Even as travelers debate whether or not it’s okay to lean your seat back, United Airlines is rolling out a new generation of first-class seats designed to recline—and also charge your phone with a Qi wireless charger in the armrest, and provide more privacy from your neighbor thanks to a large privacy screen.
The new vegan leather seats come with 13-inch seatback screens and 18-inch tray tables, plus AC and USB-C outlets in each seat, so passengers can charge three devices at once. The new 11×19-inch privacy screens are not retractable, however, making it hard for fearful fliers to grab their spouse’s arm.
United is in the midst of a fleet renewal, adding more than 90 new planes this year and 140 by the end of next. The new seats will debut on about 200 Boeing 737s and the new Airbus A321neo, beginning later this month and through 2025.
“This new United First seat is designed around the modern traveler—more charging options, bigger spaces for devices, food, drinks and personal items and extra privacy,” United’s Managing Director of Identity, Product and Loyalty Mark Muren said in a statement. “As we evolve the onboard experience, we’re upending old industry norms and anticipating future needs to accommodate the new ways people live and travel.”
Delta and JetBlue also are refreshing their planes’ interiors.
