United Airlines will launch a true premium economy product later this year called Premium Plus.
An email sent out to Mileage Plus members today included the following information:
Introducing United® Premium Plus
International premium economy is coming.
Later this year, we’ll begin to introduce United’s Premium Plus. Available on select international flights, United® Premium Plus will give you more space, comfort and amenities. The seats will be more spacious and you’ll enjoy upgraded dining on china dinnerware, free alcoholic beverages, a Saks Fifth Avenue blanket and pillow, an amenity kit and more.
Perks will include:
- A more spacious seat
- Saks Fifth Avenue bedding
- Upgraded dining on china
- Complimentary alcohol
- Amenity kit
In other words, a true premium economy class product.
I’ve reached out to United for further details and will report back if I learn more. It just seems odd United would announce a major new product as a small blurb in an email newsletter focusing on the Winter Olympics.
Here’s a picture of the new seat–
It looks like it will have manual controls, a foot/leg rest, and generally resemble the current United domestic first class seat. That’s a far cry from international business class, but nevertheless a much nicer product than standard economy.
I’m looking forward to learning more about this.
I got an e-mail from United about it. Not a leak. It was in this afternoon’s “News & Deals” e-mail.
Sounds like this could be a great way for them to rebrand their 2-4-2 “business” class zoo on their 777-200s and just replace the former first-class section with Polaris seating.
Not sure if you’re just being cheeky, but in case anyone reading this mistakenly thinks this will happen, ummmm, no. 😉 Instead, Premium Plus will eventually replace the Economy Plus cabin on long-haul flights. You are however, right that it’ll be a 2-4-2 config.
I was totally being cheeky 🙂
Interesting information. It will be interesting to see if this new product takes business away from Business Class rather than provide a higher level of service for coach passengers. The cost of business class is very high (though the airlines seem to get it) yet the coach product is sub par on a long overnight flight to Europe. This might be the in-between product that businesses push some of their employees to use rather than the business class product.
I think the mini-economy plus cabin in the back of Polaris on the 777-300ER is a great place to put this. I think they can easily sell upgrades to it and make up any lost revenue from decreasing capacity. Anyone sitting in 3-4-3 economy with 17” wide seats would love to move up to this product.
Yes we got this email: ”
Introducing United® Premium Plus
International premium economy is coming.
Later this year, we’ll begin to introduce United’s Premium Plus. Available on select international flights, United® Premium Plus will give you more space, comfort and amenities. The seats will be more spacious and you’ll enjoy upgraded dining on china dinnerware, free alcoholic beverages, a Saks Fifth Avenue blanket and pillow, an amenity kit and more.
It will roll out on four aircraft by 2020 then complete deployment by 2028.
Absolutely right. About the same time the Dulles Polaris Club opens.
The difference between UA’s marketing and its reality is getting downright embarrassing.
i am really excited to this new class of service! will it also be available on the new york/tel aviv route?
when will this new service be in actual. i am planning a trip in september 2018
Haha, Gary is right, given their Polaris rollout schedule I wouldn’t hold my breath. Premium Economy will be lie-flat on other carriers before UA rolls this out across the fleet…
Great, it will be fully deployed in 2028 at which time Polaris will be 10 years old!
It seems that airlines like United have put a lot of focus on improving their business class product, so much so that old first class seats are becoming obsolete and the cabins are disappearing, in effect elevating business class to first class (think United BusinessFirst, Turkish Airlines having business class only, SAS, etc.)
Now with business class “elevated” to first class, the “premium economy” is introduced to fill the gap. But the gap was created by airlines in the first place when they elevated business class!
Is this cycle going to repeat itself in perpetuity?
How many layers are they going to have ? What does this mean, a Business cabin and then three sections in coach ? …… Basic Economy, Standard Economy and Premium Economy ? Will there be a curtain between the Premium Economy seats which will offer blankets, china service and better legroom?……because if there is no curtain and the standard and basic economy seats are overbooked, do some of the “unwashed masses” then get defaulted to the Premium Economy without “benefit” of paying for them or just sneak into better seats like they do now ?
Hippocrates…….they (United) should apply their corporate values to their passengers and stop segregating people, ALL OF THEM SITTING IN THE SAME (COACH) CABIN to begin with. If you’re going to hit your employees over the head constantly with “zero tolerance”, “diversity”, “inclusion” and all the other buzzwords, then start applying to your customers.
Now I get it,……just tag on the word “Premium” before the word economy and you’ve just created another wall between upgrades to the Business cabin……..in other words only people paying for and sitting in “Premium” economy fare seats will be allowed to do an upgrade to Business ?……..anyone else in any lower economy cabin category loses out ?
You wrote “a poor/leg rest”. I assume you meant foot/leg rest? Either way definitely I’m looking forward to trying out the seat!
*I’m definitely