United Airlines launches order for 270 Boeing and Airbus aircraft, highest ever

United Airlines released its largest ever aircraft order on Tuesday: 270 narrow-body aircraft from Boeing and Airbus as the carrier’s post-pandemic growth charts.

The fleet plan is at the heart of United̵

7;s goal of attracting more tourists. This is especially true for high-income tourists in major coastal hubs such as San Francisco and Newark. in a broad strategic plan The airline said it plans to add wider seating and rear-seat entertainment. which is a departure from the previous strategy

The airline also announced 25,000 jobs for the new plane. including pilots flight attendant and mechanic

Boeing shares were up 0.9 percent in futures trading after the announcement. United fell about 0.2%.

The order includes 200 Boeing Max aircraft. Of those aircraft, 150 are Boeing’s largest Max 10 models. The first Max 10 test flight was completed earlier this month. The remaining 50 Boeing aircraft are the manufacturer’s most popular Max 8 aircraft. The bulk order on top of United’s existing Max aircraft orders is another reliance on the aircraft manufacturer. Max crashes and production problems.

United also plans to order 70 Airbus 321neos, adding to dozens of long-haul aircraft.

The airline currently has about 500 narrow-body aircraft arriving next year.

About 200 planes will be used to expand the airline’s fleet of 500, while another 300 will be used to replace older jets such as planes, United Chief Commercial Officer Andrew Nosella said. Boeing 757-200 to be retired

Some planes will replace older single-class regional jets. That’s part of United’s push for high-income travelers.

United executives say flying with larger mainstream jets means it can add First Class and Economy Plus or coach seats with more legroom. It also introduced a new interior for the aircraft with rear seat partitions and larger overhead storage compartments.

The focus on high-priced seats — and customers who would pay more for them — was shot at rival Delta Air Lines. before the epidemic Delta takes those travelers very seriously. especially in the coastal center by adding more legroom and more jet space between business centers

The analyst report states that Demand for business travel has declined during the epidemic. but has recently returned to recession.

United CEO Scott Kirby told reporters he expected demand for business travel to fully recover.

Another change in United’s strategy is to decorate the plane with entertainment in the backseat. That’s what United moved away from. Rival American Airlines, who served as United’s CEO Kirby before joining his current airline five years ago as president. It has removed the backrest screen from the older aircraft, while also accepting a new, unmanned narrow-body aircraft.

Executives argued that many travelers would use their personal electronic devices instead of streaming movies.

Other airlines such as Delta and JetBlue Airways continue to offer in-seat entertainment systems.