United’s new Relax Row brings lie-flat beds, custom bedding, and extra perks to economy class on select long-haul flights.
United Airlines is taking a page from Air New Zealand’s long-haul playbook. The airline will introduce its new United Relax Row on select Boeing 787 and Boeing 777 flights in 2027.
Air New Zealand introduced the concept over 15 years ago on its own long-haul flights as Economy Skycouch. Almost immediately after it introduced the concept on its own flights, it said it would license the design—which was developed by the airline in-house and is proprietary—to other airlines, as long as they weren’t in direct competition.
Now, United will introduce the seating for its own passengers, dedicating up to 12 United Relax Row sections per aircraft. The airline estimates it will have the new seating installed on over 200 widebody aircraft by 2030.
The seats are outfitted with leg rests that fold completely out, turning a block of three seats into a narrow platform, large enough for an adult to stretch out and sleep. United will also outfit passengers purchasing this option with a custom-fitted mattress pad, a specially sized plush blanket, two additional pillows, as well as a plush toy and Children’s Travel Kit for families (there’s no word on whether the plush will be available on request for adults).
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“As a leading premium airline, we’re committed to delivering new, industry-leading experiences for all of our customers–and the United Relax Row is the perfect example of that. Customers traveling in United Economy on long-haul flights deserve an option for more space and comfort, and this is one way we can deliver that for them,” said Andrew Nocella, United’s executive vice president and chief commercial officer. “United is the only North American airline offering a product like the United Relax Row and is one of the many reasons why we’re continuing to win brand loyal customers.”
United also holds North American exclusivity on the design, meaning it can’t be licensed to another carrier based on that continent. On Air New Zealand flights, Skycouch seat extensions can’t be extended by passengers who haven’t paid the fee—only flight attendants have access to extend the seats, a procedure that will likely be duplicated by United. The seats can be sold as regular economy seats if there are no takers for Skycouch.
United has not yet announced pricing on the product or announced which routes will be the first to offer it. Air New Zealand sells Skycouch as a seat upgrade for economy passengers. It generally runs $1,100 to $2,000 per row for a long-haul flight, and can be booked for one or two passengers.
A recent check on a flight from Los Angeles to Auckland found that for one person, the cost of Skycouch effectively doubled the cost of an Economy Class ticket, from $1,100 to $2,200, still making it cheaper than a $2,600 premium economy seat or an $8,100 business class seat. For two passengers, the cost of Skycouch for the same flight was only $544 (because Skycouch would take only one seat out of inventory that could otherwise be sold to another passenger, compared to two seats for a solo passenger), making the cost per passenger $1,393.
United has similarly not released details on whether Relax Row seats would be available as a benefit for MileagePlus Premier members, either at a discount, or buyable with MileagePlus Miles or PlusPoints.
Separately, United also announced it will add more than 250 new aircraft in the next two years, including “Coastliner” Airbus A321neo aircraft to operate premium flights from Los Angeles and San Francisco to Newark/New York from Summer 2026, offering lie-flat United Polaris seats and Polaris lounge access. Airbus A321XLR aircraft outfitted with lie-flat United Polaris will debut this summer on “thinner” routes to Europe and South America.
United will also introduce a “reimagined” regional jet, the CRJ450. A 50-seat Canadair regional jet reconfigured to seat 41 passengers, with a large United First cabin with the overhead bins removed in favor of a luggage closet for more overhead space in the United First cabin. The United Economy cabin will have bins large enough to accommodate rollaboard bags—long a pain point for travelers on this aircraft type.
