On Tuesday, United Airlines announced a new Relax Row seating option that will convert three economy seats into a lie-flat sofa-like situation.
Aimed at families with small children, couples, and solo travelers who want more space, the new configuration will be outfitted with individually adjustable leg-rests that fold up at a 90-degree angle to create a flat, fetal-position-friendly plank.
Whether you’re traveling solo, with another person, or in a group of three, you’ll need to purchase all three seats to add the Relax Row feature.
Will the space be long enough for most adult travelers to sprawl out? Probably not—it’s lie-flat, not lie-straight. But the setup looks pretty cozy nonetheless, and should cost passengers less than the pricey loungers in business class.
Relax Row customers will be provided with a custom-fitted mattress pad, specially sized blankets, extra pillows, and a stuffed plushie for children.
While the feature is not restricted to families, it’s no coincidence that United’s marketing materials emphasize Relax Row’s appeal to parents of little kids. The configuration allows for more comfortable crawling back and forth for wiggle worms and their weary traveling companions.
As for the airline’s mention of couples in the announcement, the internet responded about how you’d expect. We should emphasize the option aims to accommodate families—not make them.
The new configuration option is scheduled to launch next year and will be available on more than 200 Boeing 787 and Boeing 777 wide-body aircraft by 2030. Flyers can expect up to 12 Relax Rows per plane.
“United is the only North American airline offering a product like the United Relax Row,” said Andrew Nocella, United’s executive vice president and chief commercial officer, in a statement.
But United isn’t the only carrier in the world with something like this. As a matter of fact, Relax Row is reportedly being built from the same patent used by Air New Zealand’s Economy Skycouch.
For North America, though, United says it holds exclusive rights to the design, so don’t expect to see economy sofas popping up on other domestic carriers anytime soon.
How much will United’s Relax Row cost?
United hasn’t announced pricing for the new product yet, but it’s expected to be an add-on cost to economy rather than its own fare class.
Opting for Relax Row will certainly be cheaper than buying a seat in Polaris business class—and should be a significant step up from the comfortless charade of allegedly “reclining” economy seats.
