United Airlines will enlarge overhead bins on its fleet of Embraer E175 regional aircraft operated by SkyWest.
SkyWest flies the 76-seat planes under the United Express livery. The new bins will be available on 50 aircraft by the end of this year, United said.
With the reconfiguration, bin space on the United E175s will increase by 80%, allowing up to 29 more carry-ons to be taken aboard. United estimates that the larger bins will nearly eliminate the gate checks that have been undertaken annually by approximately one million annual passengers on 150,000 E175 flights.
United also said that it will be the first airline to offer the larger overhead bins on E175s. The carrier is considering expanding the larger bins to more than 150 regional aircraft by 2026.
United, along with many other airlines, already has the large bins on portions of its mainline fleet, including new jets from Boeing and Airbus. The carrier says that it currently has more than 200 planes with bins large enough to fit every passenger's carry-on.
United is retrofitting the remainder of its narrowbody domestic fleet, working toward having a standardized interior across those aircraft.