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Posted: Jul 14, 2026 / 09:49 AM CDT
Updated: Jul 14, 2026 / 10:12 AM CDT
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(NEXSTAR) – United Airlines is getting rid of middle seats in select rows of its new Airbus A321 aircraft.
The Chicago-based carrier announced Tuesday that its new fleet of Airbus A321XLR planes — which are being put into service later this year — will feature a row of Economy Plus seating with a non-bookable middle seat. What’s more, the row’s middle seat will instead be affixed with a table that “stretch[es] from armrest to armrest,” to be shared by passengers on either side.
United said the new seating arrangement allows “extra elbow room” for travelers in the window or aisle seats.
The “extra elbow room” seats, however, will only be available for passengers who upgrade to Economy Plus, which already offers extra legroom over the standard economy seating options.
_United is planning to debut Economy Plus seating with “extra elbow room” — meaning the middle seat has been refashioned as a shared table. (United Airlines)__United is planning to debut Economy Plus seating with “extra elbow room” — meaning the middle seat has been refashioned as a shared table. (United Airlines)_Read More
A press release from United said more information concerning prices and routes would be available “later this year.” But the release also indicated the Airbus A321XLR planes (of which United ordered 50) will be put into service on international routes.
A spokesperson for United further confirmed that the A321XLR aircraft will replace United’s Boeing 757 fleet on “some existing international routes” and could eventually be used for routes to “new destinations for the airline in Europe and South America.”
United may also add fixed middle-seat tables to the Economy Plus rows on other aircraft — aside from its new Airbus fleet — in the future, according to the press release.
News of United’s “extra elbow room” seating also comes a few months after the airline announced plans to install “United Relax Rows” — i.e., rows of economy seating that “transform into a couch” — on 200 of its Boeing 777 and 787 planes by 2030.
“We’re investing nose-to-tail across our fleet and giving customers choice and value in every cabin,” Andrew Nocella, the executive vice president and chief commercial officer of United, was quoted as saying in United’s Tuesday press release.
But it’s not all good news for United when it comes to seating: The airline is currently facing a class action lawsuit over its definition of a “window” seat. The lawsuit, filed in August 2025, accuses the airline of allowing passengers the option to choose a “window” seat when, in some cases, the seat is adjacent to a wall rather than a window. A federal judge ruled earlier this month that the lawsuit against United can proceed despite the airline’s objections.
When asked about its “window” seating options, a spokesperson for United told Nexstar that the company would not be commenting on the lawsuit but confirmed that United had updated its seat selection process last year.
“As part of our regular review of united.com and the United App to enhance the customer experience, in 2025 we added more detail to our seat selection process, so customers can have more information about what to expect when they choose a seat,” reads a statement shared with Nexstar.
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