United’s First Airbus A321neo Begins Flying On December 14th

by Anthony Losanno
UA321

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United Airlines’ first Airbus A321neo will debut on December 14th. The new plane will feature a redesigned First Class seat, personal TV screens, power ports, Bluetooth connectivity, and Wi-Fi.

United placed a massive order with Airbus. It consists of 70 A321neo jets and 50 A321XLR aircraft. This is the first delivery with subsequent aircraft set for later this year and early 2024. This aircraft will feature the elements debuted as part of the United Next program, which centers around the aircraft interiors. There will be 20 First Class, 57 Economy Plus®, and 123 Economy Class seats.

United Next promises new interior upgrades including faster Wi-Fi, Bluetooth connectivity, in-seat entertainment screens and power, more premium cabin and Economy Plus® seats, and larger overhead bins.

United First Class Seat

For First Class passengers this means three types of charging (wireless, USB-C, and an AC household-style outlet), 13-inch seatback screens, 18-inch tray tables, Bluetooth connectivity, and privacy screens among other design elements. This will be United’s first update to domestic First Class seat design since 2015 (more here).

United has revealed the introductory routes for the A321neo. The inaugural flight (UA321) will be on December 14th and fly from Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) to Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX). The aircraft will be used for leisure destinations like Fort Lauderdale International Airport (FLL), Las Vegas Harry Reid International Airport (LAS), Orlando International Airport (MCO), and Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW).

Anthony’s Take: I thought I might try to catch the inaugural flight and looked at pricing. First Class one way is over $1,200. I’ll pass unless that drops. The new First Class seats look great and it will be nice to see United Boeing 757-200 and 757-300 aircraft retire. These new planes will increase both capacity and passenger comfort.

(Image Credits: United Airlines.)

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2 comments

Jason September 10, 2023 - 7:37 pm

Maybe I got in early on it, but I got a CLT-ORD-PHX itinerary with the second leg on UA321 in First for about $450 one way.

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M. Casey September 10, 2023 - 10:44 pm

Just looked at the seat map for UA321 for the 14DEC and there are no window seats available

Reply

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