United’s 250-Plane Order Includes More Lie-Flat Seats — and Snack Bars

United Airlines announced Tuesday it plans to add more than 250 aircraft to its fleet by April 2028 in a move that signals confidence that the high travel demand in the airline industry is sustainable. 

“This is another step in a decade-long journey that we’ve been on at United to de-commoditize the industry to  de-commoditize United in particular,” said CEO Scott Kirby during a call with reporters. 

As part of its growth plans, United is adding two narrowbodies to its fleet: a custom-designed Airbus A321 Coastliner and the A321XLR. 

The Coastliner

The A321 Coastliner will have 20 lie-flat Polaris business class seats, 12 premium plus seats, and 129 economy seats. United said it removed three seats from the standard configuration to accommodate a snack bar in the back of the plane for customers traveling in economy.

United had started experimenting with snack bars in 2023, when it introduced kiosks w