What's New at United

United posted $1.99 in adjusted EPS against a $1.88 consensus and raised full-year guidance — while absorbing a fuel bill that's up 84% and nearly $6 billion higher than planned. The earnings call had the real news: the full schedule comes back this fall, 80-plus old jets retire in 2027, and Kirby says 20%-higher fares are here to stay.

The blocked middle seats we covered in June are now an official product: United will sell an "extra elbow room" Economy Plus row on all 50 A321XLRs, with a custom table where the middle seat used to be and three extra inches of legroom. The staffing math we flagged hasn't gone anywhere — United just found a way to get paid for it.

N61101 — the first 787-9 with United's Elevated interior and the Polaris Studio suites — spent ten days back at Boeing for recurring collision-avoidance system failures, returned "fixed" on June 30, flew one clean domestic leg, and was grounded again on July 3. The most important airplane in United's fleet story keeps refusing to fly.

On June 22, a Boeing 777 operating UA14 from Newark to London Heathrow became United's first Starlink-equipped mainline widebody flight — free, fast internet finally arriving on the flights where it matters most, with roughly 400 aircraft equipped and the entire widebody fleet targeted by summer 2027.

United is blocking two middle seats on its new A321XLR to hold the cabin at 150 seats — a quiet move that keeps the jet under an FAA flight-attendant threshold. The airline calls it customer investment; the labor math tells a more interesting story.

United took delivery of its first Airbus A321XLR on June 3 — the long-range narrowbody that finally retires the 757 on transatlantic flying, with 20 lie-flat Polaris suites, free Starlink Wi-Fi, and a 4,700-nautical-mile reach that opens "long and thin" city pairs no widebody could justify.

United's summer 2026 transatlantic push is now in the air: four new or returning Newark nonstops to secondary European cities, the airline's first-ever Washington-Dulles–Reykjavik route, and a year-round Newark–Seoul launch this fall — part of a network no other U.S. carrier comes close to matching.

United announces the most aircraft deliveries of any airline in a two-year period — 250+ new planes by April 2028, headlined by the Coastliner A321neo for transcon, the A321XLR for international, and a reimagined CRJ450 regional jet.

Alongside 250+ new aircraft, United rolls out a full onboard experience overhaul — Relax Row for Economy long-haul, free Starlink for all MileagePlus members, a Chef's Table dining partnership, and seatback screens at every seat across 1,200+ planes.

CEO Scott Kirby tells employees United is prepared for jet fuel prices that have more than doubled — planning for $175/barrel oil through 2027 while trimming ~5 points of near-term capacity and accelerating investments in new clubs, hub infrastructure, and all 120+ aircraft deliveries for 2026.

United begins selling tickets for its redesigned 787-9 Dreamliner featuring new Polaris Studio suites, 4K OLED screens at every seat, and Bluetooth connectivity throughout — inaugural SFO–Singapore flight departs April 22.

United Airlines has stationed its first Boeing 737 MAX aircraft at Guam, expanding its Pacific island hub with modern, fuel-efficient narrowbodies.