United Airlines Adds Flat-Bed Seating
United Airlines introduced Monday its first aircraft equipped with flat-bed seats in a revamped premium cabin, all-new interiors, personal on-demand entertainment, Wi-Fi connectivity, in-seat power and USB ports on its transcontinental “p.s.” Premium Service.
United flight 651, the first flight with the completely new cabin experience, departed Los Angeles International Airport Monday morning to New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport.
Meanwhile, Southwest Airlines has announced that movies on demand are now available on all Wi-Fi-equipped Southwest aircraft for $5 per movie, per device. The airline also announced an upgrade to its television package. (Read: Watching Movies on Demand on Wi-Fi-enabled Planes)
United offers its p.s. service on all nonstop flights between New York Kennedy and both Los Angeles, with 40 flights each way per week, and San Francisco, with 46 flights each way per week.
[ Also Read: American Airlines, US Airways to Create Global Carrier ]The fully refreshed interior offers 28 flat-bed premium-cabin seats, replacing the 12 angled lie-flat and 26 reclining seats in the premium cabins on the traditional p.s. fleet. The new configuration also features 48 extra-legroom Economy Plus seats and 66 seats in United Economy.
“With these investments in our p.s. service, United will offer an unmatched inflight experience for coast-to-coast travel,” said Jim Compton, vice chairman and chief revenue officer at United.
“As the airline with the most flights from the New York region, Los Angeles and San Francisco, we are committed to giving our customers convenient travel options and the premium service they expect from the world’s leading airline.”
According to the company, customers traveling on p.s. flights experience a higher level of service in the air and on the ground, including amenities usually reserved for long-haul international flights.