270 new aircraft and plans to reconfigure its existing fleet, the company announced Tuesday, as part of the airline’s pivot towards higher-paying premium travel as the hard hit industry explores ways to recover from Covid-19. The Chicago-based airline has placed its largest ever order for 200 Boeing 737 MAX and 70 Airbus A321neo jets, which will be used to replace retiring jets and expand its fleet.
United said the order will create 25,000 jobs by 2026 and, along with the renovations to existing craft, allow it to grow the number of premium seats by 75% from before the pandemic. The move will also see screens return to the back of United’s seats, something it had previously moved away from, bigger storage for cabin bags and more spacious craft between business destinations in an attempt to woo business travelers.
CEO Scott Kirby said the changes “will revolutionize the experience of flying United” and “accelerate our business to meet a resurgence in air travel.” Pre-market trading shows shares for United up by 0.11% at the time of writing, having recovered from an initial