United Airlines New 'Coastliner': An A321neo for Premium Domestic Routes

by Krish Patel

United is introducing a brand new A321neo that will serve the airline’s premium domestic routes across the country. The Chicago-based carrier’s A321neo ‘Coastliner’ will feature a brand new premium interior on select transcontinental flights. 

Recently, the first transcontinental A321neo left the Airbus factory in Germany and will begin flying commercially starting in late 2026. The eventual plan for United is to operate 40 Coastliners in its fleet and replace its ever-so aging Boeing 757-200s.  

The Coastliner will exclusively fly from Newark to Los Angeles and San Francisco. Additionally, United will operate the jet from JFK when it returns to the airport in 2027 as part of the Blue Sky partnership with JetBlue. 

The expected configuration for these new planes is set to feature:

• 20 seats in Business Class (1-1 configuration)

• 12 seats in Premium Plus (2-2 configuration)

• 129 seats in Economy (3-3 configuration)

It’s not only United that is investing in newer planes for its transcontinental routes. American has introduced the A321XLR on its high-demand transcontinental routes, which also feature Business Class, Premium Economy, and Main Cabin. Meanwhile, Delta is also introducing a premium A321neo, which will feature a similar configuration to United’s Coastliner. 

United Airlines is truly investing into its passenger experience with the debut of the A321neo Coastliner. It will carry the luxuries of a widebody aircraft such as lie-flat seats up front and a dedicated Premium Economy cabin across a smaller aisle. But until the Coastliner is ready, we can still expect to find 757s, 777s, and 787s operating the routes from EWR to LAX and SFO.