LOS ANGELES -- United Airlines will introduce an economy cabin couch in 2027.
The product, built from the patent held by United partner Air New Zealand for its economy Skycouch, will be called United Relax Row. Each Relax Row will be three standard economy seats with flaps that hang down at 90 degrees from the seats. To create the couch, flyers will extend the flaps up to seat level. A fitted mattress will then extend across the couch.
Relax Row will be installed on every Boeing 787 Dreamliner as well as on a substantial portion of its Boeing 777 fleet, chief commercial officer Andrew Nocella said during an event the airline hosted at an LAX hangar on Tuesday.
Overall, 200 planes will be equipped with Relax Row by 2030, with each aircraft having as many as 12 of the couches. The Relax Row will be positioned in the economy cabin of the widebody planes on outside rows, but not in center seat banks. On average, the planes featuring Relax Row will have nine of them.
Nocella said Relax Row will be geared toward families. Prices will be significantly less than premium economy but more than standard economy. Parties of one, two or three can buy Relax Row, but they must purchase all three seats.
"What we're trying to say is premium for all," he said. "We don't often focus on the main cabin, but we really want to change that at United."
United will be the first U.S. airline to offer an economy couch and one of the few in the world. Air New Zealand introduced its product in 2010 and remains its standard bearer.
Nocella said that because United has obtained exclusive North American rights to use the Air New Zealand Skycouch design, it would take any U.S. competitor that wants to follow suit years to introduce its own offering.