Flying United’s new first-class recliners on the snazzy Airbus A321neo

On Wednesday night, I opened the United mobile app and noticed that the upgrade list went on. And on. And on.

In fact, Thursday’s United Flight 321 from Houston to Chicago had a whopping 111 passengers listed for an upgrade. That’s more than 60% of the economy cabin — a staggering number for what the casual traveler might’ve thought was a run-of-the-mill, hub-to-hub flight.

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But Flight 321 was unlike any of United’s 10 other daily frequencies between two of its biggest hubs. It was the inaugural flight for the airline’s Airbus A321neo, or new engine option, and lots of Premier members and United employees wanted to be onboard (in the pointy end).

Ever since United took delivery of its first A321neo earlier this year, the jet has garnered significant interest from the frequent flyer community. It would become the first new Airbus jet inaugurated by United in more than 20 years, and the first new fleet type inducted since the Boeing 737 MAX in 2018.

United’s Neo is also among the first in the fleet to feature the airline’s latest signature interior, complete with an all-new first-class product.

So, it’s no surprise that scores of frequent flyers, myself included, wanted to be onboard the inaugural. Within moments of United announcing the schedule, first-class seats sold like hotcakes. I was lucky enough to grab one, so here’s what my experience was like flying on United’s first Airbus A321neo.

First look: Inside United’s 1st Airbus A321neo! Step onboard ahead of the inaugural flight

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From the United-branded sweatshirts to the “Remove Before Flight” backpack tags to the laptops plastered with airline stickers, it became clear that Thursday’s flight would be filled with an eager crowd of aviation enthusiasts.

Even the journalists and bloggers had some fun in the club before boarding. I ran into our own David Slotnick, who previewed the plane earlier in the day and got in some questions with CEO Scott Kirby, as well as Matthew Klint from Live and Let’s Fly.

After a reunion and a quick pass at the buffet, I made my way to Gate C12 about an hour before boarding to watch the festivities kick off.

The gate area was unlike any other in Houston on Thursday. In addition to the myriad of passengers milling around the gate, I found a handful of flyers glued to the windows, taking selfies and recording videos with the sparkly new Airbus A321neo in the background.

Just about everyone I saw knew exactly why they were about to board Flight 321. Still, that didn’t stop the gate agents from making repeated announcements about the significance of the flight, nor did it stop the eager passengers from filming them.

By the time boarding was about to start, there was a noticeable buzz around the gate area. Passengers were already lined up to board when Kevin Peters, United’s director of fleet and network planning, took to the PA to add his welcome announcement.

“Back in the pandemic when lots of our planes were grounded, a very small group of us started working on a project to revitalize United, and what you see outside of the window today is one of the things that came out of that very work,” Peters said.

Peters’ remarks were met with a round of applause, which then turned into a mad dash to the plane. Preboarding was called right at 4:45 p.m., and within moments, I was onboard.

The plane also features United’s new signature domestic first-class product, arranged in a 2-2 configuration spread across five rows. While the “bones” of the seat may look like any other domestic recliner (it’s built on the popular Safran Z600 product), United’s latest version sports some bells and whistles that enhance the seat’s appearance and comfort.

For one, I thought the neutral color scheme blended perfectly with the range of mood lighting options on the A321neo. United even installed a nice branding touch on the divider behind row 5, adding a little more flair to the cabin.

As for the seats themselves, the leather recliners were very comfortable. Note that they recline like a shell, which means that your legroom gets a little bit more restricted when you recline.

Seat pitch measured just 37 inches, which was definitely on the tighter side, especially when my neighbors were also reclined. I was sitting in the aisle, but I’d imagine the window passenger might’ve felt slightly claustrophobic in his seat.

Another big improvement with this product is the addition of a pie-shaped privacy divider between seats. This isn’t the same as the “wings” that jut out from the first-class seats on Delta’s A321neo, but it helps provide a sense of personal space and demarcates your area from your neighbor’s.

The shared cocktail tray between seats is large enough for a smartphone, and I loved that United added a retractable cocktail tray behind the seat in front of you. It’s just too bad mine was (already) broken.

The side panel below the inner armrest doubled as a storage pocket, and the area underneath the power outlet is also big enough to hold a water bottle.

Speaking of storage, I was pretty disappointed by the lack of underseat storage. For one, there’s a sizable cutout underneath the center console that restricts the usable space, and the seat support columns are placed in such a way that only a small backpack or a handbag can fit underneath each seat.

Fortunately, the overhead bins are plenty large for all your belongings, but standing up to take out your bags can get annoying.

United solved a major pain point with the old first-class product by relocating the tray table to the outer armrest. This makes it much easier to maneuver in the seat, but I wish the bi-fold tray table didn’t get downsized in this new product. (It now measures just 18 inches wide and 8.5 inches tall compared to the 20-inch-wide and 11-inch-long tray table on the Boeing 737 MAX.)

All in all, the new first-class product brings some welcome enhancements to the first-class experience.

This isn’t a revolutionary product. However, while it has some drawbacks (less pitch and smaller tray tables), most flyers will enjoy their flight in these new seats — especially once you start playing around with all the amenities.

Spiffy first-class amenities

While the first-class recliner might look like an iterative upgrade, United made some big strides with the new amenities.

It starts with the 13-inch 4K TVs at each seat. Not only is the resolution among the best I’ve seen on a domestic jet, but these screens have a few more bells and whistles that make them more useful than ever before.

United upgraded the inflight entertainment software with more intuitive controls, such as a focus mode; it also added a new digital onboard snack and drink menu to each screen. (Seat-back ordering might be coming in a future software update.)

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ZACH GRIFF/THE POINTS GUY

These screens also feature Bluetooth connectivity to pair your AirPods and other wireless headphones, which worked seamlessly for the two hours we were airborne.

The entertainment system is loaded with hundreds of movies and TV shows, and the inflight map was even upgraded to the latest 3D version.

But my favorite feature is the new digital status bar at the bottom right of each monitor. It dynamically displays pertinent information, such as the remaining flight time, a play/pause button when watching a movie, the seatbelt sign status and more. It reminds me of the small info screens on Motorola’s old flip phones.

Though the TVs are all touchscreen, you can also use the trackpad remote to navigate the menus if you prefer.

The upgraded entertainment system is only scratching the surface of the tech improvements United installed on the A321neo. Every seat features USB-A and USB-C charging ports (underneath the screen) and a universal power outlet.

First-class recliners also feature Qi wireless charging pads underneath the center armrest, though the frequent turbulence meant that my AirPods didn’t stay in place when trying to charge.

Finally, all new United mainline domestic jets feature Viasat satellite internet, including the A321neo. This industry-leading satellite service worked flawlessly throughout the flight, with download speeds hovering around 25 Mbps and uploads around 1 Mbps.

Elevated service

The service couldn’t have been friendlier or more polished from the moment we took off until we touched down. Of course, that’s what happens when the crew is hand-picked to operate the inaugural, but either way, I have to give credit where credit’s due.

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ZACH GRIFF/THE POINTS GUY

The pilot, 28-year United veteran Steve Bogert, welcomed the entire plane onboard with remarks about the significance of the airplane and its new engines. (He asked passengers to ring the call button if they knew about the new engines on the A321neo, and the cacophony of simultaneous dings indicated that this plane was full of aviation geeks.)

Predeparture beverages were handed out during boarding, and once airborne, the flight attendants sprung into action, welcoming each passenger by name with a hot towel and meal order request.

I selected the mushroom ravioli, which came alongside United’s signature ramekin of mixed nuts. The pasta itself was a tad overcooked — perhaps due to the turbulence that had the flight attendants locked to their jumpseats — but I thoroughly enjoyed the side salad, the warm bread roll and the coffee cake dessert.

Drink refills were offered proactively, and before we knew it, it was time for the crew to wrap up the meal service for the descent into Chicago.

This wasn’t United’s best meal ever, but it also wasn’t its worst. I didn’t get a chance to visit the economy cabin, but I’m definitely going to use one of the two lavatories in the rear of the jet the next time I fly on a United A321neo.

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ZACH GRIFF/THE POINTS GUY

That’s because the A321neo is the first jet in the United fleet to offer a walk-up snack bar with complimentary water and nosh. It’s open after the snack and drink service is completed, and I’m sure it’ll become quite popular over time.

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ZACH GRIFF/THE POINTS GUY

Let’s just hope United offers enough snacks to satiate all of its hungry flyers.

(The A321neo features four modern lavatories — two in the rear of the plane, one at the front of the economy cabin and one at the front of the first-class section. I’d avoid the one at the front of economy since it’s very small.)

Economy looks good too

While the new first-class product is the star of the show, the economy experience on the A321neo is about as good as it gets in the domestic skies.

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ZACH GRIFF/THE POINTS GUY

It starts with 12-inch 4K TVs for every passenger. They feature the same content and resolution as the TVs in first class; the only difference is that they’re one inch smaller.

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ZACH GRIFF/THE POINTS GUY

Each touchscreen TV sports USB-A and USB-C outlets, as well as Bluetooth wireless connectivity for AirPods and wireless headphone pairing. Furthermore, each row of three economy seats has access to two shared AC outlets.

There are 180 Collins Meridian economy seats arranged in a 3-3 configuration on the A321neo, 57 of which are in an extra-spacious Economy Plus configuration. You can tell the extra-legroom seats apart by the black headrests.

Just be sure to avoid row 31, since it’s missing windows.

Economy passengers all have access to the larger overhead bins, as well as the new mood lighting and modernized service units with new personal LED lights.

Bottom line

United’s A321neo is officially flying, and with it comes a new gold standard for the domestic onboard experience.

While United’s been talking about (and installing) its next-generation cabins on other planes since 2021, the A321neo is the first jet on which the new seats really shine. Thanks to the snazzy mood lighting, larger overhead bins and plenty of connectivity options, the A321neo cabins feel like the first in United’s fleet that have actually been designed for the modern-day traveler — both in first class and economy.

Plus, the A321neo is generally a quieter plane that offers a smooth ride, making it a joy to fly no matter which cabin you choose.

The good news is that the airline has 130 more A321neos on order because I, for one, can’t wait to fly on one again.

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