United’s newest economy upgrade guarantees an empty middle seat

United Airlines will soon let travelers pay for one of air travel’s biggest luxuries: an empty middle seat. The new Economy Plus option will debut later this year on the carrier’s new Airbus A321XLR aircraft, the airline said Tuesday. 

The new Economy Plus option will go on sale later this year for flights departing soon afterward. United said it is the only U.S. airline offering the seating option and will release pricing and additional details closer to launch.

United’s fleet of 50 Airbus A321XLR aircraft will each include a special seating row with open middle seats, which will be “repurposed as shared spaces with large custom tables,” according to the airline. 

While passengers will gain additional elbow room, they’ll still share the fixed table spanning the empty middle seat. 

United’s new Airbus A321XLR aircraft are expected to start flying domestic routes this fall, with international service slated to begin in early 2027.

Armrest space can be a contentious issue among airline passengers packed into cramped spaces, with no formal guidance on which passenger is entitled to the armrests on either side of their seat. Some travel experts say passengers in window and aisle seats should yield them to the person in the middle seat, who has the least personal space.

United’s custom tables will reach from armrest to armrest across the unoccupied middle seats, “giving customers sitting in the window or aisle seat extra space to stretch out on longer international flights,” the airline said. “The table is permanently fixed, with a soft leather-like covering, and two indentations for cups.”

United recently announced another seating innovation: its United Relax Row seats in economy class can recline into a lie-flat surface, and will become available for purchase in early 2027. 

“We’re investing nose-to-tail across our fleet and giving customers choice and value in every cabin,” Andrew Nocella, United executive vice president and chief commercial officer said in a statement.