.
Seth Miller shared: “United has elected to go with a herringbone configuration on its Airbus A321XLRs.”
Ben Schlappig shared: “By having exactly 150 seats, UA can operate this plane with four FAs, rather than five FAs.”
Gregsdc shared: “The B6 A321LR herringbone seats have 36 inch pitch at a 44-degree angle to the fuselage, compared to the 28 inch and 49-degree angle you describe for UA.”
Steve shared: “In herringbone you don’t need additional space for exit from the seat as it is next to the foot cubby. In reverse herringbone, you’d need wider pitch between seats for getting in/out of the seat.”
