United July 23 unveiled plans for a new
international business class with forward- and rear-facing seats
that recline to a fully flat, 6-foot 4-inch bed.
United boasts that
the change will make it the first U.S. carrier to offer a truly
lie-flat seat when the first of the seats debuts this
fall.
Delta is installing
seats that recline to fully flat, but the first seats won't debut
until 2008 when the airline takes delivery of two long-range 777
aircraft, and Delta won't begin installing the seat on the rest of
its 777s until fall 2008.
American already
has installed what it calls a "lie-flat" seat on many aircraft in
its international fleet, and is continuing to install it on more of
the aircraft. But that seat is not completely parallel to the floor
when fully reclined; instead, as with many other airlines, it is at
a slight angle to the floor in what some people call "angled
lie-flat."
United is taking
aim at that difference in its first promotions for the new business
class product, declaring that "It's time to lie truly, truly
flat."
"No tilting. No
sliding. Perfectly flat for perfect sleep," United declares in
extolling the virtues of its seat.
Some travelers
insist fully flat seats are more comfortable for sleeping, although
airlines with angled lie-flat seats insist that's not
true.
Lie-flat seats
won't be the only new feature in United's new business
class.
United also said
the cabin will include forward- and rear-facing seats "to maximize
personal space and privacy;" provide 76 inches of pitch for 16 to
23 more inches of leg room than it provides now; a 15.4-inch video
screen that will be nearly three times larger than the one it has
now; USB ports to charge personal electronic devices; and an iPod
adapter that will let customers play their own music and videos on
the seat's entertainment unit while recharging the iPod.
United said the new
business class product will be installed on its entire
international fleet of 767, 747 and 777 aircraft by late
2009.
In December, United
announced an upgrade of its first class seating, and that upgrade
will be on the same timetable.
To
contact reporter Andrew Compart, send e-mail to [email protected].