United Airlines’ newest aircraft subvariant has been spotted at Airbus’s production site in Hamburg, Germany. The aircraft is N94750, and it’s an Airbus A321neo, which in itself doesn’t sound groundbreaking. However, the aircraft is being painted in a special « Coastliner » livery, as spotted and posted by Tobias_Gudat on X, as it will feature a new three-class interior layout for premium transcontinental routes.

N94750 will be the first of 40 new A321neos under United’s incoming « A321LF » subfleet. Unlike the carrier’s current A321neos, which feature 200 seats and are powered by the Pratt & Whitney PW100G, the A321LF aircraft will feature only 161 seats, split up between a Polaris cabin with lie-flat seating, a Premium Plus cabin, and a smaller economy section. In addition, these planes, set to enter service later in 2026, will be powered by the CFM LEAP. Here’s what to expect from these new aircraft.

The Purpose And Specifications Of The New A321neo Subfleet

United Airlines will soon take delivery of N94750, an Airbus A321neo. The carrier’s current A321neos, designated as A321-271NXs, are powered by the Pratt & Whitney PW1133G, and are numbered as 45##, beginning with 4501. N94750 will be numbered as 4750, and it will be the first of 40 A321-252NXs, powered by the CFM LEAP-1A30, coded internally as « A321LF« . Rather notably, this is a low-thrust engine option of the CFM LEAP-1A line.

The 40 A321-252NXs are all leased examples, primarily acquired due to delays with the Boeing 737 MAX 10. Although the Chicago-based carrier has yet to make an official announcement, these aircraft are believed to be debuting a new transcontinental interior with lie-flat Polaris seating and Premium Plus. N94750 is being painted in a special livery named « Coastliner » to commemorate the launch of these new seats. United Airlines has officially teased the new aircraft online, but has yet to make a full reveal or announcement.

In total, these aircraft will feature 161 seats, broken down between 20 Polaris suites, 12 Premium Plus seats, and 129 economy seats. They will operate on premium transcontinental routes currently served by United’s Boeing 757-200 fleet, a task originally assigned to a previously planned subfleet of Boeing 737 MAX 10s with 163 seats and 22 Polaris seats. However, delays with the 737 MAX 10 meant that United is using the leased A321neos for this purpose, while the planned 737 MAX 10 subfleet may be scrapped.

What To Expect On The Inside Of The A321LF

As these aircraft will replace the Boeing 757-200 on transcontinental routes, they will feature a completely new interior. Up front, United will install 20 suites for Polaris. While it’s not been confirmed, it’s believed that United is using the Elevate Altitude, a direct-aisle access lie-flat seat herringbone with privacy doors, similar to the products featured on JetBlue’s Airbus A321LRs and American Airlines’ Airbus A321XLRs. What makes the Elevate Altitude unique is that it’s extremely space-efficient, with each seat featuring a pitch of just 28 inches (71.12 centimeters).

Behind the Polaris cabin will be 12 Premium Plus seats in a four-abreast layout, while the rest of the aircraft will feature 129 economy seats, with 36 of them being marked as Economy Plus. The A321LF subfleet will feature the same seats as the A321XLR while also being configured with the same number of Polaris and Premium Plus seats.

The difference is that the A321LF features 129 economy seats with 36 Economy Plus seats, whereas the A321XLR will feature 118 economy seats with 28 Economy Plus seats. This is because the A321LF will use the same « Space Flex » rear galley and lavatory option as the standard A321neo, whereas the A321XLR will be installed with a full galley. In total, while the A321LF will feature 161 seats, the A321XLRs will come with 150 seats.

United’s Strategy Versus The Competition

The sighting of United’s first A321LF aircraft comes shortly after American Airlines began operating the Airbus A321XLR for a similar purpose. United Airlines currently flies 40 Boeing 757-200s, which operate a mix of premium transcontinental routes and transatlantic services. It’s replacing these planes with 40 A321LFs solely for transcontinental routes, and 50 A321XLRs solely for transatlantic routes, indicating that the carrier will significantly grow both operations.

American Airlines, in contrast, will be using 50 A321XLRs to replace 15 Airbus A321-200s in a transcontinental configuration (which will be retrofitted into the standard domestic layout), and take the role of its Boeing 757-200 fleet, which was retired in 2020. Compared to United, American’s approach appears more limiting as the carrier will have less ability to grow either premium transcontinental or transatlantic services, given that it will have 40 fewer narrowbodies with lie-flat seats.

Delta Air Lines, meanwhile, is planning to take 21 Airbus A321neo aircraft in a premium transcontinental layout, but will not fly the A321XLR. Its approach to the transcontinental market is far less ambitious than United’s, and the carrier has explicitly stated that it does not see a place for long-haul narrowbody flights in its business model.