At San Francisco International Airport, a United Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9 lands. Getty Images/Justin Sullivan As the airline maps its post-pandemic expansion, United Airlines announced its largest-ever aircraft order on Tuesday: 270 narrow-body jetliners from Boeing and Airbus. United’s goal of acquiring more travelers, particularly high-paying ones in big coastal hubs like San Francisco and Newark, is centered on the fleet plan. The airline said it aims to introduce more roomier seats and seat-back entertainment in a wide-ranging strategy plan, which is a shift from its prior strategy. The airline has promised a hiring binge of 25,000 people, including pilots, flight attendants, and mechanics, for the new jets. Following the announcement, Boeing stock rose 0.9 percent in premarket trade. United’s stock was down 0.2 percent. A total of 200 Boeing Max planes have been ordered. One hundred and fifty of those planes are Max 10 versions. Boeing’s largest aircraft. The maiden test flight of the Max 10 was accomplished earlier this month. The remaining 50 Boeing planes are the Max 8, the company’s most popular model. The hefty purchase, which comes on top of United’s existing Max order book, is another another vote of confidence in the planemaker, which has battled to regain its footing following two Max crashes and several production issues. United also wants to acquire 70 Airbus 321neos, bringing the total number of long-range Airbus 321neos ordered to dozens. Starting next year, the carrier will receive roughly 500 narrow-body aircraft. About 200 of the planes would be used to expand United’s fleet of 500 planes, while 300 will be used to replace older planes like the Boeing 757-200s that will be retired, according to Andrew Nocella, the airline’s chief commercial officer. Travelers who pay a premium Some of these planes will be used to replace single-class regional jets that are no longer in service. This is part of United’s effort to attract higher-paying passengers. United executives claim that flying larger mainline planes allows them to add additional first-class and economy-plus seats, as well as coach seats with better legroom. It also revealed updated plane interiors, including seat-back screens and larger overhead bins. United has announced that its new flights would have larger overhead bins. United Airlines is the source of this information. This emphasis on higher-priced seats — and the consumers willing to pay a greater price for them — is a dig at Delta Air Lines. Delta has been focusing on those travelers prior to the epidemic, particularly in coastal hubs, by providing more legroom and roomier planes between business hubs. According to observers, business travel demand was destroyed during the pandemic but has just recovered. Scott Kirby, the CEO of United Airlines, told reporters that he believes business travel demand will fully return. The seat-back screen is making a comeback. Another change in United’s strategy is the addition of seat-back entertainment, something the company had previously avoided. United’s CEO Kirby worked for American Airlines before joining his current carrier as president five years ago, and the airline had removed seat-back screens from older planes while bringing in new narrow-body planes without them. Executives suggested that many travelers would rather watch movies on their personal technological gadgets. United intends to install seat-back screens on new planes. United Airlines is the source of this information. Seat-back entertainment systems are still available on other carriers, including as Delta and JetBlue Airways. Continue reading
